The Windy City Hot Dog Fest kicks off food festival season in Chicago with Byron’s Hot Dogs

The podcast that brought you the Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament, Best Beef Tournament and Best Burgers Tournament finally brings you its first Hot Dogs Tournament, sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company. Kevin Powell and Michael Piff discuss all the details on the latest episode of Chicago’s Very Own Eats. Voting will begin Monday, June 1st, […]

Chicago’s Very Own Eats podcast co-host Mike Piff joins Wendy Snyder, in for Bob Sirott, to preview ‘Chicagoland’s Best Hot Dogs Tournament,’ sponsored by The Puckered Pickle Company, which kicks off June 1st. There will be 64 mom-and-pop shops across the area that will battle for the top spot! Mike asks listeners for their recommendations on […]

One of the best things about Chicago in the spring and summer is food festival season, and it officially starts with the fifth annual Windy City Hot Dog Fest from May 29th to May 31st. It’s organized by the Six Corners Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by Vienna Beef, and takes place at 4000 N. Milwaukee […]

Jim Photopoulos opened the original Photo’s Hotdogs in Mount Prospect back in 1989 and that was WGN Radio sports anchor Kevin Powell’s stomping grounds when he was growing up. While Photo’s isn’t in Mount Prospect anymore, the location in Palatine is thriving on Northwest Highway, and giving back to the community that it helps bring […]

Sweet Baby Ray’s started in Chicago with Duce Raymond’s father, Chef Larry Raymond, and uncle, Dave Raymond – the creators of Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce. Great barbecue sauce is in his blood, and as an accomplished, award-winning chef, Duce is carrying his family’s legacy into a new era with Sweet Baby Ray’s Catering, Duce’s Wild BBQ […]

In 2014, Anas Masoud had an idea to create a club for Chicago area burger lovers to connect, try and talk about their favorite burgers. As he puts it, “life happened” and the idea was put on the backburner. Fast forward to today, and Nas has brought his Windy City Burger Social Club to life […]

Since 2017, Roaring Table in Lake Zurich has been brewing some of the best beer in the greater Chicagoland area. And in the last year, they have been serving some of the best pizza too. Founders and husband-wife duo Lane Fearing and Beth May joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own […]

Our 2026 Chicago Pizza Madness Tournament, sponsored by Chicago Brick Oven, started with 128 pizza places in our “Mom & Pops” bracket. The one to come out on top was Bartolini’s of Midlothian! A day after winning our month-long tournament, owner Chris Bartolini joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on the Chicago’s Very Own Eats […]

After 4 weeks of voting on 160 Chicago pizza places, 128 Mom & Pops and 32 Local Chains, the polls are closed and we have our 2026 Chicago Pizza Madness Champions. Chicago’s Very Own Eats co-host and WGN Radio bracketologist Michael Piff joined John Williams and Andy Masur to announce and call the winners. Listen […]

Billy Bricks CEO Ric Gruber has been busy. With seven Billy Bricks Pizza locations and a mobile fleet of pizza and ice cream trucks, he’s bringing his Moo Joe’s ice cream to Evanston in the beloved Parlor on Central (2002 Central Street). Ric joined Kevin Powell and Michael Piff on Chicago’s Very Own Eats to […]