Notes from Chicago

Notes from Chicago

by Ashley Phillips
Society & Culture
A Mystery Death, a Book Deal, and How Lemonhead Candy Got Its Name
We just hit a milestone!!! 40 episodes and almost a year of Notes from Chicago. To celebrate, we're kicking off a summer series of mini-episodes built around themes from the archive, and this first one is about accidental beginnings. None of these five people planned for their project to become what it became. Our 40th episode kicks off a short summer hiatus. We'll be back with new full-length interviews this fall, but keep an eye out for more mini-episodes in the meantime. In this episode, Ashley revisits: 1) Joabe Barbosa, who started running every street in Chicago after doctors told him to get his blood flowing following a near-fatal mountain rescue. Full episode: https://pod.link/1838675173/episode/MzQyYWI5MTUtZDJhMi00Y2M1LWIzMzYtNDAzOGFkY2I0NTZj 2) Anne Morrissy, author of Street Fight: The Chicago Taxi Wars of the 1920s, on the family rumor about her great-grandfather's mysterious Christmas Day death that sent her digging into Chicago history. Full episode: https://pod.link/1838675173/episode/YzRjNTYzZWYtMTkzZi00ZjNkLTk0ZDgtNWI4OWIyM2Y0Yjlm 3) John Conversa of Ferrara, on how a pan sitting idle in a Taylor Street bakery led to the invention of Lemonhead. Full episode: https://pod.link/1838675173/episode/NTU1ZTdhYzEtYTUxOS00ZDRhLWI0MTktOWU3MjM0ZWE1NDk5 4) Ronnie Frey, creator of Doorways of Chicago, on pitching a photo book out of nowhere and hitting #1 in Amazon travel photography. Full episode: https://pod.link/1838675173/episode/OGFkZTAyNjMtYjQ0NS00NmM3LWFmMzUtY2FiYzMxYTc4ZmUw 5) Sandy Steinbrecher, on the two-week photo shoot that turned into a two-year documentary project on the transformation of the Salt Shed. Full episode: https://pod.link/1838675173/episode/OWI5MjRmODQtNzRkNy00YTQ1LThlODgtN2FkMmFhOTQ5ZjNj Follow Notes from Chicago: * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z * Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-chicago/id1838675173 * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromchi * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago Notes from Chicago is a weekly interview show hosted by Ashley Phillips, centering the voices, stories, and neighborhoods that make up the real Chicago.
E40
Jul 14, 2026
18:59
121 Years of the Chicago Defender with Publisher Dyanna Knight Lewis
Dyanna Knight Lewis is the publisher of the Chicago Defender and regional VP of Real Times Media. Her connection to the paper started long before her career did. In this episode, Dyanna joins Notes from Chicago to talk about stewarding one of the most storied Black institutions in American media, 121 years old and counting. Follow the Chicago Defender: * Website: https://chicagodefender.com * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chicagodefender Follow Notes from Chicago: * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z * Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-chicago/id1838675173 * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromchi * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago
E39
Jul 7, 2026
18:53
35+ Years of Chosen Few DJs & Chicago House Music with Tony Hatchett
Before it was a 40,000-person festival, it was a Fourth of July picnic outside the Museum of Science and Industry. This week, Tony Hatchett of the Chosen Few DJs joins Notes from Chicago to trace house music's roots from The Warehouse and disco-era South Side parties to becoming a founding member of the crew behind the world's longest-running house music festival. Follow Chosen Few DJs: * Website: https://chosenfewdjs.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djtonyhatchett | https://www.instagram.com/chosenfewdjs/ Follow Notes from Chicago: * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z * Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-chicago/id1838675173 * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromchi * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago
E38
Jun 30, 2026
31:00
Queer Spaces, Bud Billiken, and Chicago Home Movies with Isis Ferguson and Alyssa Gregory
In this episode of Notes from Chicago, host Ashley Phillips talks with Isis Ferguson (Senior Director of Engagement & Partnerships) and Alyssa Gregory (Marketing Manager) of Arts + Public Life, a University of Chicago initiative rooted in Washington Park that connects, supports, and amplifies South Side artists and culture. Isis and Alyssa break down the four venues that make up Arts + Public Life and the layered history of jazz clubs, theaters, and creative life that once lived on that same block. They dig into Never So Free, a queer Black art and assembly project built around space-making and community history; the Southside Home Movie Project, a striking archive of donated home movies stretching back decades; and the Choreographic Arts Program, which connects young dancers to Chicago's footwork and majorette history. Follow Arts + Public Life: * Website: https://artsandpubliclife.org * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artspubliclife | Isis Ferguson: https://www.instagram.com/meetmein1944 Follow Notes from Chicago: * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z * Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-chicago/id1838675173 * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromchi * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago
E37
Jun 23, 2026
40:03
How Chicago's Doorways Tell the City's Hidden History with Ronnie Frey
Have you ever walked past a door and wondered what story it's holding? This week on Notes from Chicago, we sit down with Ronnie Frey, interior designer turned photographer, and the creator behind the wildly popular Instagram account Doorways of Chicago. What started as a pandemic-era pastime has grown into walking tours, a stunning new coffee table book (already the #1 seller at his publisher and a #1 Amazon Hot New Release in Travel Photography), and a studio inside Chicago's iconic Fine Arts Building. Follow Ronnie Frey, Doorways of Chicago: * Doorways of Chicago Photography Book: https://doorwaysofchicago.com/preorder-doc-photobook/ * Website: https://doorwaysofchicago.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/doorwaysofchicago * TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@doorwaysofchicago * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doorwaysofchicago/ Follow Notes from Chicago: * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z * Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-chicago/id1838675173 * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromchi * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago
E36
Jun 16, 2026
31:37
Lawndale Stories with Johnny Jones
This week on Notes From Chicago, host Ashley Phillips sits down with Johnny Jones, documentary filmmaker, founder and CEO of The Lingo Chicago, and proud North Lawndale native. Johnny opens up about growing up in Rockwell Gardens housing projects on the west side, losing his mother at a young age, and how those formative experiences became the foundation for everything he creates today. Johnny shares the story behind Lawndale Stories, his three-part short film series developed through a residency at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and why he felt compelled to document a neighborhood that rarely gets to tell its own story. Follow Johnny Jones: * Website: www.johnnythelingochicago.com * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrlingohimself * TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mrlingohimself Follow Notes from Chicago: * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z * Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-chicago/id1838675173 * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromchi * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago
E35
Jun 9, 2026
35:30
A Chicago Food Legend: From Check, Please! to The Dining Table with David Manilow
David Manilow is a Chicago institution. As the creator of the beloved PBS series Check, Please!, which ran for nearly 20 years in Chicago and expanded to over 10 cities, including San Francisco, Miami, and even Vienna, David helped Chicagoans discover the city's neighborhoods through the lens of food. He's now the host of The Dining Table podcast with Crain's Chicago Business. In this episode, David sits down with Ashley to talk about how Check, Please! was really never just a restaurant show; it was a neighborhood show, a people show, and a guide to understanding Chicago. Follow David Manilow: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Eatdrinkdave Follow Notes from Chicago: * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z * Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-chicago/id1838675173 * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromchi * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago
E34
Jun 2, 2026
33:55
The Future of The Hideout with Teri O’Brien
For decades, The Hideout has been one of Chicago’s most beloved music venues, a place where musicians, comedians, artists, and neighbors come together in a way that feels uniquely Chicago. In this episode of Notes From Chicago, Ashley Phillips sits down with Teri O'Brien, the venue’s new owner, to talk about taking over an iconic institution, preserving independent music spaces, and what makes The Hideout feel like home for so many Chicagoans. Teri shares her journey from Hideout intern to owner, stories about legendary performances and surprise comedy shows, the challenges facing independent venues today, and her vision for The Hideout's future. Follow The Hideout: * Website: https://www.hideoutchicago.com/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hideoutchicago Follow Notes from Chicago: * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z * Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-chicago/id1838675173 * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromchi * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago
E33
May 26, 2026
23:31
How to Create Joy with Vending Machines with Steph Krim
Steph Krim, founder of Good Things Vending, joins Notes From Chicago to share how she transformed old snack vending machines into one of Chicago’s most innovative community art platforms. From sourcing vintage machines to supporting hundreds of local artists, Steph discusses: Starting Good Things Vending from scratch Entrepreneurship and creative risk-taking Building a Chicago-based brand CTA collaborations and future expansion Why Chicago is central to her mission Follow Good Things Vending: Website: https://www.goodthingsvending.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodthingsvending TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/goodthingsvending Follow Notes from Chicago: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-chicago/id1838675173 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromchi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago
E32
May 19, 2026
37:47
How Lincoln Park Zoo Is Helping Save Wildlife Worldwide with Lisa Faust
What if one of Chicago’s most beloved family destinations was also quietly helping save endangered species around the world? In this episode of Notes from Chicago, Ashley Phillips sits down with Lisa Faust, Senior Director of Population Ecology at Lincoln Park Zoo, to explore the groundbreaking conservation work happening behind the scenes. From modeling wildlife populations to supporting species recovery efforts for elephants, Tasmanian devils, Puerto Rican parrots, and more, Lisa shares how data and science are shaping the future of global conservation. They also discuss: * How Lincoln Park Zoo supports wildlife beyond its exhibits * The hidden science most visitors never see * Why Chicago’s cultural institutions play a bigger role in conservation than many realize * Practical ways everyday Chicagoans can support wildlife * Lisa’s favorite memories from nearly 30 years at the zoo Follow Lincoln Park Zoo: * Website: https://www.lpzoo.org * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lincolnparkzoo Follow Notes from Chicago: * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z * Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/notes-from-chicago/id1838675173 * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago * TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@notesfromchi * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago
E31
May 12, 2026
25:15
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