(WTTW News)
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“This was one of the silver linings to come out of the pandemic,” Ald. Matt Martin (47th Ward) said.

Chicago Jazz Festival (Courtesy of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events)

Get ready for fun with this guide to neighborhood street fests, art shows, outdoor concerts and cultural celebrations of all sizes across Chicago and the suburbs.

(kaboompics / Pixabay)
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Restaurants, bars and cafes would be allowed to serve customers outdoors permanently under a plan backed by Mayor Brandon Johnson. The plan would make the rules designed to help restaurants stay afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic an enduring part of Chicago’s food scene.

Chesa Rollins, owner of Chesa’s Bistro & Bar, appears on "Black Voices" on May 26, 2023. (WTTW News)

The kitchen at Chesa’s Bistro & Bar is entirely gluten-free, meaning customers with severe allergies can dine without worrying about cross-contamination.

Jeremy Allen White (left) and Liza Colón-Zayas in “The Bear.” (Matt Dinerstein / FX Networks)

The raw chaos inside of the restaurant’s kitchen captivated viewers when “The Bear” debuted in June of 2022 and followed an elite chef coming home to Chicago to help run his family’s local sandwich shop after his brother died.

Certain brands of fresh ready-to-eat salads that include chicken or ham may also contain lettuce contaminated with listeria, a potentially deadly bacteria. (BSIP / Universal Images Group Editorial / Getty Images via CNN)

Revolution Farms of Caledonia, Michigan, voluntarily recalled lettuce produced and sold under the brand Revolution Farms on April 5, 2023, due to the potential for listeria contamination.

The exterior of Mr. Beef is shown, Monday, March 6, 2023, in Chicago. Joseph Zucchero, the founder of the Chicago Italian beef shop that inspired FX’s ‘The Bear,’ died unexpectedly on March 1, 2023. (Anthony Vazquez / Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Mr. Beef, the no-frills sandwich joint in Chicago’s River North, has been a neighborhood staple for decades. But it became a national sensation after it was portrayed by the gritty, fast-paced show released in June 2022. The founder Joseph Zucchero has died at 69.

(WTTW News)

When Andy Reyes rhapsodizes about the perfect bowl of birria, he has generations of his forebears speaking through him. His family’s birria recipe dates back to 1926, when his great-grandfather developed his own version of the stewed goat dish in Ocotlan, Jalisco.

Po’boy sandwiches at Daisy’s Po-Boy and Tavern in Hyde Park. (WTTW News)

At Daisy’s Po-Boy and Tavern in Hyde Park, Chicago chef Erick Williams serves up classic New Orleans-style po’boys. “This will be our first Mardi Gras season. … We’re going to serve a lot of hurricanes and a lot of great food and play the music loud and have a lot of fun.”

(WTTW News)

A total of 35% of legal-aged U.S. adults skipped alcohol for the entirety of January in 2022 — that’s an increase from 21% in 2019, according to food and drink research firm CGA.

The annual “Christmas Around the World” exhibit at Museum of Science and Industry. (Credit: Heidi Peters / Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago)

There's still plenty of holiday merriment to be made through the New Year. 

Gene's Sausage Shop on Dec. 21, 2022. (WTTW News)
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Blizzard-like conditions are predicted just ahead of Christmas and during Hanukkah. The double whammy caused crowded parking lots and long aisles at grocery stores on Wednesday as folks stocked up.

(WTTW)

As the holiday weekend fast approaches, you might catch yourself overthinking the amount of calories on your plate. That's not the best approach. 

Digital creator and social media influencer Chris Dolo. (WTTW News)

In Chicago, a digital creater who goes by the name Chris Dolo has been able to make a name for himself by reviewing food. He joined “Latino Voices” to talk about his road to TikTok fame and the ways he uses it to showcase local offerings.

The Chicago Fair Trade pop-up holiday market runs through Dec. 24 at 1457 N. Halsted. (WTTW News)

Chicago Fair Trade Executive Director Katherine Bissell Cordova says you can knock a lot off your holiday shopping list in one stop at their shop.

A dish from Soul Food Lounge, 3804 W. 16th St. (WTTW News)

After being approached to enhance the neighborhood, entrepreneur and chef Quentin Love decided to open what he hopes will be a soul food staple on the city’s West Side.