Italian Village has been an institution in Chicago for nearly a century (established in 1927). Fourth-generation co-owner Giovanna Capitanini and her brother, Jonathan, took over the family business a couple years ago, and you can learn all about it from Kevin Powell and Michael Piff’s conversation with them at the restaurant back in 2024.

Giovanna is back on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast, joining Kevin and Michael in-studio at WGN Radio to talk about the Italian Village’s new espresso bar on the ground floor, Café Pisolino! Named after the Italian word for “Little Nap”, Café Pisolino invites guests to pause, whether for a morning espresso, a midday reset, or something in between. They discuss how the Cafe came together, the comfortable atmosphere that the space provides, being located in The Loop, the menu and having fun with seasonal items, and much more!

You can visit Café Pisolino on the ground floor at 71 W. Monroe Street in Chicago. Follow them on Instagram at CafePisolino_Chi and learn more at www.cafepisolino-chicago.com!

Bottleneck Management was founded in 2001 by two college friends, Jason Akemann and Nathan Hilding, when they opened their first restaurant, Trace, in Wrigleyville. Since then, they’ve grown into a multi-brand hospitality company, with restaurants across the Chicago area, including Sweetwater Tavern & Grille on Michigan Ave, South Branch on the Chicago River, City Works, and Old Town Pour House.

Chief Marketing Officer Angela Zoiss joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on Chicago’s Very Own Eats, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company, to talk about Bottleneck’s history, how they’ve grown across the country, what you can expect at one of their restaurants, the new Old Town Pour House location opening in The Loop, the Naperville location’s 10th anniversary, and much more!

Angela was also gracious enough to bring some amazing eats for our WGN Radio staff from Sweetwater Tavern. Swipe through to see what we had the pleasure of enjoying for lunch.

• Mini Chicago Dogs from Sweetwater Tavern in Chicago. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Blackened Chicken Caesar Wrap from Sweetwater Tavern in Chicago. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• The Sweetwater Burger and fries from Sweetwater Tavern in Chicago. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• The Bang Bang Shrimp from Sweetwater Tavern in Chicago. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• We had to show you these mini Chicago dogs again because they’re that good. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Pretzel Bites from Sweetwater Tavern in Chicago. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• WGN Radio’s John Williams enjoying the spread provided by Bottleneck Management and Sweetwater Tavern. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio

For updates and all things Chicago food, subscribe to Chicago’s Very Own Eats on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. All episodes are available on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast page at WGNRadio.com.

Darrin Klapprodt always had a dream of opening his own burger place. During the pandemic, Darrin took the steps make his dream a reality by perfecting his smashburger recipe, hosting “burger throwdowns” at local breweries, and started to serve up burgers at his own pop-ups. Fast forward to today, and Darrin’s “Biker Dude Burgers” are some of the most sought after in the entire greater Chicagoland area. Darrin joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company, to talk about his story, everything that goes into his making his famous burgers, how he loves promoting and telling the stories of other Chicago area restaurants and breweries, how you can hire him for your own events, where you can find him next, and much more! LISTEN below:

Swipe through to see photos from Darrin’s visit to WGN Radio and some of his amazing burgers below:

• WGN Radio’s Kevin Powell with Biker Dude Burgers’ Darrin Klapprodt. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Behold! One of Biker Dude Burgers’ amazing smashburgers. Photo from Darrin Klapprodt / Biker Dude Burgers
• WGN Radio’s Michael Piff with with Biker Dude Burgers’ Darrin Klapprodt. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Another glorious sight, aka one of Biker Dude Burgers’ amazing smashburgers. Photo from Darrin Klapprodt / Biker Dude Burgers
• WGN Radio’s Bob Kessler with Biker Dude Burgers’ Darrin Klapprodt. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• The award winning Biker Dude Burgers Team! Photo from Darrin Klapprodt / Biker Dude Burgers

Follow and see where Biker Dude Burgers will be next on Instagram and Facebook. Check out the amazing places Darrin visits on his YouTube channel.

For updates and all things Chicago food, subscribe to Chicago’s Very Own Eats on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. All episodes are available on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast page at WGNRadio.com.

Before Starbucks and other chains made it more popular, Cooperage Coffee’s Eric Kobus was making cold-pressed coffee, aka cold brew, and has been selling it to coffee lovers in the greater DuPage County area since 2013. They have built a loyal following at the Wheaton French Market, where they serve cold brew and rotating flavors of iced draft lattes, and will deliver it your door with a subscription on CooperageCoffee.com. Eric joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company, to talk about how Cooperage began, the consistency and quality you get with their cold brew, what he loves about Farmers markets, what kinds of cold brew and iced lattes that they offer, trends in the coffee industry, growing their footprint and much more!

Follow Cooperage Coffee on Facebook and Instagram, and visit their website to learn more about them on CooperageCoffee.com.

• Cooperage Coffee director Eric Kobus at the WGN Radio studios. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Eric Kobus from Cooperage Coffee meeting John Williams during his midday show on WGN Radio. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio

For updates and all things Chicago food, subscribe to Chicago’s Very Own Eats on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. All episodes are available on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast page at WGNRadio.com.

Taking your family to a Cubs or White Sox game, while always a lot of fun, can be expensive and not always easy with young kids. In Schaumburg, the Boomers strive for a major league experience at an affordable price and comfortable time. Boomers EVP/GM Michael Larson and VP of food & beverage Ryan Dominick joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on Chicago’s Very Own Eats, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company, to talk about the ball club, running a baseball organization, the promotional nights to plan for, and yes, the food (this is a food podcast anyway). This was also a fun trip down memory lane for Michael Piff, as he was their stadium emcee for their first two seasons (2012-13). Listen to the conversation below:

Michael and Ryan also brought their friend and Boomers mascot, Coop, to WGN Radio. And Coop brought some amazing eats from Wintrust Field with them. Swipe through to see who Coop met and what he brought with!

• Schaumburg Boomers mascot Coop with the WGN Radio news team. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Coop, The Boomer, with John Williams. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• The amazing spread from The Schaumburg Boomers. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Funnel Cake Fries? Funnel Cake Fries. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Coop and a tray of Italian Beef. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Coop with WGN Radio Producer/Sports Anchor Jack Heinrich. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Coop with WGN Radio’s Operations Manager Ashley Bihun. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• A Michael Piff “Team Photo” with Coop and Ryan Dominick from the Schaumburg Boomers. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio

See the Schaumburg Boomers’ upcoming schedule and promo nights (including their July 3rd fireworks + drone shows, Jurassic Night, Back to the Future Night, and more) at boomersbaseball.com. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn!

After 3 weeks and 45,000 votes, we finally have a the winner of our inaugural Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs Tournament, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company.

Jon Hansen (in for John Williams) was joined by Chicago’s Very Own Eats Podcast co-host/bracketologist Michael Piff and Luke Newman from The Puckered Pickle Company to make the announcement and call the winner. LISTEN below to find out who won between Rand Red Hots and Cozzi Corner!

Congrats to Rand Red Hots for winning our first Chicagolands Hot Dog Tournament! And congrats to Cozzi Corner for the great run they made to reach the championship. Last but not least, thank you to everyone that voted and made this one of our biggest WGN Radio food tournaments yet!

See the rest of the round-by-round results on the 2026 Hot Dogs Tournament page. And follow The Puckered Pickle Company on Facebook and Instagram!

For more updates and all things Chicago food, subscribe to Chicago’s Very Own Eats on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. All episodes are available on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast page at WGNRadio.com.

After losing her job during the pandemic, Shawn Johnson found a hobby and a passion in making toffee. She turned that passion into a business, and now Shawn is winning awards with her in-demand Crafian Artisanal Toffee. Shawn joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats Podcast to talk more about her story, how she comes up with the fun and unique flavors, the markets and events that you can find her at, and how the Chicago Blackhawks’ Support West program is helping her grow her business! Listen below:

Kevin and Michael also gave an update on the Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs Tournament, now in the Championship round and sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company.

You can learn more and see Crafian’s amazing toffee options (and what to pair them with) at Crafian.co. And you can follow Crafian on Instagram to stay updated on what they are doing!

As WGN Radio’s inaugural Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs Tournament reaches its championship round, John Williams talked to Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast co-host/bracketologist Michael Piff about the contenders facing off, Rand Red Hots and Cozzi Corner, and how listeners can vote. The champion will be announced Monday, June 22nd, on The John Williams Show after 10 AM. Vote between now and then right here!

For more updates and all things Chicago food, subscribe to Chicago’s Very Own Eats on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. All episodes are available on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast page at WGNRadio.com.

What began as Sunday family dinners and pop-ups during the pandemic, for Noel Peters, has become a growing, full-service catering business! Noel joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on Chicago’s Very Own Eats to talk about Soul Kitchen Chicago, the family traditions she honors with her menu, how the Chicago Blackhawks are supporting her and her business with their Support West program, and much more!

Michael and Kevin also discuss the latest with Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs Tournament, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company, and who is still in it!

For more on all things Chicago food, subscribe to Chicago’s Very Own Eats on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. All episodes are available on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast page at WGNRadio.com.

As you stroll through the 26th annual Ribfest Chicago, taking place June 5th to the 7th in the Northcenter neighborhood, you’ll see all of Nikki Haggerty’s barbecue teams setup along Lincoln. Chicago BBQ Company, Austin’s Texas Lightning BBQ, and Armadillo’s BBQ will be serving up ribs and competing among several other teams, but Nikki will be one of the only woman owners (and with 3 teams!).

Nikki joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on Chicago’s Very Own Eats to talk about her history in barbecue, taking over her dad’s business and then two more of her own, competing in festivals and competitions across the country, what sets Ribfest Chicago apart from other food festivals, and much more! Michael also gives an update following Round 1 of the inaugural Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs Tournament, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company. Listen below:

For more on all things Chicago food, subscribe to Chicago’s Very Own Eats on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. All episodes are available on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast page at WGNRadio.com.