The Chopping Block Cooking & Wine Blog

Justin

Described by one friend as, “a champion of leisure,” there is nothing Justin loves more than eating, drinking, and spreading joy to all those he encounters. Most days you can find him on the retail floor of The Chopping Block, offering wine and platonic high fives to guests.

Have You Ever Dunked your Oreo in a Glass of Sherry?

Last week, I received my study material for Fine Vintage's WSET Level 3 certification course, which I'll be immersed in for six days. The textbook opens up with a foreward by Jancis Robinson, the ...

The Benefits of Drinking Bad Coffee

With the Polar Vortex coming through Chicago last week, I found myself with some unexpected free time since The Chopping Block was closed for two days. So, I decided to take on a project I've wanted ...

What's So Great About Riesling?

Riesling is a hard sell. In the time I've worked at The Chopping Block, I've seen two types of Riesling drinkers come through the store: wine novices and wine experts, but there's a whole sea of ...

Mulled Wine: It's So Hot Right Now

As Christmas approaches, conversations in the kitchen inevitably turn to holiday plans, which Christmas songs we hate the most (Last Christmas, any artist), which Christmas songs we actually like ...

The Perfect Thanksgiving Wine

It's that time of year, when all the stores are decorated with winter trees and blinking lights as Bing Crosby croons through overhead speakers, that's right, Thanksgiving is coming. It's around this ...

How to Read a Wine Label

A customer walks into the store looking for a bottle of wine, they go to the wine wall, look up, and freeze like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. I see this every day and we only ...

Pinot? More Like PinYes!

Our staff has some pretty strong opinions on wine, and that's never been more evident than when we begin to change up the wine list. I'm no exception to this of course, and I do plenty of grumbling ...

Do Wine Appellations Really Matter?

Last week, a co-worker came to me after one of our wine classes and asked if I thought appellations really matter. Apparently, it was a topic of discussion during class and there had been good points ...

My Chicago Style Deep Dish is More “Chicago” Than Yours

My move to Chicago wasn't easy. It took me three months to find a job and about six before I had my own apartment. I wouldn't have been able to get by here without having some wonderful friends. ...

5 Things Everyone Should Know How to Cook

I'm not a chef. I've only worked one job in a kitchen... well, it was more of a garage, and all I did was chop fruit and vegetables for a salad bar. When I started at The Chopping Block I could hold ...

Recipes	Ingredients
Cooking Techniques	Cookbooks & Tools
Food News	Local Spots
Travel	Wine
Vegetarian	Gluten-Free
Kids	Baking & Pastry
Boot Camp	Retail

Justin

Recent Posts

Have You Ever Dunked your Oreo in a Glass of Sherry?

The Benefits of Drinking Bad Coffee

What's So Great About Riesling?

Mulled Wine: It's So Hot Right Now

The Perfect Thanksgiving Wine

How to Read a Wine Label

Pinot? More Like PinYes!

Do Wine Appellations Really Matter?

My Chicago Style Deep Dish is More “Chicago” Than Yours

5 Things Everyone Should Know How to Cook

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