Who’s she? 👆
I’m Maggie Hennessy, a Chicago-based freelance writer who’s been covering food and drink for almost 15 years. My writing has appeared in the New York Times, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, VinePair, Salon, Wine Enthusiast, WBEZ Chicago, Punch, Food52 and more (see my latest here). I’m also the restaurant critic for Time Out Chicago. I’ve never really cared much for best of lists or clickbaity celeb food content. I’d rather explore why we cook too much for the people we love, or order a boulevardier cocktail on a date when we’d secretly rather drink a piña colada. To me, food writing is about much more than burger roundups and TikTok cooking hacks—it’s an entry point for exploring our strange, shared humanity. We all have to eat, after all.
Why sign up?
I made the decision to launch this Substack paid because I believe there’s value in quality storytelling. Whether or not you decide to support this effort financially, I hope that the stories you read and hear on this platform will brighten your life like little fireflies at sunset, make you laugh, and—when you need it—make you feel a little less alone.
