Every time you bite into a Wrigley Field hot dog, you're biting into two Chicago classics at the same time. You are, of course, eating the Chicago Hot Dog, a culinary institution being served at the second-oldest park in major league baseball. But you are also biting into a Gonnella bun, made right here in Chicago. Not out in a suburb - on West Chicago avenue, four miles from Wrigley. Gonnella has been making bread in Chicago for over a hundred years, and baking at the Chicago Avenue plant since 1956. Join us on a tour of the entire factory including the baguette line, the hot dog buns and just about everything else. more ›

As of 5 a.m. early Saturday, nearly 100 firefighters are in "defensive mode" responding to an extra-alarm fire and a hazardous materials situation at a near West Side factory in the 2100 block of West Fulton Street. Fire Media Affairs spokesman Richard Rosado said that "ninety-nine firefighters and 39 pieces of equipment are in defensive mode battling the blaze at the two-story, 50 foot by 125 foot commercial structure," via the Chicago Sun-Times. A Level I HazMat alarm has also been called for the incident, Rosado said. Emergency crews were notified about the blaze around 4 a.m. and will be there for awhile battling to put it out. more ›

Every home cook (even those who fear baking) has a little brown bottle in their spice cabinet labeled "Vanilla Extract." But how many of us have really paid attention to it? What is in the bottle? Who makes it? Where does it come from? If you are lucky, or you happen to be a vanilla connoisseur, it is likely that your vanilla comes from right here in Chicagoland. Nielsen-Massey has been producing vanilla in Chicago since 1907, and we were lucky enough to get a glimpse inside their production facility. Want to know how vanilla gets into that little bottle? Come along on the tour! more ›

When we last saw our jelly beans, they were just sugar-coated gel centers. After another rest period, the trays head out to the next stage of the process - coating. If you were to cut a Jelly Belly in half, you'd note that it formed in layers, with an inside gel layer and a hard candy coating. The hard candy coating is added by hand, in giant rotating drums. more ›

It's every kid's dream to get loose in a candy factory. We've toured lots of candy makers, pastry kitchens and storefronts, but we'd never been inside an actual, full-scale candy factory before! Even better, it was a Chicago factory for a product we really love, Jelly Belly Jelly Beans. We've been enamored of these many-flavored lovelies since our childhood, when we used to buy them at movie theaters to get the best bang for our buck. We were thrilled when Bill Kelley, Vice President (and 4th generation candy maker) agreed to show us around the plant. The plant is not open to the public (unlike Jelly Belly's other plants), so it was a special experience. more ›

Ford Motor Company announced on Friday that it will build the new 2011 Police Interceptor at the automaker's Torrence Ave plant, on Chicago's South side. Ford expects to offer the new vehicle without interruption when it discontinues production of the Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, which is built in St. Thomas, Ontario in late 2011. Ford's Police Interceptor redesign was driven by tough new federal rollover requirements, something the Crown Vic couldn't meet. Selling a hot new police car to municipalities strapped for cash, though, might be a tough sell. more ›

Ford Motor Company is expected to announce today that it will add a second shift at its Torrence Ave plant, on Chicago's South side. The auto manufacturer will shift production of the redesigned Ford Explorer from Louisville, Kentucky to Chicago, adding some 1,200 jobs to the under-utilized assembly plant. That likely means adding a second shift to production at the plant, as well as increased work at the Chicago Heights stamping plant. The downsized and more fuel-efficient SUV is expected to be on the market by this year's fourth quarter. Auto industry experts say the new redesigned Explorer, which will be built on a car platform, and getting 20 to 25 percent better gas mileage than it's predecessor, which was built on a truck platform. John Wolkonowicz, an analyst with IHS Global Insight said that the new Explorer will be a "high-volume, high-profit, car-based crossover." more ›

Known for their stark religious beliefs and refusal to use certain modern conveniences such as electricity, automobiles and insurance, the Amish population in Goshen, Ind. -- a town located 120 miles east of Chicago with population just under 32,000 -- might be making a few exceptions to get by during the recession. more ›

Today a Chicago institution closes. The Maurice Lennell cookie outlet in Norridge will be selling its final pinwheels, butter cookies and other tooth-cracking monstrosities as the land on which the outlet resides is slated to become a Costco. Lennell is said to be sourcing its production to overseas companies. more ›