The Chicago Way: An Oral History of Chicago Dining with Mike Gebert

From a city associated with steak and the stockyards, Chicago has become a capitol of innovative, even avant-garde cuisine—but how? That’s the story that James Beard-winning Chicago food journalist Michael Gebert tells in The Chicago Way: An Oral History of Chicago Dining (Agate, $36.00).
https://www.agatepublishing.com/97815728.../the-chicago-way/

The story goes back sixty-plus years, beginning with Chicago’s first celebrity chef, Louis Szathmary, whose The Bakery would help establish a gang-ridden neighborhood called Lincoln Park as the home of what were soon to be called “yuppies.” From there, ersatz “Continental” cuisine gave way to authentic French cooking under chef-owners like Jean Banchet and Jovan Trboyevic. In turn, young American chefs like Charlie Trotter and Michael Foley would develop a similarly artisanal form of American cooking, while chefs like Rick Bayless and Tony Mantuano brought us authentic cuisine from other countries, helping to develop farmers markets and wine culture—as well as hot dining neighborhoods.

Gebert interviewed over 200 chefs, diners, and media and real estate figures, including Rick Bayless, Grant Achatz, Stephanie Izard, Paul Kahan and Culinary Historians of Chicago's president and vice-president Scott Warner and Cathy Lambrecht to tell their story in their own words. His network throughout the Chicago food world offers a unique inside look at how our restaurants changed Chicago—and the world.

Biography:
Michael Gebert is the editor of Fooditor and a James Beard Award-winning food writer and video producer. He was also an editor of Grub Street Chicago, a contributor to publications such as Chicago Magazine and the Chicago Reader, and a founder of the online culinary chat site LTHForum. He lives in Chicago.
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