After biking to wherever you’re going, and then walking through the museums of Amsterdam, admiring the Van Goghs and Rembrandts, you quickly work up an appetite, or a thirst. How to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time? By taking a food tour, of course. We’ll check out a Tours by Locals experience, drink a lot of genever, and pop-in for a few surprises, which came as a result of social media intel. Then getting a taste of genever back here in Chicago. How to create a dutch-inspired cocktail - Stateside. Eating and drinking Amsterdam…it’s all straight ahead.

The indie-pop group St. Lucia is on tour now, promoting its most recent studio album, Hyperion, with a U.S. tour. They stopped in Chicago for a sold out show, but took some time before their sound check to stop by the test kitchen. We’ll talk food, cooking, eating on the road and, for at least one half of the duo, how growing up in South Africa and Germany affected their approach to food.

A taste of the city formerly known as Constantinople, where Asia and Europe meet. Whether you’re sitting down to a bottle of raku and an overloaded table groaning with mezze, or wandering the backstreets of the old bazaar, sharing borek and with your friendly neighborhood usta, the city lures you into its labyrinth passageways filled with all sorts of delicious discoveries. Steve spends a day with one of my colleagues who guided us through breakfast, lunch and dinner…then takes a full-day Culinary Backstreets tour – finally – to get a local’s perspective on pretty much everything. Plus, a lesson in Turkish breakfast, right here in Chicago, which you can duplicate for yourself, thanks to a new company that ships.

An asparagus challenge with Michael Sheerin, Chef from Taureaux in Chicago, as he and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just asparagus, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

We’re entering peak season for graduations, weddings and other celebrations (I’d raise a glass to the end of winter I was so happy it was over), and so today, we’re asking the experts for help us choose some appropriate bottles to help mark the occasion. We begin with champagne of course. An obvious choice for a special occasion that requires toasting and celebrating. And joining us in our first segment to talk French bubbles is Collin Moody, the General Manager of Income Tax, a bar and restaurant on Chicago’s North Side. Then we continue drinking bubbles, but rather than France, we’re headed to Italy. Steve talks with Adriano Adami, the partner and wine director at Osteria Langhe about his beloved Italian prosecco. Then later, a trip to whisky fest, to raise a celebratory glass of barrel-aged bourbon with Jeffrey Lindenmuth, the Executive Editor of Whisky Advocate Magazine, and asked him to suggest a pair of whiskys that anyone could get their hands on.

The food industry’s “Oscars” are set to take place yet again in Chicago on Monday, May 6th, but you can bet a lot of industry people are in town the weekend before, and they all have one thing on their mind: where do we eat (and drink)? We’re giving you the lowdown on where to do both, like a local, as we talk with the founder of a local food site that does quite a bit more than just listicles and Top 7 places to eat steak with Fooditor’s Michael Gebert. Plus, we’ll meet Shelby Alison, one of the women behind the 2nd annual Chicago Style, a cocktail conference going on for a few days after the Beards. Talk about a hangover. We’re rolling out the red carpet, and you don’t even need an invitation.

A tofu challenge with Jenny Yang, the owner of Phoenix Bean, as she and Rick attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some tofu, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere.

In this Bonus episode, Steve Dolinsky sits down with Chef Enrique Olvera Interview at the Arts Club of Chicago to talk about his new book, Tu Casa Mi Casa: Mexican Recipes for the Home Cook.

On this episode, the art of food styling. We talk to a trio of professional stylists about how they got their jobs, and what they do to stay on top of food styling trends. Plus, some tips on how to improve your online food styling game. Getting paid to play with your food. Yes, it’s a career choice.