Celebrity chef Ted Allen, formerly of Chicago Magazine, teaches how to make "the most obnoxious, contrived meals for your dickhead foodie friends." more ›

Tickets for the 2011 Family Farmed Expo (March 17-19) are on sale now, and the event promises to be a doozy. Featuring workshops on gardening and eating, chef demos by your favorite local celebrity chefs and over 140 vendors, Family Farmed Expo will be a paradise for anyone who loves good food. It's one of the best deals in town - just $10 gets you in the door. more ›

This weekend is the first Green City Market of 2011. Schwing! To kick things off, GCM is holding a food photo contest for all of you Chicago foodies out there, and the prizes are pretty sweet, in our humble opinion. The contest is “Farm to Table,” and the idea is to show the raw ingredients you buy at the market and how you transform them into your dinner. You should take pictures at the market, while cooking, and of the finished product. more ›

Jim Javenkoski, the founder of Local Food Wisdom, will be hosting the latest in his series of locavore dinners at In Fine Spirits on January 24. The goal of Local Food Wisdom is to bring people together to eat, learn and discuss local food issues, with "casual yet informative conversations." Sounds much more fun, and much tastier, than listening to a lecture! 5 courses, all-inclusive with beer pairings, will cost you $75. The video after the jump is a look at the first Local Food Wisdom dinner, hosted by StarGrazer Cafe - it will make you want to quit your job and go work on a farm, especially on a grey day like today. more ›

I have a confession to make - this interview isn't even a little bit objective. North Pond has been one of my favorite spots in Chicago for years, and it was the first fine dining restaurant I ever wrote about. When I got a chance to interview Bruce Sherman, the chef and co-owner of North Pond, I screamed like a little girl at a Justin Bieber concert - though not in front of the chef. Despite my enthusiasm, I had some serious questions for Chef Sherman. We talked to Chef Sherman about staying relevant, the challenges of owning a restaurant on park district land and why he is not a locavore. more ›

I’ve defended Whole Foods for years against cries of “Whole Paycheck” on the basis of quality, variety and their commitment to the environment. I still believe that they do good work, but the number of “buy local” banners popping up all over their stores led me to wonder: how much local produce does Whole Foods actually carry? Not enough, by our standards. more ›

• In the wake of an article calling hamburgers "the Hummers of food," Helen Rosner lists local restaurants that source the beef for their burgers from local farms. Why Paul Kahan isn't getting his lamb from Mint Creek Farm, only he knows. [MP Chicago]
• Speaking of localvore issues, check out the expanded version of the Local Beet.[The Local Beet]
• The fine folks at Drive-Thru have been very busy this week. Chris Brunn and Cinnamon Cooper offer a couple vegan-friendly recipes; Cooper infuses vodka with her namesake spice; and Robyn Nisi made the mistake of replacing real lemon juice for her lemon ricotta cookies with ReaLemon. [Drive-Thru]