Meet Mado’s head chef, Rob Levitt:

Mado7

I have done two pieces now (sheep butchering and pig butchering) on my experiences in Levitt’s kitchen at Mado, located at 1647 N Milwaukee Ave. Now, it’s time for you to learn some cool information about the man behind the meat.

Levitt butchered his first pig at 312 Chicago, a restaurant in the Loop featuring Italian cuisine. The pig weighed 280 lbs. and was a holiday gift from the head chef. Levitt said it took two hours for him to break it down, wrap it, label it and put it away.

“It took me a long time to butcher that pig – it was whole,” he said.

Even though Levitt has never slaughtered an animal that comes into his restaurant, some people have sent him hate mail, accusing him of being the one killing the animals. He has the hate mail posted on his website, and you can see a copy of it here.

Levitt has found that there are so many people interested in the art of butchery that he is thinking of doing a class sometime in the near future. He said that the class would be held at Mado and feature him showing people how to butcher a half a pig. While he admits that there is a sensitivity to the education of butchery, he does not understand why some people are so afraid of meat.

“I mean, the pig itself is already dead,” he said.

To learn more about Rob Levitt and Mado, visit Mado’s website at madorestaurantchicago.com

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Marc Schulman the President of Eli’s Cheesecake Factory in Chicago, IL

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A video used in a former post about Columbia University in downtown Chicago. Again, here is a clip of some music students amusing a crowd on the street.

-Ileana

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Meet Matt and Packer, our newest friends and Chicago locals!

sovereign-mattMatt is a bartender at The Sovereign, and he is one awesome guy. Always generous with the shots, he has a killer smile and will keep you entertained (and sloshed) all night.

packer1Packer sometimes will tend the bar at The Sovereign, but it cannot contain him. Tell him you want to dance and that you want to hear good music on the juke box and he will oblige.

Dev xx

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Say hello to our newest Chicago local, Tuna the cat!

Dev xx

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Interview with manager Larry Leider at Hyde Park Records, February 2009.

A really interesting guy that manages a really amazing store! Just listen to how they get their records. Aka: record vintage.

-Ileana

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On this page, we are going to feature mini-profiles of amazing Chicago locals that you just have to get to know! Who knows, you might even meet your best friend :-) .