Chicago's Very Own Eats

The inaugural Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament featured 16 of the area’s best Chicago beef places. This year, we are extending the tournament to 64 competitors. The 2024 Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament is sponsored by Turano Baking Company and Mauro Provisions. Joining Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats to talk about it and […]

WGN Radio’s Mike Piff joins Wendy Snyder, in for Bob Sirott, to talk about the Second Annual Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament and how it highlights small businesses. He also shares details about his summer dedicated to trying foods from Chicagoland’s food trucks and where you can find regular updates. The Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament starts […]

Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament, sponsored by Turano Baking Company and Mauro Provisions, returns on June 27th, and Buona Beef is ready for their title defense. Jimmy Buonavolanto and Andrew Regalado from Buona joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast to talk about the history of Buona, Chicago’s love for […]

Ahead of Cinco de Mayo, daVinci Group owner Paul LoDuca joins Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast. Paul owns two restaurants that have been staples in the Old Town neighborhood for decades now, Adobo Grill and Vinci. Adobo Grill and Vinci restaurant owner Paul LoDuca with Kevin Powell and […]

After 4 weeks, 7 rounds and 271,351 votes, the 2024 Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament sponsored by Career Vision has its champion. Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast co-host Michael Piff joined John Williams to call the owners of the winning pizza place. Listen to the segment below: https://serve.castfire.com/audio/4591566/4591566_2024-04-04-151706.64kmono.mp3 Antioch Pizza Shop won by just 1% of the […]

Celebrity chef Fabio Viviani and his team at Fabio Viviani Hospitality have opened more than 60 restaurants and concepts across the country, including Chicago favorites Sienna Tavern, Prime & Provisions, and Bar Sienna. Now Chef Fabio has opened a modern Italian steakhouse in his own backyard, Lago in Lake Zurich. Chef Fabio joined Kevin Powell […]

With the 2024 Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament (sponsored by Career Vision) underway, John Williams was joined by Chicago’s Very Own Eats co-host and WGN Radio “bracketologist” Michael Piff on Monday to discuss the details for listeners to vote. To kick off the tournament properly, John also spoke with Courtney Miller, general manager of the 2023 […]

The Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament is back and it’s sponsored by our friends at Career Vision! In 2023, we had 64 Chicagoland area pizza places face off alongside College Basketball’s NCAA Tournament. After 4 weeks and 330,000 votes, Georgio’s of Crystal Lake was crowned the 2023 champion. This year, we asked the WGN Radio audience […]

While Chicago prides itself on pizza and Italian beef, it’s also home to some of the best burger joints in the country. Chronicling Chicago’s best burgers is Samantha Esposito with her Chicago Burger Bible Instagram page and website. (Samantha Esposito / Chicago Burger Bible) Samantha joins Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very […]

What’s as “Chicago” as Italian Beef, deep dish and tavern style pizza? Giardiniera. And if you love giardiniera, there’s a home grown business with a recipe that tops Kevin Powell’s list of favorites. Kevin and Michael Piff talk with Chicago Pepper Bros. owner Thomas Romano on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast. They talk about […]

Kevin Powell and Michael Piff from the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast kickoff 2024, first by catching on how they celebrated the holidays and more importantly…what they had to eat. Kevin talks about his visit to RPM and Club Lucky, while Michael shares his experience introducing his daughter to Honey Butter Fried Chicken and Lou […]

John Carruthers has been very busy since Kevin Powell and Michael Piff last talked to him on Chicago’s Very Own Eats. The Crust Fund Pizza proprietor continues to make and sell pizzas for Chicago area causes from his alley. He competed on Chopped and represented Chicago tavern style pizza very well. He participated in Steve […]

The podcast for Chicago food lovers is back in time to talk about the holiday for food lovers. To commemorate their 50th episode of the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast, hosts Kevin Powell and Michael Piff share their Thanksgiving traditions, the unique foods their families enjoy, favorite sides, favorite pies, and whether they are for […]

To kickoff National Pizza Month properly, Lou Malnati’s and Portillo’s teamed up again to bring back the Lou Malnati’s x Portillo’s Italian Beef Deep Dish pizza. Lou Malnati’s owner and chairman Marc Malnati joins Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast to talk about how the collaboration between the two […]

The goal of the 2023 Chicago’s Best Wings Tournament was to promote local businesses in and around Chicago, and we had 32 of them that competed over the past month. Our competitors were chosen by Chicago’s Very Own Eats hosts Kevin Powell and Michael Piff, various wings enthusiasts on the WGN Radio staff, and WGN […]

Chicago’s original pizza festival makes its return on October 15th! The Chicago Pizza Summit began in 2016 as a way to bring pizza lovers from the world’s greatest pizza city together and to celebrate different styles and brands from across the area. Between 2016 and 2019, the Pizza Summit grew and evolved…like the community that […]

Friend of the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast and home cook Billy Zureikat joins Kevin Powell and Michael Piff to discuss his latest project that football fans and pizza lovers will enjoy. Each week of the Bears’ season, Billy is making a tavern style pizza that is inspired by the city or state that their […]

After the success of the Pizza Madness Tournament in the Spring and the Best Beef Tourney in the summer, Kevin Powell and Michael Piff wanted to come up with the perfect food tournament for the fall. This time around, we’re spotlighting the best WINGS in and around Chicago! As many of you know, they go […]

If you listen to the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast with Kevin Powell and Michael Piff, then you probably love eating and talking about pizza too. There are few people who know more about, or have eaten more pizza than NBC Chicago food reporter and 13-time James Beard Award-winner Steve Dolinsky. Steve joins Kevin and […]

The start of August signifies two things in Chicago: Lollapalooza and the heart of grilling season. You may have heard of Wild Fork already, as locations are popping up all around the greater Chicagoland area. But what you might not know is what sets Wild Fork apart from other grocery stores, butchers and specialty retailers. […]