As a freelance food and drink writer based in Chicago, I tell stories about eating, drinking and cooking—and what they mean to us. I share the occasional recipe, too. Read my recent work below. (Photo credits in article text.)
Food & Wine, April 2024: How technology replaced service in fine dining
WTTW, April 2024: Four years after marijuana was legalized in Illinois, cannabis-infused food and drink is all grown up—and still has a ways to go
WBEZ Chicago, April 2024: The ten best breakfast sandwiches in Chicago for a persnickety morning commuter
Time Out Chicago restaurant review, March 2024: Maxwells Trading
WBEZ Chicago, March 2024: Eight spots for late-night dining in Chicago
Food & Wine, February 2024: The most affordable cuts of beef, according to a butcher
WTTW, January 2024: El Alebrije celebrates Mexico’s magical, lesser-known regional specialties
VinePair, January 2024: Were any good cocktails created in the ‘70s?
Time Out Chicago restaurant review, December 2023: Anelya
Bon Appetit, December 2023: A restaurant trick for tender, flaky salmon
Time Out Chicago restaurant review, November 2023: Lilac Tiger
VinePair, October 2023: The cult of Dean the Deathologist, the bartending skeleton Home Depot can’t keep In stock
WBEZ Chicago, October 2023: This luscious Mexican chicken soup will cure what ails you
Bon Appetit, October 2023: I was so wrong about Texas Roadhouse
Time Out Chicago, October 2023: Guinness Open Gate Brewery transcends the traditional Irish pub
WBEZ Chicago, October 2023: Lula Cafe’s signature dish steals the spotlight in a new cookbook from chef Jason Hammel
Salon, September 2023: The tangible joy of quicos, the crunchy Spanish bar snack that's worth the noise
VinePair, August 2023: The spritz is the ultimate f*ck it drink
Plate magazine, August 2023: KultureCity helps make restaurants sensory inclusive
Salon, August 2023: Is menu anxiety real?
Salon, June 2023: The spontaneous joy of eating at the bar
Bon Appetit, June 2023: Parchment paper makes any pan a nonstick pan
New York Times, May 2023: For a chile con queso like no other, head to southern New Mexico
Bon Appetit, May 2023: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Is a fantastic game for home cooks
Food52, May 2023: The carbonara formula that took a decade to perfect
VinePair, April 2023: The drinks we order when we want to impress
Bon Appetit, April 2023: Wait, I need to tip on top of a service charge?
Salon, March 2023: Please don’t invite me to brunch
Food & Wine, March 2023: Turn your pantry into dinner like a pro
Bon Appetit, February 2023: The beverage aisle has gone too far
VinePair, February 2023: Unpacking the cult of Underberg
Food & Wine, January 2023: A food haven for the road weary in Livingston, Montana
VinePair, January 2023: Shower beers … as self-care?
Food & Wine, December 2022: El Paso’s Elemi has a passion for tacos that defies the border
VinePair, November 2022: How the Bloody Mary garnish lost its mind
Bon Appetit, October 2022: How a deep-fried pork chop sandwich became a classic Montana meal
VinePair, October 2022: The winding history of the beer cup snake
Food & Wine, October 2022: Do restaurant spaces exist for art or Instagram?
Soho House, September 2022: Why do we bump caviar?
Food52, September 2022: Why is umami so hard to describe?
VinePair, September 2022: What our glassware choices say about us
Chicago Tribune, August 2022: How a home cook’s muscular dystrophy diagnosis ignited his pizza passion
Plate magazine, July 2022: What is Southwestern cuisine?
Home52, June 2022: How to grow a curry leaf plant
Food52, April 2022: Why is dry Lambrusco so hard to find?
Food & Wine, April 2022: The secret lives of restaurant furnishings
Food & Wine, March 2022: You’re not adding enough vinegar to your vinaigrette
Food52, February 2022: The Black cannabis innovators revolutionizing legal weed
Salon, February 2022: Finding home in Hatch chile pasta
Food52, November 2021: The almost lost, cult-favorite Cuisinart magazine
Food52, September 2021: A love letter to the vastly underrated kidney bean
Salon, August 2021: What’s going out to eat for, anyway?
Food & Wine, June 2021: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland cooks to share her Indigenous heritage.
Salon, March 2021: Do not rage-cook mapo tofu, and other emotional kitchen lessons
Resy, December 2020: At Chicago’s Italian Village, a century of meat sauce and solace.
Fifty Grande, Winter 2020: Chicago’s history lives in its dive bars… Just don’t call it a dive bar.
Time Out Chicago Restaurant Review, September 2019: St. Clair Supper Club
VinePair, April 2024: How the Margarita became my unofficial family cocktail
Time Out Chicago restaurant review, April 2024: Nettare
VinePair, April 2024: What we miss when we write off warm sake
Block Club Chicago, March 2024: Undercover Books turns private eye’s office into bookstore, community hub
VinePair, March 2024: The enduring obsession with the two-part Guinness pour
Salon, March 2024: The art and allure of awful food photos
Wine Enthusiast, February 2024: The house wine is getting a makeover
Time Out Chicago restaurant review, January 2024: John’s Food and Wine
Punch, December 2023: Two words: hot Campari
WBEZ Chicago, December 2023: When the kids want to open a speakeasy in their parents’ iconic Chinese restaurant
VinePair, November 2023: The timeless allure of oysters and alcohol
Salon, November 2023: Are restaurant dining rooms getting louder (again)?
Salon, October 2023: The tactile delight of culinary bookshops
WBEZ Chicago, October 2023: Is the ephemeral pop-up food moment becoming the new normal?
Time Out Chicago restaurant review, October 2023: Maman Zari
WBEZ Chicago, September 2023: Apple Fritter season is Chicago’s best season
VinePair, September 2023: As cities evolve, these longtime bars preserve the past
Time Out Chicago restaurant review, August 2023: Warlord
VinePair, August 2023: The timeless charm of cheap chianti
Food & Wine, June 2023: Dominique Leach is staking a claim for Black women in the barbecue world
VinePair, June 2023: The glorious subculture of grocery store bar regulars
Food52, May 2023: It’s been 14 years since I went to culinary school—these are the lessons I’ll never forget
VinePair, May 2023: No, tequila is not the ‘healthiest’ spirit
Food52, April 2023: How to really caramelize onions
VinePair, March 2023: The art of prop alcohol and ‘drinking’ on screen
Salon, February 2023: Grape-Nuts is cereal for the self-deprecating humorist
Conde Nast Traveler, January 2023: Retracing the history of Freetown through the life and legacy of Edna Lewis
Salon, January 2023: In defense of celery
VinePair, December 2022: How the bird-shaped glass conquired the world’s best cocktail bars
VinePair, December 2022: The glamorous highs and turbulent lows of a century spent drinking on planes
Salon, November 2022: This Thanksgiving, don’t f**k with tradition
Chicago Tribune, October 2022: What’s it like when your downstairs neighbor is a restaurant?
Food & Wine, October 2022: Why chefs have loved garum since ancient times
VinePair, October 2022: Let them drink caviar martinis!
Salon, October 2022: Hyper-regional pizza styles are a source of deep pride
Bon Appetit, September 2022: New York’s hottest club is … the deli
Salon, August 2022: Where do we stand with MSG?
Allrecipes.com, August 2022: The only ranch dressing I need comes from a steakhouse I’ve never eaten at
Milk Street Radio, July 2022: Christopher Kimball interviews me about trendy restaurant names, from animals to ampersands.
Food52, July 2022: The very ‘90s history of the flavored latte
Food52, June 2022: Don’t hate on bouillon powder.
Bon Appetit, May 2022: Why are we endlessly fascinated by sculptures of food?
Bon Appetit, April 2022: The great restaurant name vibe shift
Bon Appetit, April 2022: If you must only eat one burrito, make it the cheesy chile relleno
Salon, February 2022: Can we learn to love old beef?
Philadelphia Inquirer, February 2022: Coping with scent distortion
Chicago Tribune, November 2021: There’s nothing like dining (in) at your favorite restaurant
Food52, September 2021: Why does organic mayo taste funny?
Epicurious, September 2021: Is it crispy or is it crunchy?
Salon, July 2021: Observations from a Chicago Dunkin’ Donuts
Taste, June 2021: The fishy pride of Northern Michigan
Bon Appetit, April 2021: Reviewing Maggie’s Townhouse
Food52, September 2020: I can't sleep much these days—so I make insomniac granola.
Eater, August 2020: As COVID-19 ravages Chicago’s third places, community finds a way.
Plate magazine, February 2020: At Chicago’s iconic Le Bouchon bistro, unexpected loss prompts a younger generation of owners to shine.
Time Out Chicago Bar Review, August 2019: Carol’s Pub
Wine Enthusiast, August 2019: The password is Lambrusco.
The Takeout, May 2019: You never forget your first meatball salad.