The Feed Podcast

A softshell crab challenge with Jennifer Kim, the chef and owner of Passerotto in Chicago, as she and chef Rick Bayless attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just softshells, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

After biking to wherever you’re going, and then walking through the museums of Amsterdam, admiring the Van Goghs and Rembrandts, you quickly work up an appetite, or a thirst. How to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time? By taking a food tour, of course. We’ll check out a Tours by Locals experience, drink a lot of genever, and pop-in for a few surprises, which came as a result of social media intel. Then getting a taste of genever back here in Chicago. How to create a dutch-inspired cocktail - Stateside. Eating and drinking Amsterdam…it’s all straight ahead.

The indie-pop group St. Lucia is on tour now, promoting its most recent studio album, Hyperion, with a U.S. tour. They stopped in Chicago for a sold out show, but took some time before their sound check to stop by the test kitchen. We’ll talk food, cooking, eating on the road and, for at least one half of the duo, how growing up in South Africa and Germany affected their approach to food.

A taste of the city formerly known as Constantinople, where Asia and Europe meet. Whether you’re sitting down to a bottle of raku and an overloaded table groaning with mezze, or wandering the backstreets of the old bazaar, sharing borek and with your friendly neighborhood usta, the city lures you into its labyrinth passageways filled with all sorts of delicious discoveries. Steve spends a day with one of my colleagues who guided us through breakfast, lunch and dinner…then takes a full-day Culinary Backstreets tour – finally – to get a local’s perspective on pretty much everything. Plus, a lesson in Turkish breakfast, right here in Chicago, which you can duplicate for yourself, thanks to a new company that ships.

An asparagus challenge with Michael Sheerin, Chef from Taureaux in Chicago, as he and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just asparagus, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

We’re entering peak season for graduations, weddings and other celebrations (I’d raise a glass to the end of winter I was so happy it was over), and so today, we’re asking the experts for help us choose some appropriate bottles to help mark the occasion. We begin with champagne of course. An obvious choice for a special occasion that requires toasting and celebrating. And joining us in our first segment to talk French bubbles is Collin Moody, the General Manager of Income Tax, a bar and restaurant on Chicago’s North Side. Then we continue drinking bubbles, but rather than France, we’re headed to Italy. Steve talks with Adriano Adami, the partner and wine director at Osteria Langhe about his beloved Italian prosecco. Then later, a trip to whisky fest, to raise a celebratory glass of barrel-aged bourbon with Jeffrey Lindenmuth, the Executive Editor of Whisky Advocate Magazine, and asked him to suggest a pair of whiskys that anyone could get their hands on.

The food industry’s “Oscars” are set to take place yet again in Chicago on Monday, May 6th, but you can bet a lot of industry people are in town the weekend before, and they all have one thing on their mind: where do we eat (and drink)? We’re giving you the lowdown on where to do both, like a local, as we talk with the founder of a local food site that does quite a bit more than just listicles and Top 7 places to eat steak with Fooditor’s Michael Gebert. Plus, we’ll meet Shelby Alison, one of the women behind the 2nd annual Chicago Style, a cocktail conference going on for a few days after the Beards. Talk about a hangover. We’re rolling out the red carpet, and you don’t even need an invitation.

A tofu challenge with Jenny Yang, the owner of Phoenix Bean, as she and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some tofu, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

In this Bonus episode, Steve Dolinsky sits down with Chef Enrique Olvera Interview at the Arts Club of Chicago to talk about his new book, Tu Casa Mi Casa: Mexican Recipes for the Home Cook.

On this episode, the art of food styling. We talk to a trio of professional stylists about how they got their jobs, and what they do to stay on top of food styling trends. Plus, some tips on how to improve your online food styling game. Getting paid to play with your food. Yes, it’s a career choice.

A trip to Montreal in the middle of winter is not for the faint of heart, but rather, the truly hearty. Steve braves a few days in the cold of Quebec to eat and drink his way around town, while taking in a little bit of a mid-winter festival. There is more to this incredible city than poutine, smoked meat and bagels. Did we mention Leonard Cohen?? We’re going a little bit beyond maple syrup-soaked foie gras, eh?

A deep dive on bread, as Rick and Steve talk to a couple of people involved in the burgeoning bread scene in Chicago, and learn what it takes to make truly transcendent loaves. Then Rick reports from Saigon, aka Ho Chi Minh City, getting up extra early to see how a team of men makes the unforgettable banh mi loaves that have come to signify a large part of the street food scene there. We’re headed right for the eye of the gluten zone.

On this week’s show,a purple sweet potato challenge with Louie Yu, the Chef de Cuisine at Sunda, as he and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some purple sweet potatoes, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

On this episode, cider, cheese tea and natural wines. A disparate, yet delicious triumvirate. We’ll get a report from CiderCon, and talk to some of the folks behind this annual cider fest; I’ll head to the branch of a beloved Taiwanese tea shop – only in Chicago – where they’re making cheese tea (it’s not as weird as you’d think). Then we wrap things up with a deep-dive on the world of natural wines. Lots of options for all sorts of drinkers today, so no need to pace yourself.

The Good Food Expo comes back to Chicago, but that doesn’t mean you have to live here to learn more about growing, making and cooking good food. We’ll talk to some of the key players, and discover why it has become one of the leading events of its kind in the Midwest, if not the entire country.

We visit the 11th annual Food Innovate Summit, where chefs and scientists come together to share their findings and predictions on where the industry is headed. We’ll talk scaling, data analysis and product development, but you don’t need an MBA to understand all of it.

A veal challenge with Aaron Lirette, the Chef from Free Rein in Chicago, as he and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just veal, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

Coming up on this episode, a trio of organizations and individuals all dedicating their professional lives to improving food education in primary and elementary schools. We’ll talk to the Executive Director of Pilot Light, which works to develop food-centered curriculum; talk to a food ethnographer about the Readers to Eaters program, and then learn more about Kimbal Musk’s “Big Green” program. Enriching young minds with real food and a more rigorous approach to food education.

Steve and Ina talk with chef Hugh Acheson about how a Canadian fell in love with Southern Food, his new podcast and what he is enjoying in NYC these days.

Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day, or is that just a marketing tag line? Coming up on this week’s show, Ina Pinkney, the Breakfast Columnist at The Chicago Tribune, and the former chef/baker and owner of Ina’s in Chicago, sits in for Rick, as we talk breakfast. Not just menu suggestions, but how to succeed in a crowded field and where to go to find some of the best breakfasts in the world.

Coming up on this week’s show, What is Filipino food, and how is it being presented to the American audience? From the heart of Manila to a couple of 1st generation restaurateurs making names for themselves in New York City and Chicago, Rick Bayless and Steve Dolinsky explore the tastes of Philippines.

On this week's show: a bok choy challenge with Josh Kulp, the chef and owner from Honey Butter Fried Chicken, as he and Rick Bayless attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some bok choy, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

Changing things up a little this week to share the first episode of Steve Dolinsky’s new podcast, Pizza City.

Coming up on this episode, Is there more than tequila, sunshine and waves in Puerto Vallarta? Steve Dolinsky takes us on a culinary tour of the city, visiting some of the favorites on the locals.

In Denmark, they craft a towering cake called a kransekage with layers of marzipan. The shape is reminiscent of a cornucopia, promising a new year of success. In Italy, the coin like shape of lentils represent luck and prosperity. And in the Philippines, they hold Media Noche parties with circular fruit – think coins again – and plenty of roast pork. It does seem like every culture has some sort of New Year’s tradition, usually with the intention of good health, happiness or wealth. Maybe it’s just an excuse to eat. On this episode, What does “Happy New Year” look like in other countries? It might be lentils in Europe, baked goods in Scandinavia or something as simple as black-eyed peas in the American South.

On this episode, some greatest hits from the past year, as Rick and Steve share some of our favorite sounds and interviews from 2018. It’s a lot better than another re-run of “A Christmas Story” and a fruitcake.

Coconuts are one of the few ingredients that immediately conjure images of palm trees, and by extension, warm, tropical days spent sipping the refreshing water out of the cavity of their tough shells. Not sure people realize there’s young coconut, and the water inside, but the milk we often see in Thai restaurants comes from pressing on the grated flesh from the inside of the more mature coconut. Coming up on this episode, a coconut challenge with Chef Patty Neumson from the upscale Thai restaurant Herb, as she and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some coconut, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

When faced with placing an order in a bar or restaurant, I always gravitate to lighter, more quaffable, or sessionable beers, because I don’t want to get hammered after one round. Coming up on this episode, we are going dark. Beer, that is. Imperial Stouts, brown ales, schwartbiers, you name it. As the days get shorter and the nights get longer, why not pour yourself something a little more beguiling to ease into winter.

On this episode, our annual cookbooks show, featuring interviews with two prolific authors. One, the chef of a few well-known Israeli restaurants in Philadelphia and New York; the other, one of the nation’s baking experts whose new book takes a broader approach to the kitchen. Then, in our final segment, Rick and Steve talk about a few of the books we really like this holiday season.

When one thinks of pomegranates, we think of the drink, or pomegranate seeds scattered across something only as a garnish. Coming up on this episode, a pomegranate challenge with Brian Jupiter, the chef from two restaurants in Chicago, as he and I attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some pomegranates, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

Belgium is a tiny country. You might think of chocolate as its most famous export, but beer is just as important, if not more so. There are nearly 200 breweries in this country of about 11 million people, so you know beer there is practically a religion. Coming up on this week’s show, we dive deep into the world of Belgian beers, with a few experts. We’ll talk to a legendary bar owner, Michael Roper, who carries more Belgian beers on his list than just about any bar in the U.S. Then we’ll meet a pair of brewers, each of whom are producing some Belgian-style beers, right here in the middle of the country. Claudia Jendron, the Head Brewer at Pipeworks Brewing in Chicago, and Tom Korder, the Founder of Penrose Brewery in bucolic Geneva, Illinois, who'll tell us about Belgian-style session ales, aged in oak barrels with alternative fermentation.

Attend any local farmer’s market, and you’ll see a few vendors selling homemade beer, sausage or cured meats. Like any do-it-yourselfer, they probably started in their basement or garage, with a few tools, a couple of buckets and a lot of enthusiasm. On this episode, doing things yourself this winter. Become your own craft brewer or sausage maker, or even charcuterie master. First, Steve visits Derek and Yolanda Luscz, the brother and sister owners of Gene’s Sausage Shop and Deli, a legendary sausage-maker here in Chicago. Then, he meets up with Patrick Whistler, the Manager of Brew and Grow, a home brew and hydroponics hobby store that’s been in business for more than 20 years. And finally, he and Rick welcome Joe Frietze, the Chef de Cuisine at Publican Quality Meats in Chicago, into the test kitchen and they talk curing meats.

Coming up on this episode, a trip to Seattle reveals a lot more than legal weed and oysters. It’s a chance to talk with a couple of writers covering the area, to learn more about the Emerald City, as well as a local chef who has pretty much dominated the Seattle food scene for more than a decade. Plus, the bonus discovery of a fantastic Chicago-style deep dish.

Catfish is pretty much at every soul food restaurant in town, having a fried one on their menu. Coming up on this episode, a catfish challenge with Hunter Moore, the chef of Parson’s Chicken and Fish, as he and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some catfish, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

We would put music right up there with lighting, ambient noise and décor, when it comes to creating a mood. Coming up on this episode, how does music play a role in the design and function of a restaurant, and who actually gets to decide on what to play, when? We’ll talk to two industry experts to actually get paid to listen to music and then curate playlists for dozens of different types of restaurants.

As a guy so closely associated with Mexican food, people may not realize Rick, at one point, was in the pastry department, and mixed with his Southern upbringing, pies are a big deal. Both sweet and savory pies seem to come to the forefront as summer moves into fall, but there are debates about which type of fat to use. Butter? Lard? Shortening? On this episode, Rick and Steve break it all down, then visit a legendary Middle Eastern bakery where they’ve been making savory pies for decades.

Like the salmon that swim upstream to spawn each year, we find ourselves, once again, navigating our way through the thicket of hungry and thirsty festival-goers at Chicago Gourmet in Millennium Park. On this episode, a quick check-in on the beginning of the second decade of this citywide culinary event, with the added bonus of a chorizo challenge, featuring the Chef Diana Davila, the Chef and owner of Mi Tocaya Antojeria, in the Logan Square neighborhood. She and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some chorizo, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere. Plus, a very special guest stops by to help me out in the kitchen.

We’ve been doing Ingredient Challenges for about three years now, and can’t believe we haven’t done this one yet. On this episode, a bacon challenge with Andrew Zimmerman, chef of two successful restaurants, Sepia has earned a Michelin star for each of the last seven years and just last year, he and his business partner, Emmanuel Nony opened Proxi. He and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some bacon, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

Fall is in the air. The apple trees are flush with fruit and while the kids love hot apple cider, those of us old enough to partake 21, have fermented cider to look forward to. But this isn’t really a seasonal drink anymore. Coming up on this episode, a cider revolution. We’re not talking about the sweet stuff, but rather, drier, leaner fermented cider that’s made by top-notch brewmasters. Rick and Steve are joined by Hayley Shine, the “Lady of Liquids” at Eris Brewery and Cider House in Chicago, then Kim Vavrick, Communications Director for Virtue Cider, joins us to talk about their style of cider.

It always been America’s favorite comfort food. Pizza is so much more to your favorite pie than just cheese, sauce and dough. There’s tavern-style in your local bar, popular chains, mom-and-pop storefronts, chef-driven pies, Neapolitan classics and so many more styles, all calling for cheese – mostly mozzarella – and sauce – mostly from tomatoes. On this week’s show, we’ll talk to the king of New York City pizza tours. Scott Weiner is the founder of Scott’s Pizza Tours, which leads about a dozen tours per week, but he also writes about pizza for Pizza Magazine, and happens to hold the world record for the number of pizza boxes. Then, we widen the lens a bit, looking at both the city of Buffalo, but also the entire East Coast with Arthur Bovino a pizza writer who says there’s a “Pizza Belt”. And finally, we talk with Tony Gemignani about the west coast flavors. Tony is the first American (and non-Neapolitan) to become World Champion Pizza Maker at the World Pizza Cup in Naples, Italy, 11 years ago.

A trip to LA’s massive Korea Town, in search of a trio of dishes that speak to the Korean experience: kalbi, dokbokki and soontofu. Steve heads to the left coast to talk with the owners of three well-regarded restaurants there about the stories behind the dishes that have made them famous.

There are several Michelin-starred restaurants in Chicago, but only one brewpub has a coveted star. Ian Davis is the Executive Chef at Band of Bohemia joins Rick Bayless as they attempt to come up with easy weeknight meals in 15 minutes or less, using just some mangoes, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.