Notes from Chicago

Ashley Phillips

Notes from Chicago is a love letter to the greatest city on the planet. Every week join host and longtime Chicago resident Ashley Phillips as she talks with artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, tastemakers and more about their relationship with the city on the make.

  1. 9h ago

    The Best Burgers in Chicago with Food Critic Maggie Hennessy

    What does a longtime Chicago restaurant critic actually eat when nobody’s assigning the story? This week, Ashley sits down with Maggie Hennessy, a freelance food journalist, former Time Out Chicago restaurant critic, and author of The Burger Bible: Everything You Need to Know About the Humble Hamburger. Maggie left a financial journalism job covering hedge funds at Reuters for night classes at culinary school, and she’s covered Chicago’s food scene ever since. Follow Maggie Hennessy: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edible_words/ * Website: https://www.maggiehennessy.com/ 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 * Website: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/ Notes from Chicago is a weekly interview show hosted by Ashley Phillips, centering the voices, stories, and neighborhoods that make up the real Chicago. Host: Ashley Phillips Producer & Editor: Tanisha Blakely, https://www.tanishablakely.com/

    The Best Burgers in Chicago with Food Critic Maggie Hennessy

  2. Oct 20

    Third Spaces, Food-Shaped Candles & Clouds: Chicago Artist and Shop Owner Jean Cate

    Jean Cate is a Chicago artist and the owner of Martha Mae: Art Supplies & Beautiful Things and The Center of Order and Experimentation, a coffee and gift shop on Grand Avenue in West Town. In this episode of Notes from Chicago, she tells Ashley how she opened her first shop in Andersonville while still at SAIC and rebuilt it after the original concept failed. She also explains how running that shop pulled her through severe anxiety, and why she believes shops can be a container for connection. Follow Jean Cate: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanmcate https://www.instagram.com/orderandexperimentation https://www.instagram.com/marthamae.beautifulthings * Website: https://marthamae.info/ , not-a-cult.org , https://www.jeancate.com/ 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 * Website: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/ Notes from Chicago is a weekly interview show hosted by Ashley Phillips, centering the voices, stories, and neighborhoods that make up the real Chicago. Host: Ashley Phillips Producer & Editor: Tanisha Blakely, https://www.tanishablakely.com/

    Third Spaces, Food-Shaped Candles & Clouds: Chicago Artist and Shop Owner Jean Cate

  3. Oct 13

    Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann on Founding Mishkan Chicago and Building a Radically Inclusive Jewish Community

    At 29, Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann was living in Los Angeles when the idea of building the synagogue she actually wanted to go to pulled her back to Chicago. Host Ashley talks with Rabbi Lizzi, Senior Rabbi and Founder of Mishkan Chicago, about growing up in Hyde Park, the South Side synagogue that shaped her, and why she set out to build a community for young adults who said, "Why would we go to synagogue?" She shares how Mishkan went from a Honda Civic full of speakers to a 19-person staff, a religious school, and a teen program, with services that wander from Jefferson Park's Copernicus Center to Wicker Park. Follow Mishkan Chicago: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mishkanchicago/ * YouTube: mishkanchicago.org/high-holidays-livestream-landing-page * ‘Contact Chai’ podcast: https://contactchai.buzzsprout.com * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MishkanChicago/?fref=ts 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 * Website: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/ Notes from Chicago is a weekly interview show hosted by Ashley Phillips, centering the voices, stories, and neighborhoods that make up the real Chicago. Host: Ashley Phillips Producer & Editor: Tanisha Blakely, https://www.tanishablakely.com/

    Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann on Founding Mishkan Chicago and Building a Radically Inclusive Jewish Community

  4. Oct 6

    Salons, Convenings & Community in Chicago with Jane Beachy of Illinois Humanities

    Jane Beachy calls Chicago "the fountain of youth," a city where new ideas are always being born. She would know. As founder of Salonathon, the beloved weekly salon that ran from 2011 to 2018, she gave hundreds of Chicago artists a stage to share things they'd made just for that night, or had been quietly working on for years. Ashley talks with Jane, Senior Director of Public Engagement at Illinois Humanities, about why she chose to end Salonathon at its peak and what it taught her about "the secret to life." They also cover Envisioning Justice, a two-year Chicago initiative on mass incarceration that grew into a national movement, and why who's in the room matters so much when you're bringing people together across Chicago's 77 neighborhoods. Follow Jane Beachy: * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janebeachy * Illinois Humanities: https://ilhumanities.org/ * Illinois Voices 250: https://ilhumanities.org/programs/illinois-america-250 * Salonathon: https://www.salonathon.org/ 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 * Website: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/ Notes from Chicago is a weekly interview show hosted by Ashley Phillips, centering the voices, stories, and neighborhoods that make up the real Chicago. Host: Ashley Phillips Producer & Editor: Tanisha Blakely, https://www.tanishablakely.com/

    Salons, Convenings & Community in Chicago with Jane Beachy of Illinois Humanities

  5. Sep 29

    220,000 Visitors and Counting: Inside Chicago's West Side Conservatory

    This week on Notes from Chicago, we're at the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance with President & CEO Jennifer Van Valkenburg. Jen breaks down what it actually means to run one of the three largest conservatories in the country, from the 30-year public-private partnership with the Chicago Park District, to the community advisory board and youth council that shape every decision, to why they retired a beloved event (RIP Beer Under Glass) in favor of programming built with, not just for, the neighborhood. We talk about the conservatory's evolution from "hidden gem" to the "shining jewel of the West Side," the 220,000 visitors who came through last year, and what's next. Follow Jennifer Van Valkenburg, Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance: * Website: https://garfieldconservatory.org/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gpconservatory/ 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 * Website: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/ Notes from Chicago is a weekly interview show hosted by Ashley Phillips, centering the voices, stories, and neighborhoods that make up the real Chicago. Host: Ashley Phillips Producer & Editor: Tanisha Blakely, https://www.tanishablakely.com/

    220,000 Visitors and Counting: Inside Chicago's West Side Conservatory

  6. Sep 22

    Developing Chicago's Next Leaders with Mark Payne, Public Allies Chicago

    Mark Payne has spent his career developing Chicago's next generation of civic leaders, and he learned to do it the same way he learned to love the city: from his family. His father, Jimmy Payne, was a celebrated Afro-Cuban and tap dancer who taught dance in Chicago from 1947 into his 90s; his mother drove the family up and down King Drive telling stories of the Great Migration. That upbringing in Bronzeville, Englewood, and Auburn Gresham shaped Mark into a Public Allies alum himself, and today he leads the organization Michelle Obama founded in 1993 to train young people for careers in nonprofits and government. In this episode, Mark talks with host Ashley Phillips about what he learned serving as Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety under Mayor Rahm Emanuel during a difficult stretch for the city, what actually makes someone a good community leader, and why he started his own podcast, "Keep the Faith, Baby." This conversation is about neighborhoods, patience, and the long arc between doing the work and seeing it pay off. Follow Mark Payne: * Public Allies Chicago Website: https://publicallies.org/chicago/ * Keep the Faith, Baby podcast Website: https://keepthefaithbaby.org/ * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empane360 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 * Website: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/ Notes from Chicago is a weekly interview show hosted by Ashley Phillips, centering the voices, stories, and neighborhoods that make up the real Chicago. Host: Ashley Phillips Producer & Editor: Tanisha Blakely, https://www.tanishablakely.com/

    Developing Chicago's Next Leaders with Mark Payne, Public Allies Chicago

  7. Aug 25

    The South Side, ICE Resistance & House Music: A Chicago Love Letter

    Chicago is a city of two truths: deep love and real weight, often in the same breath. In this final mini-episode from our summer archive series, we're revisiting five conversations that capture both sides of the story. Chris Smith makes the case for exploring the South Side beyond Hyde Park. Dr. Mimi Guiracocha shares what it took for a Pilsen community to physically stop ICE from entering their neighborhood. Tony Hatchett tells the origin story of the Chosen Few Picnic, Isis Ferguson points to the hidden pockets of culture, and Nina Idemudia offers a grounded answer to a question many of us are asking right now: how do you make change when the problems feel too big? Explore the full episodes we revisited today: 1) Chris Smith '48 Half Marathons to Help the Hungry with Chris Smith' - Full episode: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/48-half-marathons-to-help-the-hungry-with-chris-smith/ 2) Dr. Mimi Guiracocha 'The Fight for Immigrant Rights in Chicago' - Full episode: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/the-fight-for-immigrant-rights-in-chicago-with-dr-mimi-guiracocha/ 3) Tony Hatchett '35+ Years of Chosen Few DJs & Chicago House Music' - Full episode: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/35-years-of-chosen-few-djs-chicago-house-music-with-tony-hatchett/ 4) Isis Ferguson 'Queer Spaces, Bud Billiken, and Chicago Home Movies' - Full episode: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/queer-spaces-bud-billiken-and-chicago-home-movies-with-isis-ferguson-and-alyssa-gregory/ 5) Nina Idemudia 'How to Fix Chicago’s Housing & Transit Problems' - Full episode: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/how-to-fix-chicagos-housing-transit-problems-with-nina-idemudia/ Follow Notes from Chicago: * Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0qkYwUroGt4hMZQlhTg32z * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesfromChicago * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notesfromchicago * Website: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/ Notes from Chicago is a weekly interview show hosted by Ashley Phillips, centering the voices, stories, and neighborhoods that make up the real Chicago. Host: Ashley Phillips Producer & Editor: Tanisha Blakely, https://www.tanishablakely.com/

    The South Side, ICE Resistance & House Music: A Chicago Love Letter

  8. Aug 11

    What Chicago Gave Me: Stories of Arrival, Belonging & Reinvention

    What brought you to Chicago, and what has it given you in return? In this mini-episode from our summer archive series, host Ashley Phillips shares her own origin story before revisiting three unforgettable conversations about what this city means to the people who call it home. Hear from cross-stitch artist Emma McKee (aka StitchGawd) on the traumatic visa saga that led her to Chicago and how a Christmas gift for her mom turned into a Chance the Rapper collaboration. Documentary filmmaker Johnny Jones opens up about growing up in North Lawndale and the "experiment" of moving to Lincoln Park. And Jahmal Cole, founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, tells the story of trading a suit for a hoodie. This is Notes from Chicago: real conversations with the people building, shaping, and loving this city, one neighborhood at a time. Explore the full episodes we revisited today: 1) Emma McKee (aka StitchGawd), shares how she accidentally built a career in cross-stitching. Full episode: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/from-the-bulls-to-the-wnba-becoming-the-stitchgawd-with-emma-mckee/ 2) Johnny Jones, documentary filmmaker, founder and CEO of The Lingo Chicago discusses 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. Full episode: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/lawndale-stories-with-johnny-jones/ 3) Jahmal Cole, founder of My Block, My Hood, My City, shares what he's learning during his 77-month journey to live in all 77 neighborhoods of Chicago. Full episode: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/77-neighborhoods-77-months-a-listening-tour-for-chicagos-future-with-jahmal-cole/ 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 * Website: https://www.notesfromchicago.com/ Notes from Chicago is a weekly interview show hosted by Ashley Phillips, centering the voices, stories, and neighborhoods that make up the real Chicago. Host: Ashley Phillips Producer & Editor: Tanisha Blakely, https://www.tanishablakely.com/

    What Chicago Gave Me: Stories of Arrival, Belonging & Reinvention
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Notes from Chicago is a love letter to the greatest city on the planet. Every week join host and longtime Chicago resident Ashley Phillips as she talks with artists, entrepreneurs, scientists, tastemakers and more about their relationship with the city on the make.

Information

  • Creator
    Ashley Phillips
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    49
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ashley Phillips, Notes from Chicago 2025
  • Show Website
    Notes from Chicago

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