A 13-time James Beard Award-winning journalist, Steve continues to work in several mediums. He was the Food Reporter at ABC 7 Chicago for 17 years before moving to his current role as “The Food Guy” for NBC 5. Previously, he produced and co-hosted “The Feed” podcast each week with Chef/Restaurateur Rick Bayless; currently he is solo hosting and producing "Pizza City," a bi-monthly podcast. In 2018, Steve published his first book, "Pizza City USA: 101 Reasons Why Chicago is America's Greatest Pizza Town" (Northwestern University Press). That same year he launched "Pizza City USA Tours," a series of weekly walking and bus tours exposing guests to four different styles of pizza on each tour. In 2021 he followed up that first book with the updated “The Ultimate Chicago Pizza Guide.”Beyond his broadcast and podcasting work, Steve has written for the Travel sections in The Chicago Tribune and Canada's Globe and Mail, has reported for Public Radio International's "The World," and from 2005-2022, was an Academy Chair for The World's 50 Best Restaurants, overseeing the North America (Central) Region.Steve also offers media training for food & beverage professionals outside of Chicago and provides food & beverage expertise. As part of this offering, he frequently leads highly-curated food tours for groups anywhere from six to 160 people. In 2021, Steve passed the Illinois Broker’s Exam and is licensed to practice real estate in Illinois. He is a Director at Baum Realty, where he focuses on the culinary and hospitality sector.Specialties: Storytelling, content production in food and beverage, restaurant trends, ingredients, international dining and restaurants, podcast production, food ideation, media training; food and beverage consulting.