Culture & The Arts

  • PBS Vs. Food Network

    Food television continues to produce more programs and more networks and now streaming shows – David Chang’s “Ugly Delicious” is a good recent example on Netflix. The Food Network has been around for about 25 years now, and of course PBS does its own sort of programming. Coming up on this week’s show, the state of food shows. Who makes them, who pays for them and who greenlights them. We’ll talk to a few experts in the field, like chef and TV personality Marcus Samuelsson, who now has his own show on PBS, as well as Food Network veteran Maneet Chauhan, a fixture on “Chopped.”

  • Ingredient Challenge: Canned Artichokes

    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.

  • Grilling Steak

    We are in prime grilling season across the country right now, so we decided to share one of our favorite episode from last year. Coming up on this week’s show we talk beef. Steve visits a distributor on Chicago’s West Side, to learn more about how cattle is processed and aged before it gets to your favorite steakhouse. Then we head to a steakhouse that actually dry-ages their beef in-house. Finally, we’re back in the test kitchen where Randy Waidner of DemiStoks cooks up some choice cuts from Niman Ranch and Plum Market for Rick and Steve to enjoy.

  • Mavis Staples, Pt. 2, Protomartyr & Charles Bradley

    This week, hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot talk with gospel and soul legend Mavis Staples. She speaks about her role on the front line of the Civil Rights Movement as part of the Staple Singers and recounts a harrowing story of touring through the Jim Crow South. Plus, a review of the latest from Protomartyr, and a tribute to the late soul singer Charles Bradley.

  • Mavis Staples, National Treasure

    As a member of her family group The Staple Singers and as a solo artist, Mavis Staples has used her huge voice to power the Civil Rights Movement and inspire generations. The gospel and soul legend joins hosts Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot for an intimate discussion of her life and career.