Lisa Shames

Chicago, IL USA
Contact

Professional Experience

Specializing in food writing, including chefs and restaurants, I've covered topics ranging from a three-day food expo in Spain (Madrid Fusion) and how chefs are storing their cheese to a new ingredient that 'glues' proteins together. In addition, I've been covering the local dining and culture scene in Chicago for the last 10 years for two monthly regional magazines (CS and Men's Book Chicago), which includes articles on new restaurants, restaurant reviews, cultural events and shopping. With writing experience that includes consumer, trade and custom-published magazines as well as extensive experience on the Web, I understand the importance of writing for a specific audience. Beyond food, I've also written articles about entertainment, travel, culture, design and weddings.

Expertise

Copy Editor
14 Years
Editor
10 Years
Writer
15 Years

Specialty

Food
14 Years
Lifestyle
14 Years
Travel
8 Years

Industries


Magazine - Local/Regional magazines
10 Years
Magazine - Trade magazines/publications (B2B)
5 Years
Magazine - Local/Regional magazines
10 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

15 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

CS Interiors (10+), Where Chicago (10+), So Good magazine (10+), Dining Out Chicago (1-2), Chicago Athlete (1-2), Men\'s Book (10+), Citysearch Chicago (10+), CS Brides (10+), Frontdesk Chicago (10+), Gayot (10+), Hot List Chicago and Atlanta (10+), Legends Magazine (10+), JuliB (10+), CS Magazine (10+), Daily Candy (10+), Not for Tourists Guide Chicago (10+), Tasting Table (10+), Time Out Chicago (10+), UR Chicago (10+)

Other Work History

Senior and Dining Editor at CS and Men's Book magazines, Editor-in-Chief FrontDesk magazine, Associate Editor of Where Chicago magazine, Editor in Chief of Front Desk Chicago, Manager Editor of Legends Magazine, Senior Editor of Chef Magazine, Managing Editor of Equipment Solutions, Advertising Guide Editor, L.A. Weekly

Foreign Language Skills

Conversant in Spanish and French

Computer Skills

Word, Excel, Windows XP, InDesign, Quark

Equipment

PowerBook, digital camera, digital voice recorder

References

Available upon request

Associations

Media Bistro Avant Guild Member

Showcase

General

Some Like It Hot
(CS Magazine 5/8/2009)
See how Chicago chefs are turning up the heat.
What Lies Beneath
(CS magazine 3/21/2016)
Drinking Up
(Men's Book Chicago 3/1/2016)
Frequent Flier
(CS magazine 1/1/2016)
Home on the Range
(Men's Book Chicago 3/1/2016)
The best eggs Benedict in Chicago
(Timeout Chicago 4/8/2015)
Lounge Acts
(CS Interiors 5/1/2015)
The Dish
(CS Interiors 12/1/2009)
Trend alert on tabletops
Bites
(CS magazine 6/1/2009)
A Downtown To Die For
Love At First Bite
(Front Desk 2/1/2010)
Eat Your Heart Out at These Romantic Spots
Love at First Bite
(CS magazine 2/1/2010)
Seeking winter romance? We're cuckoo for hot cocoa, bacon bourbon popcorn and the new, former roadie chef at Goose Island
Smart Moves
(CS magazine 2/1/2010)
A handful of luxury properties in Chicago make living the high life -- sans commitment -- suddenly hip
Game Changer
(Men's Book 9/1/2015)
A Star Is Born
(Men's Book 9/1/2015)
The 50 Finest
(CS 7/1/2015)
Bites
(CS magazine 9/1/2013)
Divine Inspiration
(CS Brides 4/1/2010)
Wedding cakes inspired by Chicago's architecture
Picture Perfect
(CS Brides 5/1/2009)
Traditional wedding pictures are a thing of the past
Rein in Spain
(UR Chicago 4/1/2008)
Traveling to Valencia and Madrid
Local Flavors
(CS Brides 4/1/2010)
How Chicago restaurants are influencing what shows up at local weddings
Holy Matrimony
(CS Brides 4/1/2010)
Bites
(CS Magazine 9/1/2008)
Lounge Acts
(Men's Book 5/1/2009)
For the hottest menus in town belly up to the bar
Dish It Out
(CS 4/1/2009)
A brunch renaissance, tasty tapas and chic fried chicken rule local menus
X Marks the Spot
(Frontdesk 5/1/2009)
Tapas go all the way gourmet at the new Pintxos
Garden Parties
(Frontdesk 5/1/2009)
Tip your glass to these stellar outdoor patios
Petal Pushers
(CS Brides 5/1/2009)
Four Chicago sugar flower masters take the cake to the limit
The Taste for Living
(CS Brides 5/1/2009)
A magazine maven finds her top chef
The Visionaries
(CS 9/1/2007)
In their Gold Coast contemporary dream house a real estate power player and his wife broker one of the city's sweetest windows to the world
Rock Stars
(Front Desk Chicago 10/1/2008)
Chefs get creative with Pop Rocks
A Hot New Haunt
(Front Desk Chicago 10/1/2008)
A preview of Duchamp
The Missing Link
(Chef Magazine 7/1/2004)
Food 'glue' and the chefs using it
Science Fare
(Time Out Chicago 2/1/2006)
Highlights of the 2006 Madrid Fusion expo
The Cutting Edge German Style
(Sante Magazine 9/1/2008)
A primer on German knives
Steak Out
(Men's Book 9/1/2015)
French Dressing
(CS magazine 10/1/2015)
The Food Issue: City Farm
(Chicago Reader 11/12/2009)
Eating and drinking through Madrid's Mercado de San Miguel
(Time Out Chicago 6/13/2012)
Food for Thought
(CS magazine 7/1/2011)
Forest, Preserved
(CS 4/30/2013)
From Philip Preston's lab to the kitchens of boundary-pushing chefs
(Sun Times 7/3/2011)
Flying High
(CS magazine 5/1/2016)
A review of Chicago's Oriole restaurant
Road Trip
(CS magazine 4/1/2016)
Chicago's famed Alinea restaurant opens a pop-up in Madrid. We had to see it for ourselves.
Flour Power
(CS magazine 4/1/2016)
Former Spiaggia Sarah Grueneberg opens her first solo restaurant, Monteverde
Team Work
(CS magazine 6/1/2016)
Chicago's The Second City and Hubbard Street Dance Company partner up for a stellar production
A Matter of Taste
(CS magazine 6/1/2016)
The James Beard Awards once again call Chicago home.
Homecoming
(CS magazine 9/19/2024)
The 50 Finest
(CS magazine 9/19/2024)
An annual restaurant feature of Chicago's top restaurants, chefs and mixologists
Bites
(CS magazine 8/1/2015)
A Man for All Seasons
(CS magazine 9/19/2024)
A Matter of Taste
(CS 7/1/2017)
Spanish Accents
(CS 7/1/2016)
Spain’s capital, Madrid, has emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting new culinary hubs. Traditional approaches, superb ingredients and leading-edge chefs converge, attracting not only visiting global culinary talents but international visitors in search of the latest in fine dining.
Road Trip
(CS 6/1/2016)
Smoke Signals
(Men's Book Chicago, Men's Book Atlanta 6/1/2016)
Reconstructing Alinea
(CS Interior 6/1/2016)
A Matter of Taste
(CS magazine 8/1/2017)
Annual restaurant feature of Chicago's best spots
Words To Eat By
(Men's Book Chicago 9/1/2017)
Well Timed
(Men's Book Chicago 9/1/2017)
The new restaurant Pacific Standard Time from One Off Hospitality chefs Erling Wu-Bower and Cosmo Goss open this fall
Bar None
(Men's Book Chicago 5/12/2016)
Your next handcrafted cocktail is a lot closer than you might think.
What Lies Beneath
(CS magazine 2/1/2010)
New Year's Eve at Double A