The Chicago Literary Salon is an upscale, ticketed author event series where book lovers gather for cocktails & conversation with writers at the heart of today’s literary scene. Created by Ashley Hasty, the innovative concept has grown a loyal following and featured authors both local and nationally best selling.

We sat down for our own conversation with Ashley about her background and where the idea for a regular author series came from. She shares some of the fascinating stories authors have shared and what you can expect if you attend an event.

Ashley shares who is on her 2026 lineup and explains why the popularity of her author talks extends beyond the books to the conversations and connections made during the evening.

To check out all of the upcoming dates and authors, visit the link below!

TICKETS: https://www.hastybooklist.com/the-chicago-literary-salon

SOCIAL: https://www.instagram.com/chicagoliterarysalon/

Find your 2026 Aura with us at Aura Candle Bar!

Founded in 2020 by Tom and Linda Pendrey, this transformative candle bar has differentiated itself and garnered a loyal following of repeat customers from around the world. Featuring over 100 fragrance options and scent consultants who will teach you the science behind fragrance and fire, you will leave this experience, literally feeling enlightened!

Tom shares their founding story, including how they landed on Chicago and what some of the entrepreneurial milestones have been.

Kristen, who is Tom and Linda‘s daughter, guides us through what a candle making experience is like and how the team of consultants helps you to discover the meaning behind the scents you choose, and how to blend them into the perfect original fragrance!

We end with what’s trending in the world of candles, including sweet scents and their changeover to a new type of wax! Tom also highlights exciting additions to the business, including an e-commerce platform and the ability to customize your own sugar scrub and some new vessels!

BOOK: https://auracandlebar.com/

SOCIAL: https://www.instagram.com/auracandlebar/

2:40 Intro & Founding Story

7:30 The Magic of Fragrance

12:00 The Candle Process- What’s Unique at Aura and a discussion of fragrance options

23:50 The Science of Fragrance

26:30 What’s trending in candles & what’s ahead in 2026 for Aura Candle Bar

Join us for one last cheers as we recap 2025 and make predictions for 2026! We chat about a year of podcast highlights and are honest about the lows that come with creating media & content.

Plus, we both make some bold predictions for 2026- from fashion trends, to politics, to AI, hear our super unfiltered hot takes on what’s ahead for Chicago, America, and the world.

Cheers to a New Year and thanks so much for another amazing year of storytelling!

Episode Outline

1:00- 2025 Biggest news story, outfit of the year, and Ioanna’s rare diagnosis

2026 Predictions

8:00- Chicago Bears

10:30- AI

14:30- Remote Work

17:45- Clothing

20:00- Midterm Elections

26:00- Food & Dining

It’s Christmas of long ago, your house is covered in fresh snowfall, and the bright, warm glow of your incandescent Christmas lights peaks through to light up the winter cold.

In this festive episode, we meet Tru-Tone Christmas Lights, the company bringing back the nostalgic glow and timeless magic of vintage Christmas lights.

Learn how partners David Andora & Sean Hunt created their bulbs to capture that vintage glow so prominently featured in your most nostalgic Christmas movies and memories. A heartfelt founding story inspired by childhood memories and Christmases in Chicago!

Dive into what’s trending in holiday lights and hear some of the science behind Christmas lighting!

We end with a lit round of rapid fire, learning their favorite Christmas light color and the best gift they’ve ever received!

SHOP: https://tru-tone.com/

SOCIAL: https://www.instagram.com/trutonebulbs/

CHICAGO VENDORS

FESTIVE COLLECTIVE

​5 N Milwaukee Ave

INSIDE HOME

1942 W. Chicago Ave

DISTRICT CHICAGO

5430 N Clark St

What do Santa, Suites, and Serenity all have in common? They’re all at Hyatt Lodge Oak Brook Chicago! We’re staying in their signature “Santa Suite” and chatting the holidays with Michelle Marvin, Director of Sales and Marketing!

Michelle tells us about the scenic property, which is surrounded by forest preserve, and has rich historic ties to McDonald’s former headquarters! Hear about the property’s amenities, such as their absolutely insane indoor pool (perf for winter staycations), a full-service spa, and incredible wedding packages (Michelle even likely sold Aaron on scheduling his wedding)!

We also chat about why they are the must-do location for winter and Christmas fun in the suburbs. This year’s fun includes their famous holiday pop-up bar “Prancer’s Pub”, the family-friendly “Deck the Halls” crafting & cocoa events, and of course - THE SANTA SUITE - a North Pole Suite which includes a special surprise from Santa and stunning lake views.

Check out the links below to book a stay, explore the property, and plan your own suburban holiday fun!

HOTEL RESERVATIONS: https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-hotels/en-US/chilo-hyatt-lodge-oak-brook-chicago

HOLIDAY OFFERINGS: https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-hotels/en-US/chilo-hyatt-lodge-oak-brook-chicago/holidays

PRANCER’S PUB MENU: https://www.hyatt.com/content/dam/hotel/propertysites/assets/hyatt/chilo/documents/en_us/dining/hearth-lounge/389115_Prancers_Pub_Menu_Card.pdf

WEDDING INFO: https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-hotels/en-US/chilo-hyatt-lodge-oak-brook-chicago/weddings

SPA: https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-hotels/en-US/chilo-hyatt-lodge-oak-brook-chicago/spa

And when I’m back in Chicago, I feel it, and I stop at Transit Tees for all my holiday shopping!

Transit Tees takes visuals from Chicago’s metropolitan landscape, iconic brands, and cultural landmarks and turns them into the most epic products, clothing, and decor!

We chat in-store with Tim Gillengerten, Owner and Creative Director, who in 2001, founded the business and is still creating local treasures to this day! We hear the founding story, which includes inspo from Chicago’s “L”. Plus, discover how he and his team of 23 create stunning products, like a map of all our Chicago neighborhoods and a Malört drinking game!

Hear what it’s like to collab with famous brands like Portillo’s and discover the stories behind their most popular products! Tim also shares some great advice for other entrepreneurs and small businesses!

We take the express train to end with rapid fire, learning Tim’s dream collab and his favorite holiday gift ever!

SHOP: https://www.transittees.com/

SOCIAL: http://instagram.com/transittees

Wicker Park

1371 N. Milwaukee Ave

Andersonville

5226 N. Clark St

Tucked away in Chicago’s Chocolate Temple is a wonderland of tastes, sights, and indulgent delicacies. Vosges Haut-Chocolat is our sweet treat pick for the 2025 holiday season!

Known for truffles, iconic flavor pairings, and an absolutey HUGE advent calendar, Vosges has been treating Chicago & the world to sumptuous crafted treats for almost three decades!

We dipped into the chocolate world of wonder with Ash Mishler & Jen Hockey, learning the history of Vosges, what makes their chocolate unique (they have their own proprietary blend cacao, so cool), and we heard about how they land on some of their exotic flavor pairings! From olive oil, to curry, to ginger, customers can travel the world by chocolate!

Discover the newly released collaboration with ‘The Smashing Pumpkins’, which includes vegan chocolate bars crafted to pair with specific songs for an experiential tasting- a “sensory symphony” as they call it! We discuss what it takes to pull off an epic collaboration like this!

To end, we bite into rapid fire, discovering Ash & Jen’s favorite Vosges chocolate of all time and what they didn’t expect when they signed up to work with chocolate!

Gift Vosges now, including their signature “Exotic Truffle” box, The Smashing Pumpkins collab, and their 2025 Advent Calendar now at the links below!

SHOP/GIFT: https://www.vosgeschocolate.com/

ADVENT CALENDAR: https://www.vosgeschocolate.com/products/a-chocolate-calendar-of-advent

SOCIAL: https://www.instagram.com/vosgeshautchocolat/

We’ve got a lot to be frankful for this holiday season! And it all starts with our love for Chicago Icon, Vienna Beef! Today, we hear the story behind the Chicago-style Hot Dog and more from this absolute Windy City beast!

We’re joined by Maizy Lind, Marketing Coordinator, who serves up the bunbelievable history of Vienna Beef and the Chicago Style Hot Dog! Hear about its roots to the Chicago World’s Fair and the poppy seeded popularity boom that came from the Maxwell Street Market.

Maizy talks about how their dogs are made, why so many ma & pop joints trust Vienna Beef, and what’s in their catalog of products beyond hot dogs!

We end with “Let’s Be Frank” where Maizy tells us her favorite hot dog topping, how she likes her french fries, and what she most loves about Vienna Beef!

Serve up Vienna Beef this holiday season! Order delicious snackies & treats at the link below!

We also want to thank everyone at Vienna Beef for welcoming us into their family on a tour of their manufacturing facility! It was truly impressive to see Chicago eats being made!

SHOP & SHIP: https://www.viennabeef.com/

VIENNA LOCATOR: https://www.viennabeef.com/find-vienna-beef/

SOCIAL: https://www.instagram.com/viennabeef/

HOT DOG UNIVERSITY: https://www.viennabeef.com/hot-dog-university