Barbecue and Beats: A Flavorful Recap of Windy City Smokeout 2025
By Lori Sapio
This was year 3 for me of covering the Windy City Smokeout, and I hate to sound cliche….. but, every year is better than the last.
Real Housewives of Dallas’s D’Andra Simmons got me hooked when she first invited me to tag along. D’Andra is big into BBQ, and introduced me to her BBQ family. I can honestly say that it is a family, and I enjoy seeing them every year. We normally hang out with the pit masters, D’Andra interviews the teams about what they are cooking, and how they are cooking it. I get to photograph them, the yummy food, and then the best part is eating it!
The music line up was legit, my favorite performance of the fest was Jami Belushi singing “Sweet Home Chicago” with her Dad Jim, and Dan Aykroyd accompanying them on the harmonica. Saturday and Sunday were sold out, it was impressive to witness the crowd in harmony with the performers. Good food, good music and good people… Lettuce Entertain You knows how to bring the party.
We can’t wait for next year’s fest!
