10 Best Foodies to Follow On Twitter In Chicago

By Elizabeth SanFilippo

There's no better way to learn about food in Chicago than by following the people who know the food of the Windy City. Any restaurant or chef can use social media to promote their food, but the foodies in this list do so much more than just self-promotion. Whether it's sending out pics of drool-worthy treats or spreading the word about food festivals and events, these tweeters love to share their love of food.

To get started on Twitter, create an account with a username, password and email address. To update your own Twitter feed, click into the box that says 'compose new tweet' and update the world in 140 characters or less. But the best part of Twitter is interacting with all sorts of people. If you want to keep track of what your favorite people are doing on Twitter, go to their profile page by doing a search for their name and hit 'follow.' This is a great list to start with.

Baconfest Chicago
@BaconFestCHI

Before Baconfest Chicago starts taking over the world -- which it's starting to do with festival locations in other cities -- listen to it spread porky messages of love on Twitter. While many of the tweets are, no surprise here, bacon-centric, Baconfest also starts conversations about other dining options in the city. This account is also pretty great about responding to tweets from bacon fans.

Chicago Bites
@ChicagoBites

Chicago Bites is dedicated to food from all over Chicago, and as such, it's an amazing resource for all things food. While the website is mainly packed with restaurant reviews, the Twitter page chirps about anything food related, including pictures of some delicious eats from farmer's-market goodies to sinfully-rich donuts. Need a restaurant recommendation? Just send Chicago Bites a tweet.

Chicago Burger Blog
@ChiBurgerBlog

Forget hot dogs. Chicago is all about the burger, too, and a group of Chicagoans are on the hunt to find the best burger in the Windy City. That's a lot of eating, and the quest is all being documented on Twitter. This Twitter feed is also chock full of photos, restaurant recommendations, burger specials and retweets of anything that has to do with a juicy burger.

Chicago Food Tours
@ChiFoodPlanet

Chicago Food Planet organizes and leads culinary tours all over the city. As such, it knows a thing or two about the dining scene. Not only does this group drop that knowledge on its Twitter page with lots of little-known fun facts, but it also gives recommendations on where to find the best eats. This is a great resource for staying on top of all food-related news like the new rules for food trucks in Chicago.

ENO Wine Bar
@ENOontheMagMile

As a wine bar, ENO tweets about the world of wine and that includes everything from pictures to interesting tidbits from all over the blogosphere. Not only will you learn a thing or two about wine from this Twitter feed, but you will also discover foods that go well with wine, especially cheese, chocolate and charcuterie.

Related: Best Chicago Cookbooks

Green Grocer Chicago
@GreenGrocerChi

The Green Grocer of Chicago may be a great go-to source for fresh, local produce year round -- think of a farmer's market with a storefront -- but its Twitter is also a prime source for general food information. While tweets are often about the benefits of organic foods, some also highlight foodie events around the city, as well as tweet food pictures, recipes and a whole lot more.

Heather Lalley
@flourgrrrl

While not all of Chicago cookbook author Heather Lalley's tweets are food related, many of them are and it's clear she keeps the pulse on the Chicago food scene. She tweets about everything from her dining experiences around the Windy City to her great finds at the farmer's markets. Stay informed by following this account.

Lynfred Winery
@lynfredwinery

Illinois might not be known for its wine, but Lynfred Winery is working on changing that. Its Twitter feed is chock full of tidbits about wine and food through retweets and pictures. Not only does Lynfred promote some wine events, it is also incredibly responsive to all followers.

Chef Rick Bayless
@Rick_Bayless

Perhaps one of the most well-known chefs in Chicago, especially after his win on "Top Chef Masters," Mexican chef Rick Bayless keeps all of his diners and fans updated with his Twitter feed. He talks food, gives tips about gardening, posts pictures of his delicious creations and perhaps best of all, answers his fans questions.

Stephanie Izard
@StephAndTheGoat

Chef Stephanie Izard injects her fun personality into all of her tweets, whether they be about some fabulous dish she's making (like grilled veggies with rice krispies), giving cooking tips or sharing what she's doing that day both in and out of the kitchen. Of course, she shares some mouth-watering pictures too.

Related: Best Celebrity Chef Restaurants

Elizabeth SanFilippo is a freelance writer, who enjoys trying new foods from all over the world. But her favorite city for culinary treats will always be Chicago. When not writing about food, she's scribbling novels, and TV show reviews and recaps. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.