Chicago's Very Own Eats with Kevin Powell and Michael Piff

Bottleneck Management was founded in 2001 by two college friends, Jason Akemann and Nathan Hilding, when they opened their first restaurant, Trace, in Wrigleyville. Since then, they’ve grown into a multi-brand hospitality company, with restaurants across the Chicago area, including Sweetwater Tavern & Grille on Michigan Ave, South Branch on the Chicago River, City Works, […]

Darrin Klapprodt always had a dream of opening his own burger place. During the pandemic, Darrin took the steps make his dream a reality by perfecting his smashburger recipe, hosting “burger throwdowns” at local breweries, and started to serve up burgers at his own pop-ups. Fast forward to today, and Darrin’s “Biker Dude Burgers” are […]

Before Starbucks and other chains made it more popular, Cooperage Coffee’s Eric Kobus was making cold-pressed coffee, aka cold brew, and has been selling it to coffee lovers in the greater DuPage County area since 2013. They have built a loyal following at the Wheaton French Market, where they serve cold brew and rotating flavors […]

Taking your family to a Cubs or White Sox game, while always a lot of fun, can be expensive and not always easy with young kids. In Schaumburg, the Boomers strive for a major league experience at an affordable price and comfortable time. Boomers EVP/GM Michael Larson and VP of food & beverage Ryan Dominick […]

After 3 weeks and 45,000 votes, we finally have a the winner of our inaugural Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs Tournament, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company. Jon Hansen (in for John Williams) was joined by Chicago’s Very Own Eats Podcast co-host/bracketologist Michael Piff and Luke Newman from The Puckered Pickle Company to make the announcement […]