Food at Belly Bowl Asian Kitchen and Lounge in Bridgeport. (WTTW News)

The owners of Belly Bowl Asian Kitchen and Lounge experiment with different spices and flavors, offering a blend of cultures.

“The Polish Luther” paczki creation. (Credit: Jonathan Surratt)

The paczki many Polish Americans grew up eating, made with plum, rose or raspberry fillings, aren’t the only kind available these days. We take a look at the Fat Tuesday tradition. 

A restaurant worker is pictured in a file photo. (WTTW News)
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Under a new proposal introduced last week in Springfield, all tipped workers in the state would have to be paid the equivalent of the Illinois’ regular minimum wage through a combination of wages and tips. If the tips fall short, their employers would have to make up the difference.

Home baker Agnieszka “Agnes” Hurtado whips up hundreds of paczki every year. (Nicole Cardos / WTTW News)

Paczki are fried Polish donuts filled with jam. Residents across Chicago and the Midwest celebrate the donut every year on Fat Tuesday, better known to some as “Paczki Day.”

La Josie in the West Loop serves modern Mexican cuisine. (Emily Soto / WTTW News)

Chicago Restaurant Week is dishing out examples of the city’s diverse and delicious culinary scene. The 17-day celebration invites diners to get out and try new eateries, with specialized menus at more than 400 restaurants across the city.

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A group of Illinois lawmakers have a proposal that would ban a handful of common additives in food made and sold in Illinois starting in 2027. California last year became the first state to ban the substances that are common in mass-produced and ultra-processed cereals, candies, salad dressings and sodas.

Inside of the snacking panning room of Mars’ new research facility on Goose Island. (Courtesy of Mars)

The 44,000-square-foot, $42 million facility will be dedicated to chocolate and nut testing and research, according to a company press release.

A dish at 14 Parish in Hyde Park. (WTTW News)

Chicago Restaurant Week kicks off Friday. But don’t be fooled by the annual event’s name — it’s actually a 17-day celebration of the city’s diverse and delicious culinary scene.

“Mocktails & More” event hosted by Chicago AF in partnership with the Morton Arboretum on July 21, 2023. (Courtesy Kate Scott)

In recent years, more bars and restaurants in Chicago have begun offering nonalcoholic beers, wines and cocktails. Alcohol-free bars and bottle shops in the city are other options for those who choose not to drink alcohol.

(Credit: Ferrara Candy Shop)

The iconic gum, which has been sold since the 1960s, came in five flavors: Wet n’ Wild Melon, Cherry, Lemon, Orange and Peach. Each pack came with a temporary tattoo of its mascot, Yipes the Zebra.

The labels from Funkytown Brewery pay tribute to Black cultural influences. (WTTW News)

Funkytown’s beers can be found at more than 100 locations around the Chicago area. It was their pale ale called Hip Hops and R&Brew that kick-started the trio into the craft beer industry.

(Gonzalo Guzmán García / Pexels)

“Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices” host Joanna Hernandez went out to ask people to share what they enjoy about this time of year.

Daniel Regueira, Chicago Cane Cooperative co-founder, is pictured in May 2023. (Erica Gunderson / WTTW News)

A recent accident gave local rum distillery Chicago Cane Cooperative a big challenge just months after starting. But the owners of the business are moving forward with their big plans.

WTTW News stopped by Big Mich, a family-owned company that specializes in house-made micheladas and is now making chamoy at its Willowbrook headquarters. There’s an original lime flavor, plus strawberry and mango.

 A McDonald’s golden arches is shown at restaurant in Havertown, Pa., Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (AP Photo / Matt Rourke)

Ahead of a day-long event for investors, the Chicago burger giant said Wednesday that it aims to have 50,000 restaurants in operation worldwide by the end of 2027. McDonald’s had 40,275 restaurants at the start of this year.

Voodoo is known for its exuberant doughnuts, including the namesake Voodoo Doughnut (top). (Courtesy of Voodoo Doughnut)

Voodoo Doughnut has announced a Dec. 16, 8 a.m., opening date for its Fulton Market shop at 945 W. Randolph St.