Joiners

This week, we're joined by a man whose bombastic diction is matched only by a glut of talent and good taste. Won Kim is a DJ, artist, and chef whose raw curiosity and passion for collaboration has brought about some, well, extremely cool shit. Join us for a conversation about the hustle, the importance of good communication, amplifying pop-ups, and so much more. Plus — a shocking secret affinity is revealed.

With is/was brewing, this week's guest is flipping the script on craft brewing, expanding its scope while honoring its heritage with less-conventional beer styles, all composed with impeccable care and razor-sharp technical savvy. Mike Schallau joins us to share his journey, from playing jazz guitar in college to crafting some of the city's best artisanal beer. And what do you know, he brought some of those beers along to share with us. We go deep in this episode, discussing open top fermentation, the history of beer for kids, the evolution of flavor and taste buds, and as always, so much more.

Funeral Potatoes is composed of Eve Studnička and Alexis Rice -- they're industry veterans from the catering world who opened a virtual kitchen during the pandemic, and now they’re transitioning into a full-on brick and mortar. Today, we're talking with Eve, who walks us through their origin story, shining a light on some of the more unconventional sides of hospitality in our city that are really well embraced. We're talking about how they chose their fantastic name,  drawing a vibrant cross-section of society when putting on an underground dining series, bread storage techniques, and so much more. Make sure you stay till the end for morel-hunting tips, too.

We also wanted to shout out the Funeral Potatoes fundraiser -- they're trying to raise $60k by January 1st of next year to help cushion the startup costs of opening a physical location, and their monthly goal grows every month. Stop by and offer them some generosity -- you won't regret it. 

Don’t let this week’s guest’s low-key demeanor fool you — she is a creative powerhouse behind Hogsalt, a restaurant group known for their impeccable design and commitment to quality, and her work speaks for itself. On the precipice of their first (okay, technically second) foray into Paris, co-founder and beverage specialist Jean Tomaro joins us to chat the concept-to-implementation process, the importance of feedback, cardboard stand-ins, and the magnificence of the Vesper Martini. We also debate whether Small Cheval qualifies as a fast food joint — the results of which could spell major consequences for future Gratuity Rounds.

You might notice that this week's guest is a bit... untethered (in the best possible way). Though he might not be tied to any particular concept, or restaurant, or project, when we talk about the "colorful characters" in our intro, our guest is exactly the kind of person we're referring to. He harbors a vast quantity of knowledge about various foods -- and beyond that, he's an enthusiast who truly loves immersing himself in cuisine and culture, in the intrinsic experience and community-making of good hospitality. Pull up a chair and join us for a round of drinks, legend telling, and genuine cheer with the good man Rob Lopata. We're talking The Urinator (#1 and #2), food fandom in 80s and 90s Chicago, the Beef-a-thon, the Wasabi incident, and so much more. All hail Pigman!

This week, we're thrilled to be joined by a man who takes no shortcuts and leaves no stone unturned: the Ramen_Lord himself, Mike Satinover. A true enthusiast and champion for the Japanese culinary staple, he got his start sharing recipes and musings on Reddit, and has grown his personal brand and knowledge to impressive heights. His passion culminates in the imminent opening of his own restaurant, Akohashi, in a few months, and we couldn’t be more excited. Listen in to learn about the best off-the-rack noodle (and where to find it), ramen-adjacent dishes in Japanese cuisine, why alkaline agents are essential to the process, and so much more.  

This week, we welcome one of Danny’s mentors to the studio for a special conversation with a man who embodies the true spirit of generous hospitality.   He helped spur Chicago’s cocktail revolution with forward thinking and graceful grit at The Whistler, and gave us one of the city’s best tiki bars with the opening of Lost Lake in 2017. We are lucky to have renowned bartender, cocktail champion, and our truly stand-up pal Paul McGee in the Joiners studio. We talk the intricacies of measuring baby feet in Houston, monitoring booze pump rooms in Vegas, rare bottles, and more. Plus: Danny reminisces about the good ol' days learning from Paul at the Whistler, and Tim tells us about spanking mint before a Super Bowl party. 

Our guest this week wears a lot of hats. As the founder and creative director of Good Beer Hunting, he's fostering a worldwide conversation and community around the ubiquitous brewed beverage and helping breweries of all shapes and sizes thrive. He also founded Feel Goods Company, a full-definition beverage development studio innovating on the always-evolving world of drinking. That's right: brand guru, creative visionary, and poet Michael Kiser saunters into the Joiners studio to tell us about what drew him to beer, apple products (the actual fruit), what's hip and happening in the beverage industry, and so much more.

We can say with absolute confidence that this week's guest is the most famous butcher in all of Chicagoland. Luckily for us, he's also an affable mensch and an extremely pleasant hang. After studying jazz at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Rob Levitt found his true passion in the culinary arts, and decided to trade his tenor saxophone for an even-more-cutting arsenal of meat-rendering implements. These days, he works for One Off Hospitality as the head butcher and lead at Publican Quality Meats. Our conversation spans pork belly injuries, the fundamental differences between Italian salumi and French charcuterie, meeting his wife Allie at the CIA, and he helps us get to the bottom of Tim's questionably pink chicken breast.

Our guest this week cut her culinary teeth at her parents’ restaurants, where she witnessed firsthand what it takes to run a successful operation, and Oaxaca’s Seasons of the Heart Culinary school, where she opted to go instead of Paris. This devotion to heritage, augmented by an almost mystical creative approach, has helped her find success as the chef-owner of Logan Square’s lauded Mi Tocaya Antojería. Chef Diana Dávila joins us for a captivating conversation that covers her years at Butter and beyond, enticing Mexican dishes that are new to us, and where dreams and cooking intertwine.