My father taught me early the value of hard work.
We used to work on Saturday mornings, in the garage. He was delighted when I held a flashlight for him. Thrilled when I asked to swing a hammer.
Curious why — by the age of, say, 10 — kids in the States didn’t know how to change the oil on a truck. (He grew up in the Philippines.)
“Don’t be mañana habit,” he’d tell me.
Translation: never put off to tomorrow what you can do today.
Those words pretty much sum up one hell of an exhausting month here at InsideHook Chicago.
Last week, we published our guide to the season of love, fun and sunlight: 37 Things a Man’s Gotta Do This Summer.
It’s a good one, and exhaustive. I’m partial to the beer cocktail recipes, but I think you’ll particularly enjoy our Girl of Summer, Soren Buchanan — a yoga-lovin’ street-art enthusiast who also has a thing for beer and sausage.
She’s lovely.
But what really set the tone this month: the James Beard Awards. Here at InsideHook, we celebrated that black-tie bacchanalia of all things American and gustatory by creating a visual guide to every Chicago JBFA winner since 1991.
It was a doozy to build and we’re very pleased with the end product. Take some time with it.
And congrats to all the Chicago winners at this year’s JBAs, especially Rich Melman — who brought home a Lifetime Achievement Award. A conversation about Chicago’s culinary history without mention of Rich and Lettuce Entertain You is no conversation at all.
On a related note: we’re bringing the Great Steak Debate to Chicago for the first time later this month.
Venue: Melman’s own RPM Steak.
If you didn’t reserve a seat — tickets are, unfortunately, sold out. Surprise! Chicagoans love steak.
Which brings me back to my father. The dude loves steak, too.
Every Father’s Day, we hit a chophouse. And I get him something nice on the side.
You might wanna do the same by taking a gander at our Father’s Day Gift Guide.
Father’s Day is two weeks from now. That’s right around the corners, fellas.
Don’t be mañana habit.
See you out there,
Michael Nolledo
Chicago Editor
P.S. Comments? Complaints? Suggestions? Want to send me flowers? I’m all ears. michael@insidehook.com
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