It’s Blackhawks vs. Bruins tonight in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and the coveted Cup is on the line. But that’s not all that’s on the line for the ABC 7 Morning News team. They made a friendly and mouthwatering wager with their Boston affiliate this morning. What’s at stake? Bragging rights and a bundle of Windy City treats from Tastes of Chicago, including Lou Malnati’s Deep Dish pizza, Garret Popcorn, and Eli’s Cheesecake. We’ve got a feeling they’ll be gorging themselves on lobster and clam chowder real soon! Go Hawks!

Contributed by Meggie L.

Father's Day is fast approaching and there are a lot of fun festivals that are going on around the city. My dad has always said that time is the best gift a child can give their father. Enjoy some time with Dad on Father's Day at one of these fun events:

6 Corners BBQ Fest
It's not uncommon for Dad to be the king of the grill in the summertime, so what could be better than some good music and plates piled high with BBQ? With everything from pulled pork sandwiches to juicy slabs of BBQ ribs, the 6 Corners BBQ Fest in Portage Park is fun for the whole family. Located at Milwaukee Ave, Irving Park Rd, and Cicero Ave, the festival is easily accessible by car or public transportation. In addition to getting wrist-deep in BBQ, there are also arts and crafts tables and a unique market packed with great finds. And you won't want to miss the “Meat on Milwaukee Cookoff”. The best backyard chefs will start cooking at 8am with judging at 4pm and the winner will be announced by 6pm.

45th Annual Father's Day Classic Car Show
Take a stroll through Oakbrook Center's park-like mall and enjoy the classic cars on display at the 45th Annual Father's Day Classic Car Show. Truly a car lover's paradise, the one-day-only event will have more than 90 antique, classic, vintage and specialty cars on display. Admission is free and vehicles will be on display from 11am to 6pm.

Father's Day Canoe Adventure
Take part in a rare opportunity and canoe the lakes at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Explore the water while the Garden’s aquatic biologist explains the Garden's nationally recognized program to restore and enhance miles of lakeshore. All the while being greeted by heron, frogs, ducks and fish. If Dad's an outdoorsman, he'll love this. Make sur to register soon, spots will definitely fill up!

If you're looking for the perfect gift, Tastes of Chicago has just what Dad craves. Deep dish pizza, Chicago-Style hot dogs, Italian beef, and much more! Have it shipped right to Dad's door for the ultimate surprise. If you need some more ideas, head on over to Tastes of Chicago's website for some of our hand-picked favorites.

If you're feeling lucky, enter our Pin to Win contest for your chance to win a Father's Day gift package. One randomly selected winner will get to pick their prize from the list of suggested pins. Click here to enter!

Contributed by Meghan R.

The weekend is here and so is June! That means Chicago is buzzing with tons of fun things to do. We may have it rough during the long winter months, but the summer months sure make up for it. Here's what's happening around town this weekend:

• Chicago Turkish Festival: May 31-June 1
  Chicago Turkish Festival is celebrating its 11th year this year. It is being held at Pioneer Court, at 401 N Michigan Ave, for the first time since it started. This year's Festival will feature art demonstrations, lively dancing, music and delicious gourmet food. It's a great opportunity for Chicagoans to celebrate, learn, and savor Turkish culture, heritage and cuisine.
  
• Millennium Art Festival: May 31-June 2
  Do you love sculptures, photography, paintings, and more? Then you'll want to head down to the Millennium Art Festival this weekend. With original works from more than 130 acclaimed artists, this Art Festival has a variety of arts from ceramics to sculptures, glass to wood, photography to furniture, and much more in between. It is in its fifth year and located in the heart of downtown Chicago at Michigan Avenue and Lake Street.
  
• Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project: Saturday, June 1, 10am
  Help make the beach "barefoot friendly" by joining the Surfrider Foundation at Oak Street Beach on Saturday, June 1st. Barefoot Wine and the Surfrider Foundation, along with community volunteers, are embarking on a 15 stop tour to help cleanup the nations beaches. Volunteers are also invited to attend a surf-inspired celebration featuring a live performance by Lee DeWyze after the cleanup. Be sure to look for the Surfrider tent!
• United Run for the Zoo: Sunday, June 2
  Take a walk on the wild side this Sunday and head on over to the Lincoln Park Zoo for their annual 5K and 10K USATF-certified, chip-timed race. This race helps raise funds for the zoo's residents and conservation programs.

With summer officially in sight, I'm looking forward to discovering more fun activities and festivals the city has to offer. What are some of your favorite "off the beaten path" summer events around the city?

Contributed by Meghan R.

Photo courtesy of Wrigleville Rooftops

This year’s event will be held at Wrigleyville Rooftops, located at 3643 N. Sheffield, which features a spectacular view from right field. Guests will enjoy all you can eat and drink for $125. To purchase a ticket or make a donation, please click here.

While there is still a long way to go to finally shutting out cancer, we want to thank all of the people who continually to step up to the plate by donating to the Lou Malnati Cancer Research Fund!

Contributed by Meggie L.

Which side are you on?

Photo courtesy of Pat

In early April, twelve employees from the Lou Malnati’s downtown Naperville location participated in an event hosted by the PADS (Providing Advocacy Dignity and Shelter) Organization at St. Margret Mary’s Parish in Naperville. PADS is an organization that helps out the less fortunate by finding housing and providing support for the homeless in the Chicagoland area. Each Thursday St. Margret Mary’s works with PADS and provides a meal, a warm bed for the night, and any supplies that have been donated to the local homeless.

When we pulled into the church parking lot my attention was immediately drawn to a minivan that had piles of donated clothes and supplies towering out of its trunk. I was speechless at the generosity. As my team and I got out of our cars, we started to walk in and no one really knew what to expect, including myself. We were met at the door by a member of the church named Tom, and the pastor, Father Paul. Tom gave us more background information about PADS. We were put to work right away and directed to a back room where all the beds, pillows, and sheets were located.

In the church there were four separate family rooms with a total of 28 beds and a larger main area where there were 40 more. There were also bins of hygiene products, clothes, and stuffed animals that were available for the families’ use. As we were setting up the beds, the families started to arrive and we started to comprehend just how unfortunate these families are.

I was making a bed and a little girl, no more than 6 years old, started to follow me. She had the biggest smile on her face and helped me straighten out the sheets on the bed I was making. She and I talked for some time while making beds until her mom called her over along with her rest of the family. It was at that point that I realized how good it felt to be giving back to the community and also how happy I was to have my coworkers experience this with me.

We finished making the beds and the families started to settle in. While we were waiting for the food from Lou’s, we had about 30 minutes of playtime with the children. My coworkers and I, not knowing how to approach the children, were nervous to walk over and interact with them. To our surprise, it was very easy to engage with them. Another member of our team, who has children of her own, was the first to walk over to the table where all the little kids were playing. The rest of us followed and watched the children play games and saw how their smiles continued to grow as we talked and laughed with them.

As the food arrived, we all walked out as a team and helped bring the items inside. We noticed that all eyes were on us as the food arrived and that made me realize how hungry these people were. They quickly lined up and were very thankful and patient during the serving process. My team and I focused all of our attention on helping the people get what they needed. Almost everyone got up for seconds until they had their fill.

As everyone ate, I talked with one of my managers and another employee who was working next to me. We all agreed that if we saw these people outside of the church, we wouldn't even notice that they were homeless. This realization helped show us how such a widespread problem like homelessness can be so easily ignored. Later one of the members of the church came over and told us that we did a great job and that made me feel good about the effort that we had put in towards helping those experiencing such hard times.

After dinner it was about time for us to leave and my team and I came together again to clean up. We shook hands with the members of the church and said goodbye to the families. Everyone thanked us again for sharing our time with them.

Walking to our cars, we all were smiling to ourselves knowing we took time away from our busy schedules to make a difference in our community. We all mentioned that there is so much more that we can do for people in need, such as having a donation box at work for toys, stuffed animals, clothes, and hygiene products.

When reflecting back on the experience I realize how proud I am to be a part of the Lou Malnati’s family, because we came together as a group to make a difference.

Contributed by Sarah H.

With an abundance of concerts, neighborhood festivals, parades, and events taking place in Chicago this spring and summer, we thought we’d get the fun started by highlighting a few of the upcoming events. Ready, set… go!

You have probably heard of the Taste of Chicago and Lollapalooza, but the lesser known neighborhood festivals are a chance for each neighborhood to show off its unique character and a true opportunity to get to know the city. May 17-19 Mayfest kicks of the city’s festival season in Lakeview. Following up Mayfest is another North Side tradition, the Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest on May 25-26, or for another neighborhood vibe head to Wicker Park for Do-Division Street Fest May 31-June 2.

If you didn’t get your fill of parades over St. Patrick’s Day, your next opportunity is the annual Memorial Day Parade taking place on May 25th. The parade, one of the largest Memorial Day parades in the nation, will start at 12 noon at State and Lake and head south to Van Buren on State (not far from Lou Malnati’s South Loop or River North).

If it’s music you’re after, the options (many free!) are abundant. The local festivals often feature local bands, and are awesome opportunities to see some of Chicago’s most talented yet unknown bands. Millennium Park offers a concert series throughout the summer. Lawn seats are free, so bring a blanket and picnic basket and enjoy! In Highland Park, a northern suburb of Chicago, sits Ravinia. Known as Chicago's "sound of summer" since 1904, Ravinia offers nightly concerts and a schedule packed with variety. Tickets are available to sit in the pavilion, but the true Ravinia experience is found on the lawn with a blanket, a picnic, candles, and friends. An added bonus: if you are coming from the city, the Union Pacific North Line that goes from Chicago to Kenosha stops right at the front gate of Ravinia!

If it’s food you’re after, well…just click here.

Contributed by Meggie L.

Lou Malnati's employees put their green thumbs to work this morning and participated in our yearly planting party at the Home Office in Northbrook. The planters that were assembled will go on display at our restaurants on the patios. With a little sun and some water, these planters will be overflowing with colorful flowers in the weeks to come.

According to the Chicago Botanic Garden's May Checklist, this is the perfect week to "plant warm-season flowering annuals, vines, herbs, and vegetables." If you're itching to plant your garden but need some help with a design, check out Better Homes and Gardens' Garden Plans for a little help. They have recommendations for vegetables, shady areas, and more.

What flowers/vegetables will you be planting for the summer?

Mother's Day is coming up on May 12th and we're on the hunt for the perfect gift. In addition to spending the day with Mom, Tastes of Chicago has some delicious delicacies that Mom is sure to love... not to mention, they are the perfect compliment to her favorite deep dish pizza!

Carol's Gourmet Chocolate Chip Cookies Carol's Cookies offers gourmet chocolate chip cookies that are absolutely delicious. Carol started making these cookies in her own kitchen over 30 years ago! She still carries on the tradition today (in a bigger kitchen, of course) and her homemade cookies are irresistible.

Long Grove Confectionery's Chocolate Covered Strawberries A succulent treat, chocolate covered strawberries were rumored to have been invented in the 1960's by Chicago shop owner, Lorraine Lorusso. No matter how they came to be, they're here to stay. Treat Mom to Long Grove Confectionery's juicy strawberries that are hand-dipped in milk chocolate. Pair it with a nice glass of wine to bring out even more of the berry's sweetness! (Check out eHow for some pairing pointers.)

Lou's Heart Shaped Chocolate Chip Cookie & Pizza If you've ever had dessert at one of our restaurants, then you know what this cookie is all about. This cookie uses the same recipe we use in the pizzerias but this one is shipped all over the US. This 9" cookie is beg enough to share, but Mom may not want to give it up because it tastes so good!

Kay's Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls If your Mom likes peanut butter, then she's going to love these peanut butter balls from Kay's Candies. Known for their homemade chocolates, Kay's is a Chicago institution when it comes to chocolate and they have been making them the old-fashioned way for more than 50 years.

Wildfire's Keylime Pie Wildfire might be known for their steaks, chops and seafood, but you wouldn't know it when tasting their keylime pie. Perfectly tart and creamy, this homemade pie will make you want to head to the Florida Keys for some beach time!

Lezza's Triple Layer Chocolate Cake Beware: this chocolate cake has the power to make you forget about breakfast, lunch, and dinner and only focus on dessert. Mom will want seconds after she digs into this perfectly moist yet fluffy cake with creamy chocolate frosting. Who's counting though? It's her day to indulge!

Which sweet treat do you think Mom would love the most? In addition to a tasty surprise, I know that Mom's love spending time with their loved ones. It's tradition in our family to let Mom choose what she wants to do and where she wants to go on Mother's Day. Last year we explored the city at her pace and enjoyed walking around some of the newer parks and attractions that she hadn't been to before.

Whatever you choose to do, we hope you enjoy the day. Time is the most precious gift of all so cherish the moments and have some fun! If you decide to explore Chicago and get hungry, you can always stop by our place for lunch :).

There are more than 4.1 million secretaries and administrative assistants working in the United States, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, and 8.9 million people working in various administrative support roles. And today, we salute you! Administrative professionals are invited to dine with us from 11am-2pm and receive a free dessert on the house.

*Dine-in Dessert Offer: Valid for administrative professionals only. Dine-in only. Minimum purchase of $10 required.

At Lou's, we strive 365 days a year to research, recognize, and implement the most environmentally conscious restaurant practices developed so that we can reduce our impact on the environment.

What steps have you taken to reduce your "footprint"? Check out our infographic below to see some of the steps we've taken.

This past week, we had new Managers in Training at our home office in Northbrook for office training. Through this, Managers learn about responsibilities ranging from working with the store's management team to achieve all budgeted financial goals, including income, sales and costs, to learning how to assist with ordering to ensure inventory maintenance and appropriate receiving procedures are being followed. The rigorous training these Managers go through doesn't stop with the hands-on, strategic training though - it goes even deeper. What I've learned from working at Malnati's is that procedures and practical training only take an employee so far. It is your personal growth and emotional competence that are the key factors for progress.

A lot of time is dedicated to help employees identify their strengths and how to best leverage these strengths given their environment. At the same time though, weaknesses are discovered and blind spots are brought to light. This is one of the biggest steps in learning how much you can grow on a personal level. In the same way a family comes together to help guide and offer their support of a family member, Malnati's provides trainees with the support and tools they need in order to grow.

I believe this is what sets Malnati's apart from other companies and what sets us up for success. I am more motivated and happy knowing that I work for a company that cares not only about the product they serve to their customers, but also the person that is serving that product. If you are looking for a job, or know someone who is, make sure to check out our current job openings – we would love to have you be part of our family.

Today is National Deep Dish Pizza Day and we're celebrating the only way we know how... by making pizza! Have you seen a deep dish pizza being made before? It really is a sight worth seeing...

You can also watch how it's made by clicking here.

Out of the whole process though, the best part is the finished product.

While I don't remember the first time I ever had Lou Malnati's deep dish, I do have many fond memories of going to River North with my family for special occasions. There's nothing like having a slice from a pan that just came out of the oven. The aroma, the gooey cheese, the fresh taste - second to none.

Do you remember the first time you had Lou's deep dish?

Photo courtesy of mlblogscubden.wordpress.com

So even with the grass still brown, the trees still leafless, and snow still on the ground, I have hope. I hope that spring is just around the corner. I hope that the Cubs will be better than last year. I hope for hot, fresh Lou’s pizza tonight for dinner. I close my eyes and think about the warm sun shining down on me sitting in the bleachers, the crack of the bat, and a baseball going back, back, back to the green of the ivy on the Wrigley Field wall. I smell green grass, flowers, a warm lake breeze, and the best aroma of all... Lou Malnati’s pizza. And I hope.

Spring has arrived. Well, let me rephrase that: meteorological spring has arrived. We’re still waiting for the first 70 degree day of the year and I’m sitting here wondering when I can officially put my down coat away. If this is Mother Nature’s idea of a good joke, I’m not amused.

Will we see any spring weather or rush right in to the scorching summer heat? We’ll have to wait and see, but I’m in the mood for wishful thinking with 3 ways to welcome spring even if it the weather hasn’t cooperated.

Hit the Market
Got a taste for your seasonal favorites? Stock up on spring essentials at the Green City Market. You will find a diverse range of high quality foods that are sustainably grown. And as a plus, until Mother Nature decides to cooperate the market is held indoors!

Grow Your Own Indoor Herb Garden
Herbs are great fun to grow indoors and easy too! To get your indoor herb garden going, park a planter filled with quality potting soil and your favorite herb seeds in front of a window that gets lots of natural sunlight. Make sure the spot you choose will get six hours of sunlight each day and not be so hot in the afternoons.

Spring Cleaning
The origin of spring cleaning is debatable but one thing is for sure, it sure feels good to have it done. Hop to it before the warm weather arrives, so when it does you can get outside and enjoy it!

Lou Malnati's may be known for its deep dish pizza but if you take a close look at the full-service restaurant menu, you will see some newer items that are definitely worth a try.

First up is the Trio of Dips and Pizza Chips appetizer. We first tested this dish at an employee townhall meeting and it was a huge hit! It comes with three housemade dips - roasted garlic, artichoke, and giardiniera-topped hummus (my personal favorite) - and is served with crispy pizza dough chips. The dips are delicious but the pizza dough chips are what make this appetizer irresistible.

Next is the Spinach Salad. This is a delicious low-calorie option that is packed with flavor. Spinach with fresh seasonal fruit, red onions, and crumbled goat cheese lightly tossed with our housemade Balsamic Vinaigrette. The smooth taste of the goat cheese is a savory compliment to the tartness of the dressing.

Another new addition to the menu is the Tilapia Piccata entrée. The perfect choice if you're looking to try something a little different. Served on a bed of sautéed spinach and mushrooms, this delicate white fish is lightly crusted and pan-seared in white wine, garlic and olive oil then topped with tomatoes and capers.

I'll admit, the thought of coming into Lou's and not ordering deep dish feels a bit weird but don't be afraid to take a walk on the wild side the next time you stop by - these new items are sure to please.

Have you nominated Lou's for the Shorty Awards yet?

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media, recognizing the people and organizations producing real-time short form content across Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, YouTube, Foursquare, and the rest of the social Web.

We have really enjoyed interacting with you - our customers and fans - on a daily basis through social media and now we get the chance to show the rest of the blog-o-sphere that there's more to Lou Malnati's than deep dish pizza.  You have until February 17, 2012 to nominate your favorite pizzeria in the #Food category on Twitter and ShortyAwards.com!

You can nominate us by:

- Filling out the nomination form at ShortyAwards.com

- Sending a tweet like this:

I nominate @LouMalnatis for a #ShortyAward in #food because… [must add reason here].

Thank you so much for your support!

Enjoy an annual tradition and ring in the New Year a little early with your family at one of Lou Malnati’s full-service restaurants. The Lakewood, Lincolnwood, Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove and Naperville pizzerias are hosting a family celebration, including pizza, soda, a mock count down, sparkling cider toast and a balloon drop.

Each location will have two seatings around 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm, but times vary at each location so please call the restaurant directly for specific times or click here for details.  All locations will be open until 9pm on New Year's Eve.

Lou’s pizzerias will be open on New Year’s Day. Happy Holiday’s from Lou Malnati’s!