About this episode
Jason Hammel is the executive chef and owner of award-winning Lula Cafe in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood. Jason grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, and is the product of a tight-knit Italian family. He studied writing at Brown University and then traveled in Italy, where an accidental stay in an apartment above a produce market left a lasting impression and presaged his career as a chef. In this episode we hear about the 24-year run of Lula Cafe, and about how Jason’s instinct to write blends with his culinary background. We also talk about his debut cookbook, The Lula Cafe Cookbook . Also on the show, Aliza and Matt talk about three things they are feeling, including a memorable Table of Contents event in Brooklyn, speaking at the Chow Chow Festival in Asheville, NC, the nostalgia of Save Me the Plums , Helen Rosner is on a roll at The New Yorker , Birdie’s pasta extruder in the dining room is a baller move. Do you enjoy This Is TASTE? Drop us a review on Apple , or star us on Spotify . We'd love to hear from you. MORE FROM JASON HAMMEL: Jason Hammel’s Dear Chicago [Star Chefs] Still Setting the Standard in Logan Square [Chicago Tribune] Konbi Has a Secret Croissant Machine [TASTE] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices