Joe Gray

Did you know? When cracked open, the acorn-shaped hard shell of a hazelnut reveals a rounded morsel covered in dark brown papery skins. Those skins contain tannins, which can impart...

Good Eating salutes those people in the Chicago food and beverage world who are making a difference through their passion, vision and commitment to quality. This year's awards go to...

Did you know? Beets are sweet, made sweeter by cooking. In fact, one variety, sugar beets, are so sweet they are a major sugar crop in Michigan and elsewhere. But...

Did you know? This Italian leafy vegetable, a member of the chicory family, comes in many varieties. There's radicchio rosso di Treviso (long red and white leaves) and castelfranco (roselike...

Did you know? Baby tomatoes, whether cherry, grape or pear, usually are bred for sweetness, making them favorites for snacking over their tart big brothers. The crazy variety of tomatoes...

Did you know? "It tastes like gooseberries," goes the often-heard description during tastings of sauvignon blanc from New Zealand. That take on the briskly tart wines that have been growing...

Did you know? The word sounds Italian to us, but Italians call it rucola. Or you may see it in stores or on seed packets as "rocket," "roquette" or "arugola."...

As the weather heats up, we often reach for a favorite brew without a thought, flipping the top off a simple but thirst-quenching American lager. When you're navigating a hot...

Did you know? These long, tapered root vegetables are bright orange--except when they're sunny yellow or dark red or even purple. What we didn't know is that all these colors--even...

Emperor's Choice doesn't normally serve Illinois River Asian carp on its menu. But when we showed up at the Chinatown restaurant toting more than 15 pounds of the stuff in...