Presented by
Chef Jenny Lewis
Educator and author of
“Midwest Sweet Baking History/
Delectable Classics Around Lake Michigan”
and Chef Heidi Heidecker
Assistant professor/pastry chef instructor,
Kendall College of Culinary Arts

Podcast courtesy of WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified

Join us as Chefs Jenny Lewis and Heidi Heidecker dish out a sweet history of the Lake Michigan states of Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. Learn about Chicago’s dessert presence during the Columbian Exposition (where the brownie was born) and get the real skinny on industry giants like Kraft and Nabisco. Savor the stories of Whoopie Pies and Red Star Yeast, and discover how tainted food products propelled Chicago to become the Nation’s first city to pass food protection laws. Continue reading →

Presented by
Virginia Willis
chef, author, producer

Podcast courtesy of WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified

According to Chef Virginia Willis, one of the South’s grandest culinary belles, Southern “exceptionalism” is the notion that the South is a place unique and distinct from the rest of the world. Is this an invention of the New South, Chef Willis asks, or is the notion based upon a history of economic, social, and moral differences? As a poor, agrarian society, the early American South differed from its urban, industrial Northern counterpart.  Continue reading →

Presented by
Catherine Lambrecht

Podcast courtesy of WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified

Pies are as American as pizza is American: we took a great idea, adapted it to our needs and ran with it. They used what they had available locally and made the most from it. In the Northeast and Midwest, it was apples; in the South it was molasses pies, in Florida the Key Lime Pie and the Southwest came nut pies. Continue reading →

Presented by
Michael Mikusch
Master Baker and Owner
Austrian Bakery and Deli, Chicago

Podcast courtesy of WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified

Our program will take us to new heights as Master Baker Michael Mikusch raises our spirits and gives us food for thought with his savory, and sometimes crusty comments about the beloved bread of his homeland. Chef Mikusch will proof his way through the tender history of Austrian breads, and will be on a real roll when he tells us how he learned to make all kinds of rye bread. Continue reading →

Presented by Ellen Steinberg, PhD

Podcast courtesy of WBEZ’s Chicago Amplified

Throughout the Midwest, one finds numerous ethnicities and creeds, each of which has contributed much to the amalgam that has become “the Heartland.” The Jewish immigrants, from all over Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, who settled here added their unique heritage foods and recipes to this mix. Continue reading →