Restaurants get all the attention. Celebrity chefs, page-long restaurant reviews, interviews and special dinners occupy the attention of the food media, which latches on to each new spot in turn, alternately gushes or rants, and then moves onto the next. I don't mean to imply that I am outside of this cycle, as I also rush to new restaurants, only occasionally to return. But a little bit under the radar, a movement keeps growing which promises to change the way we eat permanently. Not a trend, but a wholesale change in the way we consume food. When I first moved to this city seven years ago, Chicago had one of the most amazing restaurant cultures in the world. Now, we have one of the most amazing producer cultures in the world, and that is making all the difference. more ›

As we've covered before, the big losers in the passage of HB 429 in 2007 were out-of-state retailers looking to sell their wines to customers in Illinois. A bill introduced last Friday by state Representative Julie Hamos (D - Evanston) could restore the rights of those retailers to do business in Illinois. more ›

In an attempt to cater to more than just tourists and business types, a new web-based initiative called Loop U Chicago launched Thursday. The site links up 35 businesses - ranging from Old Navy to the Art Institute - with 16 campuses and an estimated 60,000 Loop students. It offers users access to coupons, exclusive discounts, scholarships, job and internship offerings and news and event listings. more ›