Chewing

Louisa Chu, Monica Eng

Booking Overview

A food and health interview show focused on Chicago dining, culinary culture, restaurants, food entrepreneurship, cookbooks, and food systems, it regularly features chefs, restaurateurs, food business founders, cookbook authors, advocates, and culinary scholars. PR agencies could credibly pitch accomplished food professionals, restaurant founders, cookbook authors, sustainable-food experts, and culturally distinctive culinary entrepreneurs; booking difficulty is medium because the show mixes accessible local operators with established award-winning figures.

Metrics

Episodes: 100

Frequency: Irregular

Rating: 4.6/5.0

Estimated listeners: 1k-10k

Gender skew: Unknown

Location: USA

Contact Information

Publicly listed emails

chewingpodcast@gmail.com

meng@wbez.org

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Host

Louisa Chu - Chicago Tribune food critic covering restaurants, dining, and culinary culture.

Monica Eng - Axios Chicago reporter covering food, restaurants, and Chicago culture.

Booking Intelligence

Booking Requirements

medium

Typical Credentials:

Chefs, restaurant owners and founders, cookbook authors, food journalists, culinary historians, sustainable-food specialists, and distinctive food entrepreneurs with a strong Chicago connection or a compelling food story.

Required Achievements:

Operating or founding a notable restaurant or food business, Writing a cookbook or recognized food book, Receiving a James Beard Award or nomination, Developing an innovative food, farming, or hospitality model, Building a distinctive culinary brand or community-oriented food initiative

Recent Guest Discussions

Russell Steinberg - Farming In Vacant Urban Office Buildings And Innovative Food Production.

Pati Jinich - Mexican Cuisine, Cooking, And Culinary Culture.

Hailee Catalano - Award-winning Culinary Work And Food Culture.

Ahmed Ali Akbar - Food Journalism And Culinary Culture.

Nathan Thornburgh - Food Media, Culinary Travel, And Award-winning Food Storytelling.

Recent Topics

Food, Food Culture, Restaurants, Cookbooks, Sustainable Agriculture

Episodes

Here's the recent few episodes on

Chewing

Episode 139: Salad Safety, Award Winners, and Office Farming

September 07, 2026

This week on Chewing, we talk salad safety, award winners, and office farming! First, Monica talks to James Beard Award winners including Roads & Kingdoms co-founder Nathan Thornburgh, Louisa's former colleague Ahmed Ali Akbar, Hailee Catalano, and Pati Jinich. Monica also chats with Russell Steinberg of Farm Zero who's farming in vacant office buildings in downtown Chicago! And finally, will Monica eat Colombian chicken chop suey on a patacon? chewing.xyz chicagotribune.com/chewingp...

Episode 138: Lunar New Year Eats and Treats

February 09, 2026

This week on Chewing, we talk about Lunar New Year eats and treats. Monica goes to Crumbs.nd.Creams and talks to the co-owners of Chicago's home of Sylvanas, the Filipino frozen sandwich cookie. Then, Monica talks with founders of Every Body Eat, allergen free snacks and then dares Louisa and Iris to taste some of the so-called "clean crackers," but will they eat it?

Episode 137: Markets, Chaos and Scoby Snax

September 15, 2025

This week on Chewing, we talk about markets, chaos and scoby snax! Monica does a ride along with Blue Hill at Stone Barns chef Dan Barber to talk about his Row 7 Seed Company, and makes a trip to the farmers market. Ecologist Mark Easter tells us about his James Beard nominated book The Blue Plate: A Food Lover's Guide to Climate Chaos, along with more Beard nominees including chef and filmmaker Art Smith! Finally, Monica dares her family to try fungi cold cuts, and double dares Iris and Lou...

Publicly listed emails

chewingpodcast@gmail.com

meng@wbez.org

Looking for the right person? Join Podseeker to find direct host and producer contacts and manage your podcast outreach.

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