Michael Bottigliero is a certified sommelier and runs Windy City Wine Guy, a website dedicated to sharing wine, in every aspect, with Chicagoland. He is a hometown Chicagoan who has been in the local bar and restaurant industry for over 13 years. Michael is also a wine/food writer and consultant. Follow his daily wine adventures on Twitter and Facebook.
Judi Cutrone is a writer and social media manager for Chicago creative agency Otherwise Incorporated. Between her work as a copywriter, her two blogs, Twitter and her second novel, she estimates that she writes for approximately six billion hours every day. She is also, sometimes, prone to exaggeration.
Kari Geltemeyer is an interactive project manager and writer living in New York City, by way of Madison and Chicago. She blogs about books, theater and life in New York at Litwit and can be followed on Twitter.
Jordan Guide is a Chicago-based interior designer with a focus on high-end residential and hospitality design. In 2007, her work on a Universal Design project received the prestigious 1st Place Design Excellence Award from ASID. Most recently, Jordan was featured in Chicago Tribune Magazine as “One to Watch.” She currently works as an independent interior designer for Barbara Pallat Interiors of Burr Ridge, Il. Her 2010 collection is expected to debut in late January, 2010. Visit her website for select design projects and Walltat.com for Jordan’s wall decor solutions.
Caitlin Hofherr is a proud fifth-generation Chicagoan and the founder of Alter Ego Concierge, a full-service lifestyle management & domestic staffing agency for private households. Caitlin’s passion is in working with her clients to serve their needs through her unique style of personal attention and meticulous service. Caitlin brings energy and synergy to deliver the best in domestic staffing and lifestyle management results for her clients throughout the world. Follow her on Twitter.
Paul Klein has spent the last seven years championing Chicago’s art world by writing and distributing ArtLetter, with previews of exhibitions and directives to readers that they broaden their horizons by embracing dynamic artists, unexpected quality and new venues. Mr. Klein is currently the Managing Director of The Briddge Group, the premiere Art Succession Planning Group in the country. He previously owned and operated Klein Art Works for over 20 years, establishing friendships with collectors, civic leaders and artists throughout Chicago. He is a contributor on art news for The Huffington Post.
Wayne Lorentz is an architectural photographer based in Chicago’s world famous John Hancock Center. He is also the head of the Artefaqs Corporation, a leading supplier of custom and stock photography to the real estate and banking industries. Before embarking on his photography career, Mr. Lorentz spent 20 years as a broadcast journalist on the East Coast, the Midwest, and Texas.
Jennifer Dunham Luby is a Chicago native and founder of the online home entertaining resource Second City Soiree. Drawing on her background as both a large-scale event coordinator and hostess extraordinaire, she provides advice, ideas and inspiration that is both stylish and accessible. When not writing for Second City Soiree or a number of other media outlets, she donates her time to several philanthropic organizations around the Chicagoland area. Jen lives in Wicker Park with her husband and two miniature dachshunds. Follow her on Twitter.
Dominic Molon is Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, where he has curated the major thematic exhibitions “Production Site: The Artist’s Studio Inside Out” (2010) and “Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967” (2007), as well as solo exhibitions of Liam Gillick (2009), Wolfgang Tillmans (2006), Gillian Wearing (2002), and Sharon Lockhart (2001). Molon has contributed to numerous publications including Art Review, Whitewall, Vitamin D: New Perspectives on Drawing, Art on Paper, Contemporary Magazine, Trans, and Tate: the Art Magazine as well as exhibition catalogues for Karen Kilimnik, Elmgreen Dragset, and Muntean/Rosenblum. He has also presented numerous lectures and moderated panels internationally.
Erica Smith launched residential interiors firm Erica Gail Inc. after nearly a decade in the interior design industry including stints at top US residential design firms Branca and Robert Couturier. Within her clients’ preferred aesthetic, Erica delivers a signature textured look to elevate her interiors from commonplace to supremely comfortable, well-styled homes, incorporating Continental and British design influences with an updated twist. She also posts frequently to her own home and design blog.
Susan Fredman Design Group’s award-winning team of professionals counts client individuality among their biggest inspirations. Maintaining a sense of luxury while working with many different aesthetics, interior design services include everything from space planning and remodeling to selecting accessories. As one of the largest design firms in the Chicagoland area, SFDG has earned a national reputation and numerous accolades from clients and the media. Design portfolios and designer bios can be found at SusanFredman.com, along with SFDG’s blog Designer Diaries.
Sharon Watrous, author of a never-to-be completed dissertation in English literature, combines her love of words and passion for women’s fashion by writing for her luxury apparel boutique’s website and social media. Located in Evanston, Il, Chalk Boutique often receives accolades for being “impeccably edited”, a review Sharon optimistically takes as a sign that too many years of honing her editorial skills in higher education actually haven’t gone to waste.
Heather Weed is a senior designer for Lucien Lagrange Architects, responsible for project design in residential, hospitality and office markets. Current projects include high-profile developments in Chicago, New York and Milan, including The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Chicago.
