Thanks to this season's presenting sponsor, Kohler. They design innovative sinks and faucets for people who do their best work in the kitchen.

On the day I found out I was moving to Chicago, I cried like a baby. True story.

I really did not want to move. The year was 2004. I was living in Southern California at the time on the beach. The weather was never not perfect.

I loved hanging with friends. I was young, carefree, and well, just about to profess my love to someone.

But because of a contract I signed at work, the newspaper company I worked for could move me to any city at any time.

And Chicago was where they decided to ship me off. I didn't know a single person there. Fine, I thought I'll live in that cold, windy city for one year and then head back west.

That was 18 years ago. Chicago is home now. I met my wife here. Our child was born here. This was where we bought our first home.

And now I'm madly in love with my adopted hometown.

Tell someone you're from Chicago and that you're a food writer and the same questions always come up.

Where's the best deep dish pizza? How do you take your Italian beef and why don't you guys put ketchup on your hot dogs?

The answer to those questions, by the way, peak wads, dipped with hot peppers, and because that's the law in Chicago, no ketchup, live with it people.

But this idyllic image of Chicago, Wrigley Field, Architectural Boat Tours, The Field Museum, Bop Bears.

Well, that's just one version of Chicago.

There's the Chicago of rib tips and hot links cooked in aquarium smokers,

A Frankie Knuckles, the Dusamo Museum, and Dat Donut.

For the three quarter million African Americans who call the windy city home, those cultural reference points are Chicago encapsulated.

And then, there's Harold's chicken.

Unless you grew up black in Chicago, you've likely never heard of or stepped foot in a heralds.

I'm stone-cold Chinese, and I've never heard of the place until I moved here.

That's because most heralds are far from the touristy parts of Chicago, found mostly on the city's south side.

But for those who know about this hallowed place, and I've been writing about heralds for 17 years, it is singularly delicious.

Heralds serves a distinctly Chicago style of fried chicken. Did you even know there's a Chicago style of fried chicken? I didn't.

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