There is a Renaissance of donut making. So Steve and Rick head to Firecakes Donuts to taste the new generation of fried dough delicacies. 

Steve and Rick, talk to Rebecca Flint Marx, the Food Editor at San Francisco Magazine, about the state of food and dining in the Bay Area. Then, Steve and Rick discuss up-and-coming, trendy and surprising, off the beaten path restaurants in Chicago's ever blossoming food scene.

Steve tours Barcelona to enjoy the versatility of Catalonian cuisine, specifically seafood with El Mundo food writer Xavier Agullo. Back in the Studio, Steve and Rick partake in some imported Spanish seafood from a local Chicago vendor, Donostia Foods.

Steve goes down under the Green Door Tavern on Chicago’s River North neighborhood to a legitimate speakeasy, The Drifter and speaks with owner Annemarie Sagoi about aperitifs. Then, back in the studio, Steve and Rick share some of their favorite aperitifs as an opener.

Steve travels to the northwest side of Chicago, along Lawrence Ave., to taste the perfect sandwich, which merges Vietnamese and French flavors for a final bite of a Banh Mi at Nhu Lan Bakery. Back in the studio, Steve and Rick discuss the elements of a Banh Mi and address Chicago's chef shortage.

From vacant lots to roof tops, urban gardens are providing fresh produce to area restaurants. This week on The Feed Podcast, we explore those rich gardens of Chicago and how they are blossoming throughout the neighborhoods. Then Rick makes one of the best salads I've ever had from greens in his garden. No Ranch dressing please!

This week our chef challenge is a bit different.  Usually we select one seasonal ingredient in which Rick and the guest chef create a meal around in 15 minutes.  This week we are on location at Chicago's Green City Market.   Sarah Stegner, of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, Illinois, first joins Rick to each search for 5 ingredients at the market to make something special.  Then they both head back to the test kitchen to work their magic.  And let me tell you, those dishes were delicious!

Cuba has been in the news lately with the U.S. reopening an embassy there.  Steve Dolinsky is just back from Havana and brings us a taste of the food and drink of the island to see how it has been translated in the United States.  Then Rick takes one of the prized ingredients of Cuba, plantains, coming up with a super easy way you can enjoy them at home.

Rick heads to the mecca of bourbon, the Maker's Mark Distillery.  From distillation to aging in the barrel, he is joined by Roy Lee Wigginton for a tasting at each step in the process.

Rick travels to Mérida,Yucatán to talk with David Sterling, founder of Los Dos, the first school in Mexico devoted exclusively to the tastes and traditions of Yucatan.  His debut effort Yucatán: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition received a James Beard Award this year.  They speak about the cuisine of the region and the years long expedition he took to write it.