The inaugural Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament featured 16 of the area’s best Chicago beef places. This year, we are extending the tournament to 64 competitors.

The 2024 Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament is sponsored by Turano Baking Company and Mauro Provisions. Joining Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats to talk about it and get us ready for Round 1 are Mario and Giancarlo Turano from Turano Baking Company! They discuss the Turano family’s history, how they like their beef sandwiches, what Chicagoans love about Italian beef and their neighborhood spots, the ‘Lunch with Turano’ series on social media and this year’s bracket. Listen below for more:

As we do with all of our Chicago’s Very Own Eats Tournaments, you can see all the competitors and where to find them here. ‘Chicago’s Best Beef’ voting will begin Thursday, June 27th on wgnradio.com and the Chicago’s Very Own Eats page.

Stay tuned and stay updated on all things Chicago food by subscribing 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.

WGN Radio’s Mike Piff joins Wendy Snyder, in for Bob Sirott, to talk about the Second Annual Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament and how it highlights small businesses. He also shares details about his summer dedicated to trying foods from Chicagoland’s food trucks and where you can find regular updates.

The Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament starts on June 27th on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats page and is sponsored by Turano Baking Company and Mauro Provisions

Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament, sponsored by Turano Baking Company and Mauro Provisions, returns on June 27th, and Buona Beef is ready for their title defense.

Jimmy Buonavolanto and Andrew Regalado from Buona joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast to talk about the history of Buona, Chicago’s love for Italian beef, the bond between family businesses, and so much more! Listen to the episode below:

Stay tuned for more details before the 2024 Chicago’s Best Beef Tournament kicks off. The full bracket will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned and stay updated on all things Chicago food by subscribing 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.

Ahead of Cinco de Mayo, daVinci Group owner Paul LoDuca joins Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast. Paul owns two restaurants that have been staples in the Old Town neighborhood for decades now, Adobo Grill and Vinci.

Adobo Grill and Vinci restaurant owner Paul LoDuca with Kevin Powell and Michael Piff. Photo by Andrew Harris / WGN Radio

Paul tells the story of how he opened his Italian eatery, Vinci, in 1991 and what inspired him to open a Mexican restaurant 9 years later. Both restaurants give you unique experiences from other Italian and Mexican places. And both have monthly curated meals, paired with wine and tequila, that will keep you coming back to try. Paul also talks about what makes Old Town special and a great part of the city have his restaurants located.

With Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day and Chicago’s patio season to plan for, listen to find out why you should consider Adobo Grill and Vinci for each occasion.

Stay tuned and stay updated on all things Chicago food by subscribing 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 4 weeks, 7 rounds and 271,351 votes, the 2024 Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament sponsored by Career Vision has its champion.

Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast co-host Michael Piff joined John Williams to call the owners of the winning pizza place. Listen to the segment below:

Antioch Pizza Shop won by just 1% of the 35,121 votes that were made. As a commenter on our WGN Radio Facebook page perfectly put it though, the real winner is the greater Chicagoland area for having so much amazing pizza to choose from. At the heart of it all, this was an opportunity promote local businesses and it was amazing to see several communities rally for their favorite pizza places.

We congratulate Antioch Pizza Shop, owners Karen and Art Wicklein, and their supporters for winning it all. We also want to commend Uncle Jerry’s Pizza Company in Cary for making an incredible run all the way to the last minute of the tournament, and for being so gracious while doing so. Both championship competitors were new to our tournament, and seeing them advance this far made it that much more fun.

Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament 2024 Bracket by Michael Piff / WGN Radio. Click to see clearer.

Now we encourage you to try as many of the competing pizza places as you can. You can find them here and give them a visit! Kevin Powell and Michael Piff will do a full recap on their next episode of Chicago’s Very Own Eats. Stay tuned and stay updated on all things Chicago food by subscribing 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.

Celebrity chef Fabio Viviani and his team at Fabio Viviani Hospitality have opened more than 60 restaurants and concepts across the country, including Chicago favorites Sienna Tavern, Prime & Provisions, and Bar Sienna. Now Chef Fabio has opened a modern Italian steakhouse in his own backyard, Lago in Lake Zurich.

Chef Fabio joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast to talk about his new concept, what he recommends you try first, what his day-to-day is like, what the response from the community in Lake Zurich and Barrington has been like, and more.

Before the conversation with Chef Fabio, Kevin and Michael give an update on the Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament, sponsored by Career Vision. Listen to the full episode below.

Coincidentally, Michael grew up in Lake Zurich and his parents actually live behind Lago on the lake at The Sanctuary. Below are some photos from his recent visit to Lago with his family.

• The Chianti Americano was a fantastic recommendation for a whiskey lover like Michael Piff. Photo: Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Fresh whipped ricotta bruschetta. Photo: Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• House rolls with honey butter. Photo: Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Dry-aged bone-in rib eye. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Some of the best truffle parmesan fries Michael’s ever tried. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Italian roasted creamy street corn. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio
• Michael’s wife, Amy, and a wine glass filled with delicious tiramisu. Photo by Michael Piff / WGN Radio

You can follow Chef Fabio on Facebook and Instagram, and Lago in Lake Zurich on Facebook and Instagram as well.

Stay updated on the Pizza Madness Tournament and all things Chicago food by subscribing 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.

With the 2024 Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament (sponsored by Career Vision) underway, John Williams was joined by Chicago’s Very Own Eats co-host and WGN Radio “bracketologist” Michael Piff on Monday to discuss the details for listeners to vote. To kick off the tournament properly, John also spoke with Courtney Miller, general manager of the 2023 Chicago Pizza Madness champion, Georgio’s in Crystal Lake, and tried their pizza as well.

Voting for the Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament is taking place on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast page. Find and try as many of the competing pizza places here.

Stay updated on the Pizza Madness Tournament and all things Chicago food by subscribing 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.

The Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament is back and it’s sponsored by our friends at Career Vision!

In 2023, we had 64 Chicagoland area pizza places face off alongside College Basketball’s NCAA Tournament. After 4 weeks and 330,000 votes, Georgio’s of Crystal Lake was crowned the 2023 champion. This year, we asked the WGN Radio audience on Facebook who we should include in this year’s tournament. Over 1,000 responses later by Chicago area pizza lovers, Chicago’s Very Own Eats hosts Kevin Powell and Michael Piff were able to put together the 2024 edition of the bracket.

[UPDATE] The field has been expanded to 68 competitors with the “First Four” play-in round having already officially begun.

And just like last year, the bracket is broken out into four regions: City, North Suburbs, Local Chain and South/West Suburbs.

Listen below as Kevin and Michael share more details and discuss the matchups on the latest episode of the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast!

We know that there are so many more Chicago area pizza places that could have been included, and it was very difficult to keep it to just 68. Interested in trying some for the first time? We encourage you do and find them here.

Stay updated on the Pizza Madness Tournament and all things Chicago food by subscribing 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.

While Chicago prides itself on pizza and Italian beef, it’s also home to some of the best burger joints in the country. Chronicling Chicago’s best burgers is Samantha Esposito with her Chicago Burger Bible Instagram page and website.

(Samantha Esposito / Chicago Burger Bible)

Samantha joins Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast to talk about her favorite Chicago burgers, her journey from starting a blog to growing a following of 13,000 Chicago food lovers, becoming a 3-time judge of the Roscoe Village Burger Fest, how she’s not above a good chain burger, how she finds new burger places to try and much more.

Listen to the full episode below:

Kevin and Michael could have gone hours talking to Samantha about burgers, but they’d love to hear from you about yours. Tweet them at @KPowell720 and @Mike_Piff03. And you can see some of Michael’s favorites in his gallery posted back in 2022.

Stay updated on all things Chicago food by subscribing 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’s as “Chicago” as Italian Beef, deep dish and tavern style pizza? Giardiniera. And if you love giardiniera, there’s a home grown business with a recipe that tops Kevin Powell’s list of favorites.

Kevin and Michael Piff talk with Chicago Pepper Bros. owner Thomas Romano on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast. They talk about how Chicago Pepper Bros. began, how Tommy learned to make giardiniera, how he perfected his recipe, who has helped him along the way, and how you can buy your own jar of peppers. For more, go to ChicagoPepperBros.com and follow them on Instagram.

Because it’s almost Super Bowl week, Kevin and Michael discuss their plans for what their serving and having to eat during “The Big Game”. And they also have a special announcement regarding National Pizza Day and plans for the Pizza Madness Tournament. Listen for more below:

Stay updated on all things Chicago food by subscribing 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.