My co-author, Monica Eng, and I have written a book entitled “Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites,” which tells the stories behind thirty foods that originated in Chicago and are available today. We feel that this book would be appropriate for distribution to convention goers, and we are ready to prepare a presentation for convention goers that overviews some of the foods from the book.
Chicago receives much media attention for many outstanding restaurants that serve exceptional dinners frequently costing hundreds of dollars. Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites focuses on lesser-known mom-n’-pop places that serve more affordable – but no less satisfying – food to tens of thousands of Chicagoans every day. These smaller places are many times minority- or immigrant owned, and our book shines a light on the contributions and enduring creativity of street-level food purveyors who, faced with limited resources and unlimited ambition, spread deliciousness throughout the city.
Our book strengthens community bonds across Chicagoland. In each chapter, we list locations where these Chicago original foods can be found. During our now over two dozen local appearances in support of the book, we’ve encouraged people to seek out foods in many Chicago neighborhoods they may never have visited. Such culinary adventures strengthen the bonds of community throughout the area and increase respect and recognition for sometimes unheralded culinary achievements.
In our book, we include the first-person accounts of Italian Americans who invented the Italian beef, Puerto Ricans in Chicago’s Humboldt Park who first served the now very popular jibarito, and African Americans who dreamed up the sweet steak sandwich. Our stories are specifically about foods, but our larger story is about our city and our country