Everything I Wrote in 2025
The more accurate headline is “Everything I wrote that was published in 2025” because there were about 10 more stories I did that didn’t publish until 2026 but close enough! I tallied it up, and I wrote 59 stories (it’s closer to 105 if you count Food & Wine Best New Chefs Guide—I did all of Chicago!—as 46 content pieces instead of one).
Here’s the recap:
Chicago Magazine (January 7, 2025): A Daley’s Guide to Bridgeport: Lobbyist and Lumpen Radio host John R. Daley recommends these four spots
Salon (January 28, 2025): Love, food and the fight to endure: HBO’s new “Like Water for Chocolate” is ideal for trying times "I doubt the show’s themes of feminine survival would have stood out to me as much had Trump lost"
Inc. (January 31, 2025): How the Startup Cabi Preserves Japanese Culture, One Condiment at a Time Founders Eri Miyagi and Miki Nomura look to the past to ensure a future for centuries-old Japanese agricultural and culinary techniques, starting in the U.S. speciality foods market.
Chicago Magazine (February 12, 2025): Where Does Chicago’s Push for Reparations Stand? Carla Kupe, the Chicago’s chief equity officer, talked with us about the city's effort to push toward a reparations program.
Inc. (February 18, 2025): Unrivaled’s Game-Changing Bet: How These WNBA Stars Are Reimagining the Business of Women’s Sports Co-founders Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart raised $34 million to redefine women’s basketball and created the most equitable league in pro sports.
Bon Appétit (February 18, 2025): This Chicago Bartender Highlights Mexican Spirits Beyond Tequila The bartender turned entrepreneur takes an anthropological approach to sharing Mexican spirits.
Salon (March 26, 2025): Costa Rica’s eco-resorts are rewriting the rules of luxury travel "Pura Vida" isn't just a slogan
WBEZ (March 26, 2025): Where to sauna in Chicago: 10 hot spots When winter strikes, these places will wrap you like a blanket.
Remezcla (March 28, 2025): Meet The Latina Behind The Hottest New Women’s Basketball Sports League
Hispanic Executive (April 9, 2025): Felida Villarreal Creates Change, One VIDA at a Time
Food & Wine (April 16, 2025): Breakfast Is Good Business — It Should Make a Comeback A plea for the return of the reliable power breakfast spot.
Food & Wine (May 1, 2025): The 300-Year-Old Recipes at This Family Restaurant Share a Living Taste of History A restaurant in the former Korean capital keeps tradition alive by staying true to 12 generations of a family's food.
Fine Dining Lovers (May 12, 2025): Joe Flamm’s Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Insidehook (May 14, 2025): The Latest on the Tequila Industry and a Push for Additive-Free Transparency We spoke with Grover Sanschagrin, one of the founders of Tequila Matchmaker
Thrillist (May 12, 2025): How to Spend Two Fancy but Affordable Days in Chicago Eat like a Top Chef, sweat with a sauna master, access rare art, and more tips to living large without going broke in the Windy City
Equinox (June 2025): WNBA Star Napheesa Collier is Building the Future of Women’s Basketball
Edible Chicago (June 2025): Indianapolis is More Than a Sports Town
Chicago Magazine (June 9, 2025): The Nine Best Ways to Experience Giardiniera Almost any dish — dips, fries, pizza — can benefit from a little pickled heat. - Dicey’s Tavern
Fine Dining Lovers (June 9, 2025): Wagyu Martinis and Honeycomb Ice: Inside Joy Rivas’ Luxury Cocktail Line at Travelle
Salon (June 11, 2025): Barbeque, but make it fine dining A 175-seat spot is changing the story of what BBQ can look — and taste — like
Eater Chicago (June 12, 2025): Why Chicago Is So Tough For Food Trucks Food trucks find themselves in a perpetual game of catch-up thanks to myopic laws that hurt small businesses
WBEZ (June 12, 2025): Houston chef wins, but Chicago delivers culinary showmanship in ‘Top Chef’ finale Tristen Epps took home the top toque, but Bailey Sullivan, the executive chef of Chicago’s Monteverde, was the last local standing.
Fine Dining Lovers: Joe Flamm biography
Eater Chicago (June 12, 2025): A Legendary Chicago Name Dips Into The World of Condiments Walter Kinzie — yes that Kinzie — grew up using barbecue sauce on everything
Food & Wine (June 16, 2025): One Wrong Bite Can Kill You — That’s Why This Professional Forager Has Just One Rule How to embrace nature’s abundance and chaos and still be around to enjoy it.
Fine Dining Lovers (August 12, 2025): How to Choose the Best Honey, According to a Michelin-Starred Chef
Chicago Magazine (September 5, 2025): A Cinematographer’s Guide to Brookfield Commercial cinematographer Cody Madsen suggests these four spots.
Tripadvisor (September 22, 2025): 5 hubs for Hispanic culture across the U.S. From NYC's Washington Heights to Miami's Little Havana.
WBEZ (October 1, 2025): Local Korean chefs team up to celebrate Korean harvest holiday Chuseok A new wave of Korean chefs and mixologists are stepping into their power by hosting an inaugural event that showcases the food and traditions of the three-day holiday, which is celebrated on the eighth month of the lunar calendar during the full moon.
WBEZ (October 9, 2025): Chicago Fashion Week is back. Here are the don’t-miss events and designers to watch This year’s annual series kicks off Thursday and runs through Sunday, Oct. 19 and includes shows, talks and shopping market throughout the Chicago area.
Chicago Magazine (October 23, 2025): Chuy García's Guide to Little Village The U.S. representative recommends these four spots in his hood.
Inc. (October 24, 2025): How a Failed Startup Can Set You Up for Success. Entrepreneurs who push forward after failing often thrive.
Fine Dining Lovers (October 30, 205): Kevin Boehm on “The Bottomless Cup” and the Cost of Ambition
Eater Chicago (November 4, 2025): This Couple Is Probably Behind Your Favorite Chicago Bar Snack Partners Haley Pham and Khaled Simon are creating hit menus out of underutilized bar kitchens
WBEZ + Chicago Sun-Times (November 12, 2025): Where to eat or order carryout on Thanksgiving in Chicago Skip the stress (and the dishes) by ordering a meal kit from one of the city’s top chefs, indulge in a lavish buffet with endless top-tier cuisine or ditch the turkey with a sushi omakase dinner at an intimate 10-seat spot in West Town.
Fine Dining Lovers: il Carciofo
Remezcla (November 13, 2025): Meet the Mexican Immigrant Behind the First Sparkling Agua Fresca
WBEZ + Chicago Sun-Times (November 19, 2025): 12 holiday pop-up bars to drink your jingle juice this season It’s now a Chicago seasonal signature: the Instagrammable holiday pop-up bar with over-the-top festive fun and jingles all the way. Indulge in these 12 recommended destinations, from “Elf"- to Hanukkah-themed.
Eater Chicago (November 20, 2025): Find a Fall Feast of Turkey Mole and Pumpkin Tostadas in Bucktown Manchamanteles’s festive atmosphere belies its serious seasonal Mexican cuisine
WBEZ + Chicago Sun-Times (December 3, 2025): Chicago is a drinker’s paradise — even for the sober and the sober-curious among us Alcohol consumption in the U.S. is at a 90-year low. That trend has resulted in an explosion of tasty local options for alcohol-free imbibing.
Fine Dining Lovers: Caruso's
Edible Chicago (Winter 2025): Cliff Rome & Stephanie Hart and the Power of a Legacy in Motion
Fine Dining Lovers (December 14, 2025): The Elusive Turbot and the Chefs Fighting to Keep It Alive
Eater Chicago (December 22, 2025): Hearty Palestinian Fare Defines This Hyde Park Staple Cedars Mediterranean Kitchen is a gathering place for the Palestinian community
Fine Dining Lovers (December 28, 2025): Jake Potashnick Didn’t Fold
