When Justin Kaufmann asked me back in 2009 to become a part of Vocalo.org, I was flattered. He and I had worked together off and on for more than a decade at WBEZ. While I hadn't been contributing to the radio station anymore, I thought it was a perfect way to get back into the world of blogging for an audience I adore. After 18 months of five-day-a-week posts, I've decided that it's time for a change. I'll be taking the summer off, recharging a bit, and will come back after Labor Day with a completely overhauled stevedolinsky.com website. I want to thank Justin, Steve Edwards and Torey Malatia for once again believing in my work, and giving me this great forum for writing, podcasting, video sharing and schmoozing about food and drink.
I hope this isn't the end of my relationship with WBEZ - I always consider them family - and would love to return occasionally in some capacity. But for now, I want to thank all of you for reading, re-tweeting and commenting on my blog posts these past 18 months.
One of the city's largest childhood hunger relief efforts is gearing up for another big-time fundraiser. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised nearly $3 million in Chicago, and will continue that effort August 10th. Hoping to avoid a sweat-drenched swelter-fest like last year's event at The Aragon, Mindy Segal and Co. have arranged to hold this year's event in the spacious Navy Pier Ballroom. It has already attracted some of the biggest names in town, such as Girl & the Goat, Green Zebra, Paris Club, Vie, The Bedford, Sprout and The Bristol.
