Who: Greg Laketek of West Loop Salumi
What: Salumi
Where: Chicago, IL

Greg Laketek grew up spending his summers in northern Italy surrounded by family, beautiful scenery and all the other things that make you wonder why you haven’t packed your bags and played out your own version of Under the Tuscan Sun. “My grandfather would take me around to his friends’ farms where they would make salumi, cheese, bread, wine — that’s what I remember growing up.”

Greg’s appreciation for food began early during those family summers, but during the rest of the year he was back in the Midwest. After graduating from Kansas University with a business degree and starting a consulting company the restlessness set in. He enrolled in culinary school, graduated, but still wasn’t sure what his his next step was. One night while out with a friend, inspiration came to him at the bar (as it often does) while discussing Chicago’s lack of good salumi.

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We are getting into the days when hearty casseroles and warm cheesy things are starting to sound like a good idea again. My absolute favorite time of year. Put this casserole on your list — it’s a veggie-filled riff on baked mac ‘n’ cheese that doesn’t require a roux or even much prep at all, beyond cooking the pasta. It hits that sweet spot of comfort food that has enough redeeming nutritional qualities to justify having it both for dinner and lunch the next day.

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Do you have art in the kitchen? A photograph? A print? A little splash of color? We think that art absolutely belongs in the kitchen, but you don’t have to stick with traditional forms. Why not frame recipe cards, or hang kitchen hardware, or even find the beauty in tomato can labels?

Here are 12 ways to enjoy art in the kitchen, including those, and more!

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Chocolate chip cookies are like a hug in food form. It’s not hard to see why they’re one of the most popular types of cookies, with melting pockets of chocolate encased in buttery vanilla dough. Although they come in many forms — thin, crispy, cakey, dense — I have to say my favorite is chewy with a crisp edge and some toasted nuts (in this case, almonds) mixed in for an extra crunch.

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Everybody knows that pizza is the moving day meal of choice — pizza shops are everywhere, open continuously, deliver, you don’t need plates or silverware to eat it, and everyone loves pizza! But what about the first morning in your new place? If your boxes haven’t arrived yet or you just haven’t gotten around to unpacking (moving day was stressful enough!), you’ll need some basic-as-it-gets kitchen supplies so you don’t have to turn to takeout.

So what should you do? Make a box and designate it as your moving kitchen survival kit, fill it things you will need until your kitchen is unpacked and set up, and move it yourself so it doesn’t get lost in the moving day whirlwind. Here’s what to put inside!

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