Season's eatings! The weather may be getting colder, but Dining Month on OnMilwaukee is just cooking up, dishing out your winning picks in this year's Best of Dining poll. Dining Month is brought to you by Fein Brothers, your premier food service equipment and supply dealer in Wisconsin since 1929. Congratulations to all of the winners, and happy eating for all those who voted!

Love hearing the stories behind the food you eat and the drinks you consume?

I hear you. In fact, when I’m not eating, interviewing and writing about all the delicious things happening in our amazing city, I spend a good amount of time reading and listening to others who do the same.

More recently, I've found myself engaging in the increasingly vast assortment of food-based podcasts available across the digital landscape. (Some of my favorites include The Splendid Table, Why Food? and Gravy, along with a slew of others I can't even begin to list.)

It’s been fantastic. I’ve listened. I’ve learned a ton. And I’ve been inspired. At some point, I also decided I wanted to find a way to contribute to the conversation. So, I broached the subject with Matt Mueller (who I hoped I could convince to co-host) and the OnMilwaukee team. We brainstormed, and planned, and partnered with the good folks at GoGeddit, who generously lent both their expertise and studio to the cause.

From there, FoodCrush – a new OnMilwaukee podcast – was born. It’s a project that springs from not only my passion for food and my appreciation for those that make it, but also my desire to learn more, to dig deeper and have a little fun.

We'll be releasing the first (of what I hope to be many) episodes of FoodCrush beginning Wednesday, Oct. 3.  

What's FoodCrush all about?

On the weekly FoodCrush podcast, my food-curious co-host and I will tackle the ins and outs of dining, explore the origins and flavors of interesting foods and glean insights from chefs, sommeliers and a variety of other culinary professionals. Our goal is to examine food from a variety of angles and get to the bottom of topics we might not delve into in our day to day coverage at OnMilwaukee.

One week, we might interview an interesting chef about a topic they’re particularly passionate about. The next, we’ll explore the depths of a specific restaurant dish, food or ingredient. In some episodes, we’ll even take on the challenge of introducing Matt to a brand new food he’s never tried or attempting to make him fall in love with something he thought he disliked.

In the end, you can expect smart talk, lively debate, good humor and plenty of fascinating conversations with some of the scene’s most interesting people. Along the way, we’ll strive to give you fun, engaging content that leaves you inspired, informed and – if all goes well – hungry.

I genuinely hope that you’ll subscribe and give it a listen. More importantly, I hope you’ll take the time to let us know how we’re doing.

Got an idea for a topic we should consider for FoodCrush? Want to offer feedback on our latest episode? Email me at lori@staff.onmilwaukee.com.  You can also give @FoodCrushMKE a follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.