The Business of Food with Steve Alexander | WGN Radio 720 - Chicago's Very Own

Chicago’s and WGN’s very own Orion “Big O” Samuelson is marking a milestone birthday on March 31st. It was 90 years ago on that date that “Little O” bounced into the world. He chose a spring blizzard to make his entrance on his family’s dairy farm in southwestern Wisconsin. The doctor wasn’t able to get […]

When Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid announced on a podcast that Taylor Swift had made homemade Pop Tarts for the offensive line, the marketing team at Kellanova that promotes the brand knew they had been handed a gift. In the audio clip below, Sarah Reinecke, VP of Marketing, Portable Wholesome Snacks / Pop-Tarts […]

Joe Reckinger said it’s the most wind he’s ever seen in his 66 years on the family farm west of Batavia on Seavey Road. On the night of February 27, 2024, what was later determined to be an F1 tornado flattened a barn built in 1882 when Joe’s great-great grandfather started the farm. Joe and […]

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart tells WGN’s Steve Alexander in the audio clip below that he remembers the day Bruno Abate walked into his office and told him he had a vision and his life would not be complete if he did not give back and try to help people who had mistakes in their […]

Mike Builta grew up on an Illinois farm, was a proud member of FFA, and kept one foot in the furrow as he went off to the University of Illinois, earned a Master’s in Crop Science and went to work in agribusiness. He left home for his office at GROWMARK in Bloomington, Illinois, where he […]

Super Bowl may be the biggest eating holiday of the year, and it isn’t even an official holiday. Whether at a fancy high end party with lobster sliders or a small family get together with pizza, chips and guac, we Americans tend to overeat, and then eat some more. A WalletHub survey found that the […]

In 2022, everything was going pretty well for Northbrook native David Grossman, the president and CEO of Epic Burger. When the chain struggled under its previous ownership, Grossman bought it in 2020 and gave it a reboot. Things were looking up. But then, the kind of thing every parent has nightmares about happened. His 24-year-old […]

“A horse is a horse of course of course,” goes the old Mr. Ed TV theme song, and while a cow is a cow, it’s important for ranchers and farmers to be able to tell them apart. For more than a half century, ear tags with numbers and RFID transmitters have been the go-to, but […]

What better day for the grand opening of Daintry McFadden’s Wetzel’s Pretzels franchise in Oak Brook Center than MLK Day? After all, it has been her dream for decades. In the audio clip below, Daintry tells WGN’s Steve Alexander how she tried many times to become the owner of a fast food franchise. A “proud, […]

Illinois farmers depend on the Panama Canal, but there's a problem this year.

Lincoln Park mom shares her experience and gives a warning if taking the drug.

In the audio clip below, one of Santa Fizz’s elves helps out WGN’s Steve Alexander with some gift ideas for people who have “green thumbs,” or who want to have them. Jennifer Brennan, in addition to being an elf for WGN’s gardening guru Jim “Santa Fizz” Fizzell, is a horticultural information specialist at Chalet Garden […]

“Queen Vino” is the title Chrishon Lampley gave herself as the founder and CEO of Love Cork Screw, a Chicago-based, Black-owned, woman-owned wine company. Her website also describes her as a “badass Black woman ” who started with next to nothing after a freak flood destroyed her Chicago art and wine bar, and a decade […]

In the audio clip below, Eric Olesen, president of O&H Danish Bakery in Racine, tells WGN’s Steve Alexander what the fluffy sweet-filled pastry is, how it started, how Racine became the center of the Kringle universe, and how it became a worldwide seller, especially during the holidays. And, if you think Kringle has something to […]

In the audio clip below, Stephanie Powell, Chief Sandwich Developer (that’s really her title) for Chicago’s S. Rosen Bread, tells WGN’s Steve Alexander about Harris poll results showing some of the many items — some of them odd — we pile between slices of bread and call it a leftover sandwich. She and her team […]

These recipes for making mashed potatoes a day or two before Thanksgiving will reduce the stress of the big day. Steve Alexander and his wife, Diane Montiel, have been using a recipe from friend Ann Wright for several years and in Diane’s words, “It’s magic.” Another friend, Nova Lanktree, has a slightly different recipe but […]

“If I had a Million Dollars,” the 1988 hit song by Bare Naked Ladies, offered some thoughts about how to spend a million dollars. In the audio clip below, Kellie O’Connell, CEO of Nourishing Hope, tells WGN’s Steve Alexander that the million dollar award from Northern Trust Foundation will be spent on extending the food […]

Christkindl markets are a 'must-do' for many and offer a taste of Europe in the city.

Feel free to take a crack (or quack) at the punchline, but in the audio clip below, WGN’s John Williams will share his Speed Joke. It’s a way to introduce Sean Smith, general manager of Culver Duck Farms, and Drew Frey, who oversees live production at the farms. They not only share their own duck […]

Sure, Verzênay offers the usual Thanksgiving staples like pumpkin, apple and French silk pies, as well as their buttery brioche dinner rolls, but how about mixing things up this year with a Thanksgiving Quiche? In the audio clip below, Pâtissiere and owner Arshiya Farheen tells WGN’s Steve Alexander she offers savory options, such as the […]