Longtime Chicago food writer Jennifer Olvera has authored perhaps the most up-to-date and comprehensive guide to the Chicago food scene ever written. Entitled the Food Lovers Guide to Chicago, it's a valuable resource for locals and visitors alike with its vast coverage...

The farmers' markets are beginning to open everywhere and it's got me very excited about eating again. My body is craving fresh, bright, green flavors. This is a natural rhythm for me: every spring I feel like I'm coming alive again.

For the last two weeks, I've...

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't been writing with much regularity lately. I apologize for that. Spending every day in front of the computer was killing me and I've desperately needed to take a break. You see, I write this...

Josh Kaplan is someone who has seriously influenced my interest and education in wine. We both worked at mk the restaurant many years ago; he, as their beverage manager and sommelier and me, as their publicist. I used to eat and entertain there quite often and Josh never made the...

This photo speaks to me in the most primordial way. I am a Leo, astrologically speaking, and an occasional carnivore. I also enjoy eating with my hands and have been known to voraciously enjoy my food. And for this very important post, I...

I often speak about the importance of getting out of our heads and into our bodies. From experience, I know when I'm trying to make important decisions or move forward on something that's difficult for me, I make better progress when I focus...

"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are..." - Joseph Campbell

I was so excited to begin 2010. On New Year's Eve day, I went downtown to get my hair done. I had a long walk from the train station to the salon, and I found myself locking...

Knowing that this is the time of year when everyone makes a resolution to eat better, and 90% of resolutions fall away after the first week, why not make it easy on yourself? Why not set a fair and attainable...

Welcome to the Real Food Rehab Holiday Gift Guide! I've asked my favorite tastemakers to submit, in their own words, their picks for a food-related gift they'd love to give or receive this holiday season. These are people I respect and admire, not only for their excellent taste, but for...

Today I took a long walk in this lovely park by my house. It has a circular, gravel running path and I go there every other day or so to get some exercise. As I walked toward the middle of the park, I heard the most beautiful sound. There, on...

I recently invited a professional into my kitchen to teach me a few things and WOW, did it pay off big. Kate Neumann came by last week to teach me how to make these glorious hand pies.

Kate's the former pastry chef at...

The journal from my trip to the Greek Islands many years ago reads a little like Cheech and Chong's, How I Spent My Summer Vacation. Day after day, it went a little something like this:

"Woke up. Went to the cafe for breakfast. Ate...

I was flipping through an old journal today and found this. It's a list of "Rules For Living" I created for myself a couple years ago. How bold of me! At the time, I was working through questions in a book called

For the last few months, I've been doing in-home food makeovers and basic cooking instruction for people who want to eat better and rely less on processed and packaged foods. During the initial consultations, what I hear each time is a slightly different version of the same story:
...

Salad culture in this country has changed so much since I was a young. Back then iceberg wedges and Julienne Salads reigned the day. I rarely see them anymore except at a steakhouse, diner or deli which I enjoy but rarely frequent.

Now, it seems to me almost every casual...

Not too long ago I discovered an article on the Atlantic Food Channel called, "Why I Want To Save The Deli". It was written by journalist and deli-obsessive, David Sax, who was coming out with a new book called Save...

I couldn't help but notice as I was watching Julie & Julia not too long ago that there was an awful lot of cocktail drinking going on in that movie. It wasn't just the food that was making my mouth water. I do believe there's a certain civility to occasionally...

Artists have been my personal heroes for as long as I can remember. I've always been moved by people who devote their lives to creating something unique; something that solely belongs to them but is also shared with the world for the sake of pleasure.

I consider great cooks to...

I grew up eating bad cheese. It wasn't cheese, actually, it was "processed cheese food." And then there were those bland, rubbery, generic blocks of unnaturally colored mild cheddar. When you think about it, they're kind of like the England Dan and John Ford Coley of cheese. Or better yet,...

I believe in beauty. I believe in surrounding yourself with beauty every day.

I'm talking about the most subtle and quiet moments in our day-to-day lives. When you're sitting at home and your eyes land on something that makes you infinitely happy: Like a piece of art; Ripe plums in...