• Chefs on growing their own produce: difficult, unpredictable, totally worth it. [Sun-Times]
• Lisa Donovan discovers Robert Wolke’s 2002 What Einstein Told His Cook, and learns that her tomato sauce is secretly a battery. [Sun-Times]
• Lake Forest residents Bobbie and Roland Vogel, married for 54 years and with a combined age of 150, graduate from culinary school and start a catering business: “It’s like ‘bring it on,’ ” [Bobbie] said. “I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up.” [Sun-Times]
• The small plates juggernaut continues, with a new cookbook from Tony and Cathy Mantuano (Tony’s the chef-partner at Spiaggia). Wine Bar Food deals with Mediterranean bites, plus pairings. [Tribune]
• Bill Daley encourages you to try fish sauce in home cooking. (For the record, we completely agree.) [Tribune]
• Turns out kids love their veggies, but moms (why don’t they ever interview dads for this?) just don’t buy them the kinds they like. [Tribune]
• Brazil’s vintners are working hard to break into the top ranks of Latin American wineries, and acknowledge it’s an uphill battle. [NewCity]
[Photo: Boy and cooked vegetables, via dabasir’s Flickr]
