77 Flavors of Chicago

77 Flavors
  • 4.5 (74)
  • DOCUMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

We've visited all 77 of Chicago's historic community areas and taught you the history and tasted  amazing food along the way! Join us, Sara Faddah and Dario Durham, as we continue to tell Chicago's tasteful history. New episodes every Monday. Support this podcast: https://77flavorschi.buzzsprout.com

  1. Chicago Is a Her (and She’s 189)

    1D AGO

    Chicago Is a Her (and She’s 189)

    This week is one of our favorites. Chicago turns 189, it’s Women’s History Month, and you can finally feel that little hint of spring in the air. There was no way we were skipping a celebration of Chicago’s birthday — so we did what we love most: dove! Sources  Ellsworth Kelly's "I Will" https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/chicago_s_publicartellsworthkellysiwill.h.html  Origin of the “I Will” Woman https://chicagology.com/columbiaexpo/fair081/  October 9, 1893—Chicago Day https://chicagology.com/columbiaexpo/fair001/#:~:text=On%20the%20night%20of%20October,adopted%20by%20a%20narrow%20majority Richard Hunt Statue https://publicartarchive.org/art/We-Will/e0b536f4  Defense Sculpture https://chicagopublicart.blogspot.com/2013/09/defense-regeneration-pioneers.html  Chicago's "I Will" Motto and "Y" Municipal Device History https://drloihjournal.blogspot.com/2017/05/chicagos-i-will-motto-and-y-municipal.html  CITY SPURNS ITS OLD SYMBOLS; HAS `I WILL’ BECOME `I WANT?’ https://www.chicagotribune.com/1999/11/09/city-spurns-its-old-symbols-has-i-will-become-i-want/  Chicago Marks Century Since It Became a City https://www.nytimes.com/1937/03/05/archives/chicago-marks-century-since-it-became-a-city.html  Timeline: Early Chicago History https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/chicago-timeline/  Charter Day, March 4, 1937 https://chicagology.com/charterday/  Send a text Support the show Also, catch Dario on the new season of Netflix's "High On the Hog" here!! If you have anything you'd like us to talk about on the podcast, food or history, please email us at ⁠admin@77flavors.org WATCH US ON YOUTUBE ⁠HERE⁠! Visit our *NEW* website ⁠https://www.77flavors.org Follow us on IG: 77 Flavors of Chicago ⁠@77flavorschi⁠ Dario ⁠dariodurhamphoto Sara @sarafaddah

    52 min
  2. Not Just a Month: The Case for Cultural History

    FEB 23

    Not Just a Month: The Case for Cultural History

    It’s easy to roll your eyes at a heritage month. To assume it’s corporate. Performative. Political. A logo swap and a themed menu and then back to business as usual. But when you step back and really look at the data — at tourism dollars, small business revenue, museum attendance, school engagement, public programming — you start to see something deeper. Heritage months aren’t just symbolic. They move cities. They fund institutions. They spotlight artists, historians, chefs, and community leaders who might otherwise be overlooked. And more importantly? They create space. Space for stories that were erased. Space for traditions that survived anyway. Space for communities to see themselves reflected in the place they call home. In a city like Chicago — layered, immigrant-built, migration-shaped, neighborhood-defined — heritage months are not side notes. They’re essential chapters. They help us understand who built what, who cooked what, who organized, who resisted, who preserved. This episode explores why these months matter beyond the headlines. We dig into the numbers. The impact. The intention. And we ask a bigger question: What would it look like if we carried this same energy all year long? Sources: https://www.cps.edu/strategic-initiatives/black-student-success/ https://consortium.uchicago.edu/news-item/Chicago-Public-Schools-and-segregation#:~:text=The%20City%20of%20Chicago%20and%20its%20Board,and%20White%20students%20to%20attend%20separate%20schools. https://statisticalatlas.com/place/Illinois/Chicago/Educational-Attainment Send a text Support the show Also, catch Dario on the new season of Netflix's "High On the Hog" here!! If you have anything you'd like us to talk about on the podcast, food or history, please email us at ⁠admin@77flavors.org WATCH US ON YOUTUBE ⁠HERE⁠! Visit our *NEW* website ⁠https://www.77flavors.org Follow us on IG: 77 Flavors of Chicago ⁠@77flavorschi⁠ Dario ⁠dariodurhamphoto Sara @sarafaddah

    44 min
  3. Where We Were Welcome: Chicago Through the Green Book

    FEB 16

    Where We Were Welcome: Chicago Through the Green Book

    We often spend days looking for one single thread that helps us unravel a story. It often takes even longer when the story is set on the South Side of Chicago. We look for publications, ads, cookbooks, letters, and anything else that would have documented that time period for even a glimpse into what life would be like. One thing that never fails us is the Negro Motroist Green Book. Published between 1936 and 1966, this guidebook offers a great lense into the life of Black Americans at the time. This week, we use the Green Book to trace the enduring legacy and community of Chicago's South Side. Sources:  Purchase a copy of the Green Book https://www.smithsonianstore.com/negro-motorist-green-book-compendium-11198/?srsltid=AfmBOopZa2dgrORNstFqQ44PhsM7AKTb3Ed6UYyr68V6-Znp2fW1rKEx  New York Public Library Digital Access to The Green Book  https://libguides.nypl.org/greenbook/nypldigitalcollections  Send a text Support the show Also, catch Dario on the new season of Netflix's "High On the Hog" here!! If you have anything you'd like us to talk about on the podcast, food or history, please email us at ⁠admin@77flavors.org WATCH US ON YOUTUBE ⁠HERE⁠! Visit our *NEW* website ⁠https://www.77flavors.org Follow us on IG: 77 Flavors of Chicago ⁠@77flavorschi⁠ Dario ⁠dariodurhamphoto Sara @sarafaddah

    51 min
  4. A Porter’s Life: Riding the Rails of Black Labor History

    FEB 9

    A Porter’s Life: Riding the Rails of Black Labor History

    A Porter’s Life: Riding the Rails of Black Labor History The morning of April 6th 1907, Ross Wood decided to fill out the application to become a Pullman Porter. He was 23 years old, and until this point he has only ever worked as a servant; a “houseboy”. Wood was born to parents that were enslaved not too long before he was born. He thought about how if he had been born just 20 years earlier, he too would’ve been a slave. He wanted to be a porter. It was a respected job among his black peers and even though he would spend his days being demeaned, the $10 a week might’ve been enough incentive.  Sources   Labor Union Negotiation and Agreement Files, 1920-1969. 1920.  Pullman’s Palace Car Company. Employee Indexes and Registers, 1875-1946. 1875.  Application and Service Files, 1900-1964. 1900.  United States Railroad Administration. Union Contract Agreement Books, 1919-1958. 1919.https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/question/2021/august.htm Send a text Support the show Also, catch Dario on the new season of Netflix's "High On the Hog" here!! If you have anything you'd like us to talk about on the podcast, food or history, please email us at ⁠admin@77flavors.org WATCH US ON YOUTUBE ⁠HERE⁠! Visit our *NEW* website ⁠https://www.77flavors.org Follow us on IG: 77 Flavors of Chicago ⁠@77flavorschi⁠ Dario ⁠dariodurhamphoto Sara @sarafaddah

    1 hr
  5. More Than a Month: The Story of Black History Month

    FEB 2

    More Than a Month: The Story of Black History Month

    Chicago Black History Month  You cannot tell the history of Chicago without telling the history of Black Chicago. And you cannot tell the history of the United States without the history of Black America. In our first episode back, we dive deep into the origins of Black History Month—long before it was officially recognized—and into the people who fought to ensure Black history was preserved, taught, and honored. Sources https://asalh.org/carter-g-woodson-timeline/https://www.civilandhumanrights.org/the-history-of-black-history-month/https://www.jstor.org/journal/jnegrohistory https://www.wttw.com/playlist/2020/02/13/vivian-harshhttps://naacp.org/https://www.loc.gov/Send a text Support the show Also, catch Dario on the new season of Netflix's "High On the Hog" here!! If you have anything you'd like us to talk about on the podcast, food or history, please email us at ⁠admin@77flavors.org WATCH US ON YOUTUBE ⁠HERE⁠! Visit our *NEW* website ⁠https://www.77flavors.org Follow us on IG: 77 Flavors of Chicago ⁠@77flavorschi⁠ Dario ⁠dariodurhamphoto Sara @sarafaddah

    36 min
  6. Prepare for Relaunch!

    FEB 1

    Prepare for Relaunch!

    It was been over 8 months!! Honestly, we are happy to be back and have you as a listener. Thank you. Sara & Dario Send a text Support the show Also, catch Dario on the new season of Netflix's "High On the Hog" here!! If you have anything you'd like us to talk about on the podcast, food or history, please email us at ⁠admin@77flavors.org WATCH US ON YOUTUBE ⁠HERE⁠! Visit our *NEW* website ⁠https://www.77flavors.org Follow us on IG: 77 Flavors of Chicago ⁠@77flavorschi⁠ Dario ⁠dariodurhamphoto Sara @sarafaddah

    26 min
  7. What Do You Know About Milwaukee Ave?? Also, Have You Been to Migos??

    06/23/2025

    What Do You Know About Milwaukee Ave?? Also, Have You Been to Migos??

    What's up, good people!? Today we are sticking to our Instagram theme of talking about streets. But also, we stopped by Migos, finally, and tried the halal tacos. MY...GOODNESS!! Come learn with us! Send a text Support the show Also, catch Dario on the new season of Netflix's "High On the Hog" here!! If you have anything you'd like us to talk about on the podcast, food or history, please email us at ⁠admin@77flavors.org WATCH US ON YOUTUBE ⁠HERE⁠! Visit our *NEW* website ⁠https://www.77flavors.org Follow us on IG: 77 Flavors of Chicago ⁠@77flavorschi⁠ Dario ⁠dariodurhamphoto Sara @sarafaddah

    22 min
  8. WE'RE BACK!! It's Our 4 Year Anniversary & We Talk About Furniture Row!

    06/16/2025

    WE'RE BACK!! It's Our 4 Year Anniversary & We Talk About Furniture Row!

    Welcome back, friends! That was our first break in 4 years!! Much needed, but we are excited to get back to you with more Chicago history! Have you heard of furniture row?? If not, we gotchu! Come learn with us! Send a text Support the show Also, catch Dario on the new season of Netflix's "High On the Hog" here!! If you have anything you'd like us to talk about on the podcast, food or history, please email us at ⁠admin@77flavors.org WATCH US ON YOUTUBE ⁠HERE⁠! Visit our *NEW* website ⁠https://www.77flavors.org Follow us on IG: 77 Flavors of Chicago ⁠@77flavorschi⁠ Dario ⁠dariodurhamphoto Sara @sarafaddah

    30 min
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4.5
out of 5
74 Ratings

About

We've visited all 77 of Chicago's historic community areas and taught you the history and tasted  amazing food along the way! Join us, Sara Faddah and Dario Durham, as we continue to tell Chicago's tasteful history. New episodes every Monday. Support this podcast: https://77flavorschi.buzzsprout.com

Information

  • Channel
    77 Flavors
  • Creator
    Sara Faddah & Dario Durham
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    276
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 77 Flavors of Chicago
  • Show Website
    77 Flavors of Chicago

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