ENCORE: Cooking With Cannabis; Midwest Food Road Trips; Writing About Black Food in Chicago

Recreational marijuana will become legal in Illinois on January 1st. But there’s already a whole world of edibles that includes chefs, writers, and manufacturers. Plus, have you gone on that summer road trip yet? Because there are great food destinations that aren’t too far from Illinois. And, during the month of June, the Chicago Tribune put the spotlight on Black food and culture on the city’s South Side.

Earlier this year, our state government legalized recreational marijuana in Illinois. It becomes legal on January 1st, and it could lead to many changes in Illinois’ economy and criminal justice system.

Of course, recreational marijuana is already legal in ten other states and Washington, D.C. And medical marijuana is legal in even more places. So the question is often not if you can use it, but how. 

And for many people the answer to that question is eating it. But edible pot has come a long way from brownies and cookies. There’s a whole industry of gourmet cooks and manufacturers dedicated to making restaurant-quality food, that also happens to also be dosed with drugs. 

Two people in Illinois are at the center of this movement. Mindy Segal is a James Beard Award-Winning Pastry Chef and the owner of Hot Chocolate in Chicago. She’s also the creator of Mindy’s Edibles. Joline Rivera is the founder of Kitchen Toke, a national magazine based in Chicago that is devoted to cooking with cannabis. 

We spoke with both of them back in April. 

Plus- 

When it comes to deciding where to go on a road trip, maybe you are looking for scenery or historic sites? But if you’re like me it’s less about where you go than where you’ll eat! And lucky for us, there are a ton of fabulous food spots within a few hours drive from Illinois. 

Chicago Magazine captured some of their favorite dining and driving destinations in its May issue. Carrie Schedler is the magazine’s dining editor. Jeff Ruby is a dining critic. And John Kessler is a food writer. We spoke with all three of them on the show earlier this year. 

And- 

Chicago is one of the top dining destinations in the entire country. But when it comes to how we write about and talk about food there, which restaurants get the recognition? 

For the whole month of June, the Chicago Tribune put the spotlight on Black food and culture, specifically on Chicago’s South Side. They featured more than a dozen South Side establishments, new and old, and sharing all of their favorites.

But the series tackled than just food. It also took a look at the history, traditions and culture that has shaped the people and places they visit. 

Sadé Carpenter is the paper’s deputy food and dining editor. We spoke with her back in June when she wrote about her own personal connection to the South Side.