Midwest Baking with Shauna Sever

As a writer, Shauna’s work is best defined by her baking-centric cookbooks.  Her fourth, Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland, was named a "Best Baking Cookbook of 2019" by The New York Times.  She has also contributed food stories and recipes for The Wall Street Journal, Food52, Bon Appetit, The Kitchn, Real Simple, Midwest Living, Food and Wine, O Magazine, and many more.  Though her career began in broadcast journalism, and she now talks about pie instead of Hollywood, she uses the same skill set for her regular television appearances on the TODAY Show and Food Network.  After 12 years of California living, Shauna and her family returned to Chicago, where she now bakes, writes, and is always on the hunt for great old-school Midwestern bakeries.

Louisa Chu will join Shauna in conversation. Louisa was named a Chicago Tribune food critic in 2021. She received a James Beard Foundation nomination for the Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review Award in 2022.  Born in Hong Kong, but raised in Chicago, Chu lived in Los Angeles, then moved to Paris, where she graduated from Le Cordon Bleu.  She staged at El Bulli in Spain, then worked as a correspondent for Gourmet, a chef in Alaska, and a fixer for Anthony Bourdain.  Chu joined the Tribune in 2016 as a reporter, and currently co-hosts the Chewing podcast.

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