9 cardinal rules for someone learning to cook
No one is really "born" a cook or a baker or a candymaker. Not even the world's culinary stars. The road to becoming comfortable in the kitchen, a cook will...
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James Lemons, legendary Chicago pitmaster of Lem’s Bar-B-Q House, dies at 87
Legendary Chicago pitmaster James Barry Lemons, the owner/operator of the hickory-smoked rib tip and hot links institution Lem's Bar-B-Q House at 311 E. 75th St., has died at 87. Lemons...
Karyn’s Raw financial issues spark GoFundMe campaign
Some 20-plus years ago, Karyn Calabrese opened her first restaurant on Lincoln Avenue and, up until three years ago, had a trio of restaurants — Karyn's Raw Bistro, Karyn's Cooked...
Restaurant speed-dating: Quick looks at places we couldn’t get to
So many restaurants, so little time. The end of the year approaches, and we find ourselves with a folder full of places that we intended to evaluate (and we may...
Nuevo Leon served many Chicagoans a first taste of Mexico’s cooking
The fire that consumed Daniel and Maria Gutierrez's Pilsen restaurant Nuevo Leon on Wednesday morning did more than burn a building. It destroyed a restaurant that was, for many Chicagoans,...
Holiday Cookie Contest winners full of spice, candy and love
One word that shows up often among the 75 entries in the Tribune's Holiday Cookie Contest this year is love. It's the reason so many gave for baking holiday cookies:...
Holiday survival tips: What to do when you’re on the verge of freaking out
Do not scream. Just relax. That's right. Breathe deeply. Brace yourself against the refrigerator: They're coming. Family, neighbors, buds from college and your second cousin from Cleveland who hates crowds...
What’s the best way to roast a Thanksgiving turkey? Your way
Your dad does the best grilled turkey. Only way to do it, you swear. Wait, what about granny's cornbread-stuffed bird, roasted bronze and filling the entire house with a delicious...
5 legendary sandwich scenes from ‘Friends,’ ‘The Breakfast Club’ and more
A sandwich is so much more than bread slapped together with some filling. It's history! (Credit John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, from Sandwich, England, for creating it). It's...
Farmers markets report: Onions in every variety
This weekend marks the last of the outdoor farmers markets. But that doesn't mean Chicago-area cooks won't be able to find fresh, locally grown produce. Thanks to hoop houses and...