Everyone knows that Chicago is the world’s greatest food city – and we now have a book that tells you why: The Chicago Food Encyclopedia. Edited by Carol Mighton Haddix, Bruce Kraig and Colleen Taylor Sen, this 300- page volume is a free-ranging portrait of a culinary paradise, with nearly 300 entries written by 70 of the city’s leading academics, journalists, and industry experts. 

Coeditors Carol Haddix and Colleen Sen will describe the genesis of this project, and some of the pitfalls and surprises they encountered along the way. To give a flavor of its contents, three of the contributors will talk about their entries: John Carruthers on Lunch Counters, Judy Hevrdejs on Czechs and Bohemians, and Scott Warner on Chef Louis Szathmary and his famed restaurant, The Bakery.

Copies of the Encyclopedia will be available for purchase and signing by the editors, with proceeds used to fund the Culinary Historians of Chicago. And, there will be a tasting of some iconic Chicago foods.

Carol Mighton Haddix is the former food editor of the Chicago Tribune. She is the editor of many Chicago Tribune Cookbooks as well as Chicago Cooks: 25 Years of Food History with Menus, Recipes, and Tips from Les Dames d’Escoffier.

Judy Hevrdejs retired as a food and features writer at the Chicago Tribune.

Colleen Taylor Sen’s books include Curry: A Global History; Feasts and Fasts: The History of Food in India; Turmeric: the Wonder Spice; and (with Bruce Kraig) Street Food: Everything You Need to Know About Open-Air Stands, Cars, and Food Trucks Across the Globe.

Scott J. Warner, a freelance food writer, is president of the Culinary Historians of Chicago and a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

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Bruce Kraig, PhD, coeditor (not present), is President Emeritus of the Culinary Historians of Chicago, and is Professor Emeritus of  history and the humanities at Roosevelt University. His books includeMexican-American Plain Cooking, The Cuisines of Hidden Mexico,Hot Dog: A Global History, Man Bites Dog: Hot Dog Culture in America, and A Rich and Fertile Land: A History of Food in America.