Coming up on this week’s show, a canned artichoke challenge with the Chef and owner of The Chopping Block in Chicago, as she and I attempt to come up with an easy weeknight meal in 15 minutes or less, using just some artichoke hearts, plus five extra ingredients you can find pretty much anywhere. Shelley Young grew up in that mecca for all things gastronomy and innovation: Fort Dodge, Iowa. And we joke, but that rural upbringing shaped her philosophy about food. In the summer, she put up beans, corn and tomatoes for the winter. She pitted sour cherries for pie, hunted morel mushrooms and caught fresh catfish on camping trips. It was with these intense food memories and experiences that she launched The Chopping Block in 1997; quite simply, Chicago’s premier recreational cooking school. Guests have fun, drink wine, eat great food and learn a lot along the way. Shelley now oversees two locations, including a massive one inside the Merchandise Mart here along the Chicago River.