SPOTLIGHT: Here are more Fast Foodie Facts, courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer and yours truly:
- The chocolate-chip cookie was actually invented before the chocolate chip. In the late 1930s, Ruth Graves Wakefield chopped up semi-sweet chocolate from a Nestle bar. However, the semi-sweet chunks didn’t melt like baker’s chocolate, but kept their general chunk shape—except that they got softer. Apparently, her guests loved them and the chocolate chip cookie was born. Nestle didn’t unveil dedicated chocolate chips until 1940.
- Lemonade was created sometime in the 1100s in Egypt, as a health tonic. A recipe for lemonade first appeared in the United States in 1824 in a cookbook entitled The Virginia House-Wife.
- The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle can be found in Collinsville, Illinois. While it’s actually a water tower, it could potentially hold some 640,000 bottles of catsup/ketchup.
- Years ago, the Diamond Fruitcake was unveiled. It contained 223 diamonds (totaling 170 carats) and was valued at $1.65 million to $1.7 million.
- Bad fad diets come and go, but arguably one of the worst was the “Sleeping Beauty” diet that relied on sedatives and sleep aids to keep the dieter asleep as much as possible. The premise was that if you’re sleeping, you’re not eating; instead, dieters ended up with metabolic issues and muscle loss.
—New kids on the block: Chicago chef Zubair Mohajir has been busy.
On July 1, he opened Muhājir—a deeply personal, wood-fire-driven restaurant inspired by migration, movement and the historic spice route—at 2630 N. Clark St. in Lincoln Park. And on July 8, will debut Bobo, which is described as a high-energy sister cocktail bar hidden inside Muhājir.
Named after the Arabic and Urdu word for “migrant” or “immigrant,” Muhājir is also tied directly to Chef Mohajir’s family name. The concept traces East-to-West culinary connections from Chennai, Tamil Nadu (where Mohajir’s family lineage begins) through the Middle East, North Africa, Sicily, Andalusia, Portugal and beyond.
Regarding food, one of Muhājir’s signature experiences will be a tableside duck presentation inspired by a 927-year-old Numidian recipe. Highlights will include an assortment of dips, papadums and grilled breads inspired by condiments from across the spice route; grilled fish on the half shell with black lime tea-infused bouillabaisse inspired by Basra; Bicol-style mussels with calamansi vinegar and Spanish roll; and beef cheek nihari with black garlic naan. The restaurant will also feature a mobile snack tray inspired by street food culture as well as desserts such as carrot halo-halo with carrot ice cream, tapioca, mysore pak (a South Indian sweet) and passionfruit.
Bobo’s cocktail menu will highlight Filipino and Southeast Asian ingredients such as calamansi, ube, pandan, coconut, rambutan, banana and lipote. Drinks will include Shibuya Meltdown, built around roasted banana syrup and toasted rice; Primary Colors, a bright, fruit-driven cocktail inspired by calamansi, lipote and rambutan; and Polishing Your Halo, a dessert-style drink featuring pandan, coconut and ube sorbet. Foods will include Bobo skewers and even complimentary late-night lumpia for guests who stay into the evening.
—Pit by pit: Windy City Smokeout, from Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, announced its full 2026 lineup of more than 20 local and national pitmasters. Returning for its 13th year outside of the iconic United Center, the festival will feature an all-star roster of nationally-acclaimed names and local favorites on July 8-12.
Some of the slated participants include Chicagoland pitmasters such as Bub City, Chef Art Smith’s Reunion, Smoque, Soul & Smoke and Lexington Betty Smokehouse as well as out-of-towners like Hoodoo Brown BBQ (Ridgefield, Connecticut), Little Miss BBQ (Phoenix), Pappy’s Smokehouse (St. Louis) and ZZQ Texas Craft Barbeque (Richmond, Virginia).
In addition, the festival will welcome headliners Hootie & The Blowfish, Lainey Wilson, Jordan Davis and Blake Shelton, along with more than 15 of country music’s hottest rising stars.
—Drag dolls: Also on July 11, at 1 p.m., Plainfield Pride’s Youth Services is hosting its Drag Queen Chili Cook-Off Fundraiser atPlainfield’s Tortilla Flatz Mexican Grill.
The event will feature a culinary showdown where local restaurants (Tortilla Flatz, Moe Joe’s, Barrel & Vine, and Wine & Cheese) compete to win over both the attending public and a panel of three drag-queen judges. Purchase tickets here.
Until next time, don’t forget that you can find much more restaurant news (for this week as well) at SAVOR with Andrew.
The write stuff: Be sure to read and subscribe to my other Substack—Pop-Eds: My thoughts on pop culture. (Like SAVOR, it’s less than $5/month to access everything.) My most recent column discusses Serena’s comeback, the 20th anniversary of a truly awful movie and my review of Madonna’s latest album, among many other topics.