Pleasant House Bakery on the South Side of Chicago embodies the entire farm-to-table ethos… within a few, very urban, square blocks of Chicago. (8:40)

This was my film for the 2nd Chicago Food Film Festival, shown on opening night with chef-owner Art jackson (and everybody who was in it except Eric the bartender) in the house. Always great to have the chance to see one of my videos with an audience, and also great to continue the story of Art’s dedication to local eating and farm to table cuisine, as seen in this long-ago Sky Full of Bacon video, which in turn owes its origins to Art’s comment on my very first video here on my blog. So remember— commenting is the first step to stardom!

P.S. I actually had a second video shown on Sunday, though it’s actually just a cutdown of one you’ve presumably seen, put together to go with some of Rob Levitt’s food at the festival. And check out my pictures of the festival with links to many of the other films at Grub Street.

The challenge came out a little differently this time but still interesting… instead of using the ingredient, Ariel Bagadiong of Aja makes it. It’s the legendary Scottish offal food, haggis, and the article is here.

Meanwhile, I’ll have two films in the 2nd Chicago Food Film Festival this weekend; here the festival director and producer talk about it (and show a clip from one of my two) on Ch. 7. Dolinsky, I’m invading your turf!

Honestly, this is the first one where I ever left my grossest shot out, just because I couldn’t take it. I did eat it though; it wasn’t that bad. The ingredient is balut, and if you don’t know what that is, well, you’re about to find out. The article is here.

Not that all of these aren’t interesting to do, but I always especially enjoy when it gets me into the kitchen of a place I’ve liked but don’t know anybody at and wouldn’t normally get a chance to see. And that’s what this week’s Key Ingredient did, as we shot with Edward Kim of Ruxbin (which I reviewed here and here).

Meanwhile, look what’s in CS (Chicago Social) this month:

Yikes! There’s a first. I might have felt a little abashed about making such a claim (which, if I did exactly, is somewhere in this) before going to Next, but now that I’ve been, as admirable as it was as an experience, I’m sticking with Virant, who continues to be the guy who makes the food that hits me closest to dead center.