This week on Chewing, Monica and Louisa report back from the James Beard Awards. Monica talks to Outstanding Chef winner Michael Rafidi, Best Chef: Great Lakes winner Hajime Sato, and Lifetime Achievement Award winner Ruth Reichl. Then, Monica chats with Capriole Goat Cheese founder Judy Schad and Prairie Grass Cafe chef and co-owner Sarah Stegner.…

We survived. Not the battle. High school, er, the podcast! After recapping all seven seasons of this incredible show, Prophecy Girls is closing this chapter. We’ll be moving on to Los Angeles to check in with bae later this year. Before we go on our break, though, it’s time to look back at this entire show. Hear us discuss… We rank the seasons and …

Hear ye, hear ye, all rise for the Honourable Judges Chow and Babcock: court is now in session. The defendant: Spike, aka William the Bloody, once vampire menace and now vampire with a soul. The charges? Everything from aiding and abetting apocalypses to perversion and pooping. Hear us discuss… Does seeking out a soul change anything about Spike’s …

The Ultimate Evil. A vampire with a soul. A vampyre with a Y. A final season of Buffy that’s all about power. She has it, and she decides to share. Join Steph and Kara one last time as they discuss the last season of this amazing show. Hear us discuss… Best episodes of the season Does the First measure up as a Big Bad? How Kara would have ended it …

Reinvigorated by a VIP’s visit, Buffy elects to take the battle to the First. She concocts a plan to use the scythe and Willow’s magic to level the playing field for good. Scoobies, Potentials, and allies assemble one last time in this series finale. Hear us discuss… Angel’s versus Spike’s role in the finale The First, like so many Big Bads, just c…

Buffy rallies against Caleb and the First and rejoins the Scoobies and potentials. As Giles and Willow seek the origins of the scythe Buffy has acquired, everyone else prepares for the final battle. They know it’s coming, and they know not everyone will make it out alive. Hear us discuss… Rise of the flippity-dos part 2 & return of the research gir…

An exiled Buffy seeks solace from a surprised Spike. Back at the Summers residence, Faith rallies the army for an assault on an arsenal. Everyone is very horny. Hear us discuss… We enjoyed this glimpse of Faith as “the boss” and wish for more! OK, Spike, you get this one night, but don’t get any ideas Where are the Potentials during the 3 hookups, …

Still reeling from their losses at the vineyard, Buffy and the Scoobies try to find a moment to breathe. Yet the First and Caleb don’t want to give them that luxury. When Buffy resolves on another risky plan of attack, she encounters unexpected resistance. Andrew and Spike go on a road trip together. Hear us discuss… Giles is suddenly OK with Willo…

Move over, Spike: there’s a new King of Misogyny in town. His name is Caleb, and he has a message for the slayer. Buffy must decide whether or not to risk the Potentials while also dealing with the arrival of another “old friend” in town. Hear us discuss… Hopefully Faith and Willow didn’t compare notes about their redemption arcs. Awkward. Faith an…

Seeking revenge for his mother’s murder, Robin Wood cahoots with Giles to distract Buffy so he can take down Spike. He assembles a killer playlist and sets Spike off on a series of flashbacks to his earliest days as William the Bloody. Will Buffy choose to turn an ally into an enemy over an enemy turned ally? Special guest Ryan B Talks TV joins us …

This week on Chewing, Monica recaps her Chicago adventures in beef, beer, bowls, and baseball. Then, she tastes fake fish and talks to Aqua Cultured Foods co-founder and CGO Brittany Chibe! Lastly, Louisa dares Monica & Iris to eat black jello from Costco and dares our dogs to eat treats from José Andrés! chewing.xyz chicagotribune.com/chewingpodca…

Come with us, gentle listeners, as recount for you the deeds of Andrew, Teller of Storyes. Sooth, if ever there was a noble scribe of a Slayer of Vampyre, ‘twas he. Middling of stature and dirty blond of hair, Andrew, Teller of Storyes, courageously chronicled the Hellmouth’s endest of days. Real-life Teller of Storyes Kendare Blake joins us to hel…

Between all your hot (s)takes and all our hot guests this season, we can’t keep up! To give your opinions the time they deserve, we’ve saved up some to share in this bonus episode of Sunnymail. Hear us discuss… Slayer lore and the slayer line Buffy’s leadership style Dawnterelle has more talent in her little finger than Xander has in his whole body…

Now aware of Robin Wood’s literal slayer provenance, Buffy shows him the operation: secret hideout, army of potentials, and of course, the big board. In return, Robin gives her a bag. Inside the bag is a box. Inside the box are shadow puppets. Will these figures hold the answer? No, they’re just more men telling Buffy how to be the slayer. Sarah an…

S7E14: “First Date” (feat. Lily Anderson) Buffy and Xander each have a first date. Buffy goes to dinner with Principal Wood, who is finally prepared to reveal startling details about his past. Xander picks up Ashanti at a hardware store. Only one of these two dates ends up with someone suspended above the hellmouth. Meanwhile, the First tries to ma…

Giles takes the potentials out to the desert to meet Sineya and Cougar. Buffy stays behind because Spike is being a simp. Kennedy also stays behind, hoping to canoodle with Willow, but this leads to unintended side effects. Hear us discuss… Dawn, Anya, and Xander are the best part of this episode Buffy should have just emailed Sam Did Amy learn not…

Buffy’s School for Slayers is in session, and you either graduate or you die. So, like regular school in Sunnydale. After a spell reveals Dawn has a destiny, she wrestles with the implications. But when Amanda shows up with a problem and Buffy isn’t available, Dawn has to step into her sister’s shoes sooner than expected. Hear us discuss… What we t…

No, this is not the dinner theatre sequel to last season’s musical. Instead, Buffy concocts a plan to take on the Turok Han while also showing the potentials what it means to be the slayer. It remains to be seen whether she can do this before Spike expires at the hands of the First’s minions. Hear us discuss… Familiar faces among the new potentials…

What if Buffy had been produced on the CW instead of its predecessor, the WB? Someone decided to find out, and The Vampire Diaries is the result. Steph and Kara watched the first two episodes of the series together, followed by a 50-minute recap of the entire eight seasons, and they have THOUGHTS. Watch @joshdfloyd’s incredibly detailed recap over …

Buffy has put a name to the faces Spike has been seeing: the First Evil is behind everything. But what is it, and how can they stop it? Just in time, Daddy Giles arrives, bringing with him three new stepdaughters and a grave warning. The First won’t stop until the slayer and every girl who could be a slayer is dead. Hear us discuss… Accents are con…

With more questions than answers, the Scoobies turn to research and interrogation. Willow runs into Andrew and, after a brief showdown, he joins Spike in the blonde male bondage club at the Summers residence. Just when it feels like they might make progress, the forces of darkness launch their most daring attack yet. Hear us discuss… If the princip…

After the revelation of her vampire therapist, Buffy swaps her stake for a stake-out—of Spike. She tails him and confronts him about her suspicions that he is feeding off humans again. At first, Spike protests his innocence and reminds her of his new soul. Yet as the evidence mounts, no one, not even Aimee Mann, is prepared for the truth. The hosts…

This week, Monica and Louisa talk about mole, French food, and corned beef. First, Monica talks to veteran chef Geno Bahena who’s now cooking at Manchamanteles. Then, Monica talks to Emil Stefkov, founder of La Grande Boucherie, which claims it’s the biggest restaurant in Chicago. Finally, Louisa reveals details on the corned beef sandwich at John’…

Date: November 12, 2002. Time: 8:01 pm. Location: A cemetery. The Summers house. The UC Sunnydale library. Buffy thought vampires were bad enough when they wanted to kill her. Now she’s got one psychoanalyzing her. Dawn’s marshmallow microwave fun is interrupted when she starts to hear her mom’s voice. Willow’s late-night study session is derailed …

Razorbacks, Razorbacks, we’re gonna play! We got a secret weapon, and his name is RJ! He’s so dreamy; he’s so cool. He’s OURS, and you can’t have it. Neither can Buffy, or Willow, or Anya, or even Dawn. Hands off our RJ. Hear us discuss… Buffy, RJ would be a better roommate for Xander than Spike Who looks better in a letterman jacket (it’s RJ) Dawn…

Anya starts to question if she still wants to be evil. She experiences flashbacks showing how she got to this point. When Buffy learns about Anya’s latest trip across the line, she decides it’s time for the slayer to intervene. Xander is suddenly less interested in Buffy kicking someone’s ass when it’s his former-lover-turned-murderer doing the sla…

Cassie, a student at Sunnydale High, confides in Buffy that she has foreseen her own death. Everyone has a theory: Dawn blames Baby Mitch, Buffy and Xander shake down a deadbeat dad, and Anya would likely say it’s bunnies, but no one asked her. Hear us discuss… Missed opportunities to process Willow’s grief Nice to see the gang back together doing …

Willow returns to Sunnydale, unsure of what reception awaits. She finds … nothing. No one waits for her. The Scoobies are equally perplexed when Willow doesn’t arrive. When a flayed youth is found on Xander’s watch, Willow becomes the prime suspect before quickly becoming the prime prey. Hear us discus… Dawn’s sass levels are over 9000 Willow shoul…

A disturbing, subterranean monster besets a young woman. But enough about Spike. When Xander runs into a woman running for her life after something ate her dog, the trail leads the Scoobies to none other than his ex. Anya is firmly back in the vengeance demon camp, even if that puts her in the slayer’s sights. Hear us discuss… Principal Wood is a R…

Buffy, Dawn, and Xander are all attending the opening of Sunnydale High, and that’s not the only thing coming back from the dead. Has a summer of training by her slayer sister prepared Dawn for her greatest challenge yet? Is the new principal friend or foe? Will someone please take Spike to a hair salon? Hear us discuss… Daddy Giles IS ON A HORSIE …

This week, Monica and Louisa talk about the next gen of chefs and King Cake season. Monica interviews chef Erling Wu-Bower who just opened Maxwell Trading, plus chef and TikTok star Jacob Potashnick who’s planning to open Feld in Chicago. Then, Louisa gives us the rundown on Roscas, and what she's hoping for King Cake season. chewing.xyz chicagotri…

Buffy the Vampire Slayer has rightfully garnered a sustained, international following of devoted fans. Within any such community, there can be a lot of love, as well as toxicity and harm. Is the Buffy fandom OK? It’s back-to-back trials as the Prophecy Girls weigh the evidence against the fandom itself. Ian Carlos Crawford of Slayerfest ’98 joins a…

Hear ye, hear ye, all rise for the Honourable Judges Chow and Babcock: court is now in session. The defendant: Willow Rosenberg, once a model student, friend, and Wicca, now Sunnydale’s most wanted. The charges? Everything from wanton destruction of a yellow crayon to near-destruction of the world. Hear us discuss… What is Willow’s worst crime and …

This week, Monica and Louisa talk about the holidays, health, and drinks! Monica interviews Zooey Deschanel about her health app. Monica attends the 90th anniversary party for Malört and talks to our pal and James Beard award winning writer and pop-up maestro Mike Sula about his secret homemade drink made with wormwood. Finally, Louisa shares her e…

An unexpected resurrection. An unchecked addiction. An unhealthy obsession. An unwelcome advance. An unworthy death. Season 6: the hits just kept coming. We review the season in its entirety. Hear us discuss… The best episodes of this bad season Did the writers go too far? Missed opportunities with Xander and Anya Why we critique from a 21st-centur…