Joiners

Our guest this week never intended to break into the newspaper game, but we are happy he did. Nick Kindelsperger stumbled into food writing by following his gut — after college, he moved to New York City, where he was blown away by the ubiquity of high quality food, and the concept of making one single dish as well as you possibly can. Fast forward to now — Nick is a food critic for Chicago’s pape...

With a body of work as impressive as it is diverse, our guest this week is a consummate world builder whose unique approach to concept development marries a commitment to community with acute systems thinking. That's right: this week, Cecilia Cuff pops by to tell us all about her international hospitality journey, from bringing trays of food to the neighborhood trash collectors as a child, to laun...

April Fool's pranks, James Beard awards, and more cheesecake than we know what to do with -- this week, we're talking to our friend Elana Schulman of Eli's Cheesecake, who knows all of these things well. She tells us about growing up in a food family, the extended history of Eli's, and what makes Chicago style cheesecake Chicago style. And at the head, the boys play an educational round of two tru...

We've been trying to get this week's guest on since we started the podcast, and even though we weren't able to record this episode over cocktails, we hope you agree that it was worth the wait. Terry Alexander of One Off Hospitality is the industry veteran behind countless classic joints of today and yore, from Danny's Tavern to Big Star . He tells us all about falling ass-backwards into the world...

This week, we're joined by Fifty/50 Restaurant Group's extraordinarily talented Director of Beverage, Julietta Campos. She joins us a mere two weeks after she helped open Kindling, a new concept bar that encompasses two floors of Chicago's historical Willis Tower, a project three years in the making. She tells us all about what such an undertaking entailed, offers some insight into The Aviary's ho...

We’ve got an exciting one for you this week, folks. You know him from his PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time , his seven James Beard Awards, and his winning run on Top Chef Masters -- and you've probably dined at Frontera Grill , Topolobampo , Tortas Frontera , or any of his other widely lauded restaurants. That’s right: this week we are talking to Rick Bayless , the magnanimous master of Mexi...

For Episode #32, we're shucking the oyster of life down to its bare essentials with our friend Pete Ternes. He's one of the founders of Bungalow by Middle Brow, once "the littlest bar in Illinois," and one of our favorite brewpubs around. He tells us about his days farming oysters in a windy atoll in French Polynesia, and how that experience helped him leave behind a career as a corporate tax lawy...

This week, we break one of the Violet Hour's cardinal rules by having their bartending alum Abe Vucekovich crash the podcast. He's currently working as the beverage director of Meadowlark, one of Chicago's best craft cocktail lounges. He delves into his unique approach to curating a fine drinking experience, illuminates the process of developing one of the most creative menus in the business, and...

This week, we're going long on all things agave with one of its most zealous evangelists: Lou Bank of Saving Agave for Culture, Recreation, Education, and Development, or S.A.C.R.E.D., a not-for-profit corporation that helps build libraries, replant agave, and maintain water-preservation systems in rural Mexico. A delightful raconteur, Lou comes to the studio to do more than preach the holy gospel...

For our first podcast of 2023, we're perusing a loaded display case with Sarah Mispagel-Lustbader , co-founder and co-chef (with her husband, Ben) of Avondale's Loaf Lounge . Recently, she took a turn as head consultant on The Bear for all things baking -- and if you caught a glimpse of any of the cakes or doughnuts that the final cut, you know she knocked it out of the park. She joins us today to...

Happy Holidays, Joiners fans! Our guest this week is Chef Wilson Bauer . Bauer is the talent behind Flour Power , a gem of a pasta restaurant he opened at the beginning of the pandemic. They're doing incredible stuff over there, and it makes sense why: Bauer came from Elizabeth and Schwa , and even helped out as a mercenary cook at Scofflaw. He cuts no corners: he puts a lot of emphasis on ethical...

This week, we're hitching a ride down the hospitality highway with Dinah Grossman of Spinning J fame. Coming off of winning Good Morning America's inaugural United States of Pie competition , Dinah tells us all about how Spinning J evolved, from its humble soda fountain origins into the beloved Humboldt Park institution it is today. This episode, we're talking about the power of collaboration, hip...

This year, we were treated to a gritty depiction of the trials and tribulations of Chicago restaurateurs via the electric, brusque, and lovingly crafted television show The Bear . Celebrated for its unmistakable rhythm, judicious character development, and sharp attention to detail, it's up for all kinds of awards this year, and its authenticity is so palpable that many hospitality vets had troubl...

This week, Billy Zureikat , aka Tripping Billy, brings an inspiring story -- and his trademark shishito pepper pizza -- to the podcast. After being diagnosed with muscular dystrophy a year and a half ago, he has worked to find the silver lining via a variety of creative pursuits, and has been using food collaborations in particular to bring awareness to the disease. He tells us about leveraging pe...

This week on Joiners, your hosts Tim Tierney and Danny "LA Cool" Shapiro are table-crashed by journalist and the Chicago Reader's resident culinarian: Mike Sula. He tells us about his salad days covering music in Pittsburgh, his early boots-on-the-ground reporting at the Reader, and what he's learned about telling captivating stories about food. It's a conversation that covers the feral hog craze,...

This week, we have the pleasure of interviewing the sagacious Tereasa Surratt, a widely accomplished human being, and for our money, one of the greatest creative minds around. From her station in the advertising world, to the founding of Camp Wandawega, to her turn as an author, her list of bonafides is as textured as it is long -- and we touch on as much of it as we can in this week's episode.

Paul Virant is a legend of the Chicago culinary scene. As the Executive Chef of Vie, Vistro Prime, and Gaijin, he's been flexing his epicurean muscle around town for decades. In this week's episode of Joiners, he tells us all about his journey, from being a soda jerk for Six Flags in Eureka, Missouri, to overseeing some of the country's most singular dining experiences. 

Welcome to Taste Test, a new segment where a  ̶b̶l̶i̶n̶d̶f̶o̶l̶d̶e̶d̶ Tim and Danny, with the help of Tim's Sister Liz, pit local culinary delights against their mass-market counterparts. It's the Chicago food version of David vs. Goliath, or Jerry Maguire vs. Sports, with Tim and Danny's pallets settling the score. In episode three, we're rounding out Liz's first stint by tackling a classic Chica...

This week, we're exploring the aesthetic side of the culinary world with none other than Huge Galdones, a man whose portfolio spans the hospitality gamut. This man knows just how to frame art, craft, and product -- he has experience photographing every facet of the Chicago restaurant scene and beyond. He tells us all about transitioning from a career in science to bootstrapping as a photographer,...

Welcome to Taste Test, a new segment where a blindfolded Tim and Danny, with the help of Tim's Sister Liz, pit local culinary delights against their mass-market counterparts. It's the Chicago food version of David vs. Goliath, or Jerry Maguire vs. Sports, with Tim and Danny's pallets settling the score. In episode three, we tackle a Chicago classic: the Italian Sub. Will the boys be able to sus ou...

This week, we're hotboxing the studio with Mindy Segal of Mindy's Bakery and Mindy's Edibles. We settle in deep and plumb the depths in jocular fashion, exploring the true meaning of success and how to arrive at radical self-acceptance -- and Mindy shares some practical advice on safely enjoying cannabis.

Welcome to Taste Test, a new segment where a blindfolded Tim and Danny, with the help of Tim's Sister Liz, pit local culinary delights against their mass-market counterparts. It's the Chicago food version of David vs. Goliath, or Jerry Maguire vs. Sports, with Tim and Danny's pallets settling the score. For our sophomore episode, we're going to Flake Town with a quintessential French Pastry: the w...

Join Tim and Danny as they take a seat with Robby Haynes III of Apologue Liqueurs and Sunday's Finest . He's a world-class drink designer using the knowledge and experience he gained as one of the nomads of Chicago's cocktail renaissance to create obscure liqueurs with one-of-a-kind flavor profiles. He takes us through his creative process (it involves not writing things down, but he's getting bet...

This week, we're taken to school by none other than Chef Brian Jupiter , the extremely accomplished gentleman currently helming Pioneer Tavern Group , the driving force behind spots like Frontier , Jup Soups , Ina Mae Tavern , and Lottie's . He tells about cooking with his grandmother and making food for his friends as a teenager in New Orleans, and leads us through the kitchens that compose his e...

Welcome to Taste Test, a new segment where a blindfolded Tim and Danny, with the help of Tim's Sister Liz, pit local culinary delights against their mass-market counterparts. It's the Chicago food version of David vs. Goliath, or Jerry Maguire vs. Sports, with Tim and Danny's pallets settling the score. For the first episode, the guys take on an early morning staple, often attempted and rarely per...