Food

Cooking in the City: Prepare a Meal and . . . Enjoy It!
Fri, 03/16/2012
Culinary classes are emerging as one of the top entertainment attractions in Chicago and the suburbs. From date night to ladies night, quality time with a family member or intensive boot camp, there is a diverse selection for every interest and skill level. Learning how to cook does not require a culinary degree and can be an enjoyable...

Small Steps in a Food Desert
Wed, 02/08/2012
Chicago Central Food Mart, a corner store in West Humboldt Park, straddles the northern edge of an area considered one of Chicago’s “food deserts.” The store’s faded yellow awning promises “fresh fruits, meats, and vegetables.” But until recently, little fresh produce could be found among the 99-cent sodas, chips, and canned meats packed onto the...

Some County Commissioners Fall Short on Furloughs
Tue, 01/10/2012
Four Cook County commissioners failed to take some or all of the required 10 days off without pay in the fiscal year that ended Nov. 30, 2011, according to a preliminary report by the county comptroller’s office. All 17 Cook County Commissioners approved last year’s budget, which called for most of the county’s 23,700 employees to take five...

Even old-hand entrepreneurs need mentoring
Mon, 09/19/2011
Tips on locating mentors and building a strong working relationship with themWhen Kenny Lao found out in July that his Rickshaw Dumpling Bar had won a proposal to open a restaurant in Times Square this fall, he realized that the tight time frame allowed no room for mistakes. “This was an unplanned opening,” Mr. Lao said. Mr. Lao turned to the...

What's Cookin, Chicago?: FoodBuzz 24x24: C'mon Y'all... It's a Low Country Boil!
Tue, 08/30/2011
Living in Chicago has its perks... the food scene, the urban vibe, the diversity and culture, etc. But despite all the wonderful things we have here, it would be nice to experience some fun times that other folks around the country do. With that in mind, we wanted to host a special meal that isn't very common up here in the Midwest, yet...

Green Scene: Celebrating an anniversary, and looking ahead
Thu, 08/18/2011
  This month marks the one-year anniversary of the Green Scene column’s debut, so I thought I’d take a moment for a quick look back and an eager eye ahead.   The local green economy cuts such a wide swath across so many sectors of business, government, non-profits, and various combinations of the above, that there has been no...

Jobless Youth Get Summer Lift at Bike Shop
Fri, 07/08/2011
It’s creeping toward a sultry 90 degrees on Chicago’s South Side, where the mix of heat, humidity and joblessness can weigh on teens like 19-year-old Marcus Cammon. But on Tuesday afternoon, Marcus wasn’t worried about all that has he busily mended the battered bones of an old Schwinn 10-speed bicycle. “I’ve revived the bike with a...

Green Scene: Eco-minded media duo spreads green message in Chicago and beyond
Thu, 04/28/2011
If you’ve taken a cab ride somewhere in Chicago in the last week or so, you probably had a peek at one of the latest green projects by a husband-wife team that’s cutting a swath in the green lifestyles and business sector in Chicago and elsewhere. Video screens mounted in the backseat of more than 1,000 cabs throughout Chicago are now showing a...

Touring Toxic Chicago
Tue, 04/26/2011
Much of the steel that built Chicago was made there. And in decades past, most of Chicago’s trash ended up there. Much of our sewage still does, and it has the city’s only Superfund cleanup site. The Southeast Side, including the neighborhoods of Hegewisch, South Deering and Pullman around Lake Calumet, also was the stomping grounds of one of the...

An Escape From Violence. Almost.
Mon, 04/25/2011
As his team pulled into Dayton, Ohio at 4 a.m. one day in early April, the head coach of the South Shore Drill Team was confident his sleepy squad of 15 teenagers from some of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods had a shot at glory for the first time in nearly 20 years. They had done everything he asked. They had worked hard in practice for months...