Calling it "over the counter napalm," Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has started a campaign to have all gel fuels banned. 37 people nationwide have been burned by gel fuel, and 4 of them were in Illinois, leading Madigan to demand their recall. We're sure that caterers everywhere cried at the news - gel fuels are most commonly used for keeping chafing dishes hot during service. more ›

From the inbox: Sox fans can now chalk up another reason to root for the (inept) Men in Black. Smoque is partnering with Levy restaurants to bring their pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, BBQ beans and cole slaw to U.S. Cellular Field, starting June 1. They'll be serving it from a stand designed to resemble the restaurant's Old Irving Park location, down to the chalkboard menu. more ›

A downtown McDonald's located inside 233 N. Michigan has started offering a catering service to its building and other adjoining office buildings at 111 E. Wacker and 205 and 225 N. Michigan. Although their delivery selection is less extensive than their regular menu, they will deliver such fast food favorites as Big Macs and Egg McMuffins to your conference room with white-tablecloth service included, for a minimum of 10 people. "It's not like a lot of the fast-food restaurants in the building that say they cater," says Darren Remmer, catering manager of the McDonald's, to the Chicago Sun-Times. "There's a difference between catering and delivery." more ›

Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, best known as local culinary mavens the Hearty Boys, have done it again. Not content with everything else they have going on (the catering and restaurant business and the burgeoning media career, for instance), McDonagh and Smith have created a fruitcake recipe that they say will change our perception on how we view this holiday monstrosity. Additionally, McDonagh reveals some of his family's fruitcake traditions in an accompanying article in... more ›