The Block Club Chicago Podcast
The important, emotional, inspiring stories affecting Chicagoans.
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 19 minutes
- Episodes
- 321
- Years Active
- 2021 - 2025
Episode 37 - How J.P. Graziano Became The Gucci of Giardiniera
Jim Graziano shut down his family’s generations-old wholesale business and started selling sandwiches, beef kits, giardiniera and designer T-shirts. Now, the shop is enjoying its most profitable year…
Episode 36 - The Most Chicago Thing That's Ever Happened To You
Host - Jon Hansen
Guest - Mike Vanderbilt @mikevanderbilt
Want to donate to our non-profit newsroom? CLICK HERE
Who we are
Block Club Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit news organization dedicated to deli…
Episode 35 - The Ladies Of Virtue
Over ten years ago, Jamila Trimuel got 6 girls together to mentor them and help them become successful. Now, Ladies of Virtue works with hundreds of Chicago girls to instill them with purpose, passio…
A Grocery Store Love Story
A family that closed its restaurant last year due to the pandemic recently opened a grocery store in Lincoln Square. The couple met 20 years ago as teenagers attending Foreman High School in Portage…
Episode 33 - One of the Nation’s Best Young Chess Players Is a Lane Tech Freshman
Avi Kaplan recently placed second at a national youth chess tournament and is closing in on a 2,200 master score. "Even though I have a lot of trophies, it doesn’t mean that chess is any easier. I st…
Episode 32 - The Chicago Couple On A Culinary Journey Through Every Neighborhood
Each episode of "77 Flavors of Chicago" takes Lakeview couple Sara Faddah and Dario Durham to one of the city's neighborhoods, where they grab a bite and learn about the neighborhood's history.
Host -…
Episode 31 - The Stories We Loved In 2021 (Part 2)
More of Block Club Chicago reporters' favorite stories of 2021! Also, host Jon Hansen shares one of his favorite interviews.
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporters - Kelly Bauer, Quinn Myers
Want to donate to ou…
Episode 30 - The Stories We Loved In 2021 (Part 1)
Block Club Chicago reporters sharing some of the favorite stories they covered in 2021!
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporters - Jamie Nesbitt Golden, Ariel Parrella, Joe Ward
Want to donate to our non-profit new…
Episode 29 - The Rohingya Refugee Who Became His Community’s First College Graduate
Rashid Ahmed’s family fled persecution in Myanmar. Now, he ss Chicago’s first Rohingya refugee to graduate college. “I want to make my parents proud," he said.
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporter - Amy Qin
Want…
Episode 28 - The Bulls Barber Who Says Cutting Hair Saved His Life
Terrance Wills grew up in Rockwell Gardens, just a five-minute bike ride from where the Bulls play. His clientele has grown to include the city’s biggest stars, from Zach LaVine to Scottie Pippen and…
Episode 27 - The Chicagoans You're Thankful For
Block Club Chicago reporters and 'It's All Good' listeners share who they're most thankful for ahead of Thanksgiving.
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporters - Quinn Myers, Maxwell Evans, Colin Boyle, Joe Ward, J…
Falling Is Easier With Friends At FroSkate
At FroSkate, women, people of color and queer skateboarders shine. The Black-woman-led collective creates space for people who are traditionally underrepresented in skateboarding. “At froSkate, our f…
Episode 25 - The Beverly Teen Advocating For People With Down Syndrome, Like Him
South Side native Nate Simon launched 21 Pineapples, a company that sells Hawaiian shirts, to spread awareness of the capabilities of people with different abilities. The shirts sold out in a week, a…
Episode 24 - The Windy City Mushers
Dog mushing might seem like a sport for Alaska, but there's a dedicated community of racers in Chicago. They're preparing for an upcoming area race!
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporter - Elisa Shoenberger
Wan…
Episode 23 - The South Side Mom Stitching Together Her Dream
Kamaca Champion dreamt for years of turning her love for knitting into her own store. Now, at Miss Purl, South Side crafters can express themselves in a yarn paradise.
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporter - Atav…
Episode 22 - The Sky's The Limit for Women's Hoops In Chicago
With the Chicago Sky in the WNBA Finals, we're highlighting a women's basketball league in Chicago that brings the community together and inspires the next generation of hoopers.
Host- Jon Hansen
Repo…
Episode 21 - Chicago’s Struggle For LGBTQ+ Equality
Recent gains for LGBTQ+ Americans have not been distributed to all of Chicago's communities equally. On this week's episode, we highlight Black Queer Chicagoans surviving, thriving and dying.
Host - …
Episode 20 - Barbershop Books and Beachside Eats
Two stories about everyday Chicagoans empowering the next generation through literacy and entrepreneurship. With books in barbershops, and a concession stand at the beach, dozens of South Side young …
Episode 19 - The Double Dutch Sisterhood
Women 40 and older are reviving their schoolyard skills and playing outside together like they did when they were kids, thanks to a double dutch club founded by two South Siders.
Host - Jon Hansen
Wan…
Episode 18 - Pastries, Cookies and Cakes, Oh Pie!
A bakery fit for a Vice President, and a secret society of pastry chefs gathering since the 1930's to help each other's recipes, and your favorite Chicago bakeries!
Host - Jon Hansen
Reporter - Jennife…