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Döner vs. Cag Kebab

Part 2 of my Turkish food exploration this week. Today I’m talking about döner vs. cağ kebab. The former is known around the world (aka gyros) as a vertical spit of lamb & beef. But few realize cağ was first – from Erzurum in Northeastern Turkey – as a horizontal stack of lamb only. Both … Continued

Eating Like a Local in Istanbul

Shortly after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey that killed some 50,000 people, I took a previously planned trip back to Istanbul I had been organizing for a few months. The area where the quakes were is about a two-hour flight from Istanbul, so I felt completely safe, but obviously there was a kind of PTSD … Continued

I’m Launching a Pizza Festival in Los Angeles

After almost a year of work (and dozens of slices), I’m excited to announce our second pizza festival, coming up in four months. Pizza City Fest: Los Angeles will bring together 40 of Southern California’s best pizzerias for a full weekend of pizza appreciation, education and giving back. Local pizza guru Noel Brohner and my … Continued

The Pizza Puff: A Chicago Original

The convenient fast food snack known as the Pizza Puff may be known to millions of hungry football fans, convenience store shoppers and itinerant snackers throughout the U.S., but few people know this self-contained, personal-sized panzerotti was created in Chicago in the 1970s.  Having grown up in Minnesota, I thought I knew what a Pizza … Continued

Two New Bakeries Get Creative During COVID

With the holidays approaching and most restaurants closed to indoor dining, bakeries seem to be opening at a frantic pace. This week, I visited two new spots in the city where creative pastry chefs are leading the way. Sugargoat 820 W. Randolph St. 312-667-0108 www.sugargoatsweets.com Brite Donuts & Baked Goods Available at Metric Coffee, 2021 W. … Continued