Take a walk on the mild side

let's get drenched

Hello, everyone!

First off, I’d like to thank all of you who came to our Crust Fund Pizza pop-up in celebration of the release of Super Pizza World last week. I couldn’t get over how many of you bought tickets and said hello. It was incredible. I gave lots of hugs and made lots of pizza that day!

Thanks to your help, we raised $3,360 (!!!) for Mobile Makers, a nonprofit organization that makes design education available to youth across the city. And for this go-round, I made a cheeky Korean McRib-inspired pizza, topped with gochujang and barbecue-rubbed pork shoulder with red onion, drizzled with a chojang (a seasoned gochujang and vinegar combination) barbecue sauce hybrid, and finished with cubes of cucumber kimchi. For those of you who missed the pop-up, don’t worry, we’re perpetually planning the next one, so I’ll be sure to keep you up to date.

If you want a copy of Super Pizza World, you’ll be able to grab it in person at a store called Buddy (located in the Loop), or you’ll be able to buy it online shortly from Buddy’s website. Frankly, it’s beautiful and features some incredible design work, so I highly recommend you get it.

Second of all, I have a really fun announcement: I’ll be the featured guest at the Sandwiches of History live show on December 4.

If you’re not familiar with

Barry W. Enderwick

and his main social media account, he digs up old sandwich recipes (like, uh, this Crisco sandwich), and recreates them in an open-minded and affable way, sometimes upgrading the sandwiches where he sees fit (aka “plussing up,” in his terms). He’s a really fun account to follow, because apparently people ate some pretty gnarly sandwiches back in the day. I’ve been a fan of Barry’s for a long time, so this is a supremely cool opportunity. And yes, he’s got his own Substack newsletter at

Sandwiches of History Substack

.

Previous guests on the Sandwiches of History live tour include some big names like comedian H. Jon Benjamin (who voices Bob from Bob’s Burgers), Rob Huebel (who’s been in more things than I can count), musician Steel Beans, and my friend Bill Oakley (who was a producer and showrunner for seasons 7 and 8 of The Simpsons). Uh oh. Am I in over my head?!

The show will be at The Den Theatre in Wicker Park, so get your tickets here and see you there!

Today’s Party Cut is about one of my favorite foods on the face of the planet: fried chicken. This style’s a Chicago specialty, crisp, yet drenched in a sweet red mild sauce, and it’s one that you almost only see in Black neighborhoods on the West and South sides of the city. You long-time Chicago residents know the style I’m talking about, although today I’m not hitting up fan-favorite Harold’s.