Dominique Leach Launches Retail Line of Wagyu Dogs at Mariano’s

Following the exciting US launch of her Wagyu Dogs online for nationwide shipping last month, Chicago’s leading pitmaster, Chef Dominque Leach, who owns South Side’s Lexington Betty Smokehouse (“Best BBQ in Chicago” by Good Morning America) with her wife Tanisha Griffin, is pleased to announce a partnership with premier grocery chain Mariano’s to officially introduce her Wagyu Dogs into a retail setting.

The gourmet beef franks created with responsibly-raised cattle from Vander Farmers, a family-owned company and the leading source of F1 American Wagyu in the Midwest, recently received the USDA stamp of approval to distribute and will be available at all 44 Mariano’s locations throughout Chicagoland. The release marks the first of multiple BBQ products to be announced for local and national distribution in 2023 by Chef Leach and Vander Farmers.

The Lexington Betty Smokehouse by Vander Famers Wagyu Dog, which will retail for $18.99 per pack of 8, completely breaks the mold on the traditional hot dog.

Made from premium F1 Wagyu beef (50% Japanese Black Cattle, 50% Holstein-Friesian Dairy Cow), the uncured and uncased dog has a heartier density and flavor without losing the beautiful snap you come to expect from a gourmet sausage.

With a slightly salty-smokey and sweeter flavor profile than a normal hotdog due to the inherent and delectable marbleization of Wagyu, these dogs complement Chef Leach’s famous BBQ sauce, can be dressed up with Tex-Mex ingredients like pico de gallo and jalapeños, or make for a show-stopping twist on the classic Chicago dog. (Product Fact Sheets available here.)

“Chef Dominque Leach is a powerhouse chef and we are so proud to feature her Wagyu Dogs at Mariano’s. Our customers love restaurant-quality ingredients, and we are happy to partner with her on this exciting product,” shared Michael Marx, President of Mariano’s and Roundy’s.

Bookshelf

Everyday Grand

Authors:

Jocelyn Delk Adams w/ Olga Massov

Publisher: Clarkson Potter

ISBN-13: 978-0593236215

Jocelyn Delk Adams believes every day deserves to be celebrated, from seemingly mundane weekdays to exuberant weekends and holidays. Her approachable take on comfort food features Southern-steeped recipes that are jazzed-up, remixed classics, all sprinkled with the vibrant, colorful personality she’s best known for.

One of the Midwest’s Oldest Drive-In Restaurants

If you grew up on the South Side of Chicago or even in the Midwest, and were into classic cars, race cars or hot rods, chances are you visited the Blue Top Drive in on Indianapolis Blvd. in Highland Indiana. You’d pull up and wait for the CarHop to come take your order. The Blue Top still has Car-Hop service today as well as a dining room for those who don’t want to eat in their car.

Now celebrating its 87th year, the drive in continues to operate year round, and frequently has a parking lot filled with classic cars. Auto enthusiasts young and old continue to patronize the Blue Top, not only for the automotive entertainment but for the great food too. If you go there often, you’ll see a consistent bevy of guests all who love cars, great food, and the conversation that comes along with them in a fun family oriented atmosphere.

The Blue Top is famous for its burgers and shakes. The coarsely ground, hand-made burgers are top sellers along with the peanut butter shakes and root beer floats.

Starting on Saturday, August 12, 2023 at 4 p.m., the Blue Top will be holding its annual PRO E85 event. In attendance will be PRO E85 Race Cars, many of which are not street legal and will require a police escort to the blue top. More than 300 cars will be cruising through the Blue Top that day. They come and go so it’s quite a show. Don’t forget your earplugs. The event is free.

All Aboard! Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition pulls into the station at Hershey’s Chocolate World for the Attraction’s 50th Anniversary. Hershey’s Great Candy Expedition, the first fully immersive, interactive experience of its kind in North America that incorporates all five senses, will take visitors of all ages through an exploration of colorful candy worlds inspired by Hershey’s beloved brands, Booking.com has signed on as the Official Online Travel Partner of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the U.S. With Booking.com’s mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, the goal of this strategic partnership with MLB is to simplify the way Americans plan their unique baseball-inspired travels across the U.S. Chris-Craft, America’s boat builder since 1874 and wholly owned subsidiary of Winnebago Industries, opened a new state- off- the- art manufacturing facility in Sarasota, Florida. The new building, increases the company’s production capacity by 50 percent and spans over 70,000 square feet, allowing for the full build of boats from start to finish. Food 4 Less/Foods Co is more than 9,000 associates serving customers in 121 price-impact, warehouse-format supermarkets under the banners Food 4 Less in Southern California, Illinois, and Indiana, and Foods Co in Central and Northern California. From the company’s headquarters in Los Angeles County, Food 4 Less is a recognized leader in community service and giving. Global music superstar Keith Urban has announced that his headlining Las Vegas residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino has been extended through November. In summer 2024, Disney Cruise Line will welcome guests to a one-of-a-kind island destination at Lighthouse Point, located on the island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas, for the first time, the vibrant island retreat will be a unique celebration of Bahamian culture brought to life with the quality and service of a Disney vacation. Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. Mother’s Day will be celebrated on Sunday May 14th, 2023. Life doesn’t come with a manual it comes with a mother. Happy Mother’s Day! Nestlé and Cargill team up with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support sustainable grazing practices across 1.7 million acres in the U.S. over the next five years. As one of the largest private sector regenerative ranching initiatives in the U.S. to date, this partnership will support U.S. ranchers in adopting voluntary agricultural practices that help combat climate change. Pickleball is an indoor or outdoor racket/paddle sport where two players, or four players, hit a perforated hollow plastic ball over a 36 inch-high net using solidfaced paddles. Opponents on either side of the net hit the ball back and forth until one side commits a rule infraction. Premier Food Trucks is the number one food truck builder in the world with over 300 trucks built so far. Using the highest quality generators, metal, equipment, signage, and gas/diesel trucks available, PFT lovingly designs and creates custom-built food delivery vehicles that are as beautiful as they are functional. The Atlanta Community Food Bank , the central hub in the fight against hunger in Atlanta and North Georgia, recently surpassed the one billion mark for meals distributed to neighbors in need across their service area. For nearly 44 years, the Food Bank has been committed to its mission of combatting hunger, building and supporting a network of nearly 700 communitybased partners in 29 counties.

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Nearly half of U.S. Millennial and Gen Z condiment buyers regularly use spicy sauces, actively seeking a wider variety of spicy flavor options, and topics like “spicy” and “hotsauce” are generating billions of TikTok views, indicating a trend.

Chef Wedell Returns to the Marriott Family

Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk is proud to announce the appointment of Chef Timothy Wedell as its new executive chef Chef Wedell will oversee the culinary team responsible for food production at banquets, room service, and the hotel’s four dining outlets: Shula’s Steak House, Riverside Cafe, Link Cafe and Chicago Burger Company.

As Chef Wedell steps into his new role, he is looking forward to revamping menus at Sheraton’s dining outlets and banquets for spring and summer, as well as interacting with guests during upcoming cooking classes hosted at the hotel. Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk is located in the beating heart of Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood, an urban gem in a storied travel destination.

Employco USA Welcomes Two New Team Members

Employco USA is pleased to announce the growing expansion of its staff.

Dan Bakovich, Business Development Manager – With years of experience in various business roles, Dan brings a wealth of expertise to his new position. Dan graduated from St. Norbert College with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Business Management and is eager to expand his sales knowledge with Emplvoyco. He looks forward to working hard to help the company reach its goals.

Ryan Faucher, Business Development Manager

– After nearly a decade working in the property and casualty insurance space, Ryan has officially joined Employco as a Business Development Manager based in Charleston, South Carolina. With an affinity for working with business owners, the transition to Employco was natural and seamless. Ryan is empathetic to the issues that business owners deal with on a daily basis and strives to listen and provide solutions to their challenges. In his new role, Ryan will be responsible for onboarding new businesses throughout the country and providing customized HR and benefits solutions so that owners/operators can focus on growing their businesses. Ryan received his Bachelor of Science in International Business with a minor in Spanish from the College of Charleston. – You can find the Employco ad on page 23.