Sophia's Bio

Sophia has lived in and around Chicago from the South Side to South Barrington her whole life sans a four-year stint in LA for college. She currently resides in Lakeview and occasionally in the "New East Side" (off Upper East Randolph...yeah, that attempt of a neighborhood title will take a long time to catch on). During such tough economic times, Sophia decided it was perfect timing to quit her job in Marketing/Outreach and live the glamorous life of the unemployed. It's quite fun, actually, so that's why she joined the TheChiGuide.com team to share all the potential amazing experiences the city has to offer whether it'd be Arts, Culture, Concerts, and most importantly FOOD.

Sophia's Questionnaire

Q: Best new restaurant in 2009.

A: I'm hoping for Stephanie Izard's Drunken Goat to be the best when it opens (knock on wood) this fall.  Stephanie Izard is hands down my favorite of all Top Chefs, and I absolutely love Spanish and Italian food.  In fact, it's my travels to both of those countries that have inspired me to love and explore food as much as I do now.  So for a fun Chicagoan chica to have a Spanish-Italian influence on the menu - not to mention a whole lotta cheese, winner.

Q: What would be your ideal last supper?

A: Start off with Alinea's hot potato/cold potato, then Spiaggia's black truffle gnocchi, then a sampling of seafood pintxos from Pais Vasco, then Avec's chorizo-stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates - probably paired with a pinot noir.  For dessert, a red velvet cupcake and a big bowl of fresh mangoes, rambutan, lanzones, and mangosteens.

Q: You know you're a foodie when...

A: You know you were a foodie when... My dad gave me a talk about saving first times at restaurants for people I care about as if it was a virginity talk.  He thought I was wreckless with my dining behavior.  Thus, I'm forbidden from going to Charlie Trotter's with anyone unless I think they're "the one".  Needless to say, I nearly broke up with someone when he went to Hot Doug's without me (we call it "HotDoug-gate") - really, I was livid for days, and it was around then I realized I might be taking food a little too seriously...

Q: What is your guilty pleasure?

A: BACON.  Especially in sweet & savory combinations, leading me to my next guilty pleasure: CHOCOLATE.

Q: What will the next food trend be?

A: I think 2009 is the era of the supper club.  Underground/secret dinners to organized dinners at home to restaurants just doing something special every now and then.  Chicagoans especially crave different food experiences, so this city is conducive to communal dining in random settings.  There's also the cute little food like cupcakes and fro-yo that pop up, so I keep crossing my fingers for the dawn of French macarons in the near future.