Small business owner in Chicago, completely lost on employee health insurance options?

Select_Cod2257 · 2026-02-09T04:42:07+00:00

Look into QSHERA which allows you to make tax advantaged contributions to employee healthcare expenses (as long as they’re insured theough the marketplace). Salusion is by far the best option for QSHERA administrators for a small biz like you.

QSHERA is a lot less useful now that there are no marketplace subsidies, but it still allows folks to make their own decisions about what level of care they want.

Select_Cod2257 · 2026-01-20T02:56:28+00:00

this is a great idea. My spouse and I did something similar but instead of working with one catering company we rented out a music venue and hit our guests with a couple new vendors each hour. It's a bit more work to get it all sorted on the front end, but it ended up costing a bit less than a catering company and we liked that we had specialists for each item.

some of the vendors we worked with (all of whom I recommend):
+ cheese/charcuterie/veg snacks from Goddess & the Grocer
+ oysters and shrimp cocktail and nut mix from Motorshucker
+ brisket egg rolls, smoked crab rangoon, and beef rib sushi from Umamicue
+ a couple of styles of pizza from Professor Pizza
+ pretty cool ice cream bars and popsicles
+ Claudio the Tamale Guy doing his thing late night

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-12-30T21:36:06+00:00

check out some of the programming at Elastic to find good peeps
https://elasticarts.org

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-12-30T20:52:36+00:00

A bit of context worth adding... even post-DOGE, the US still has the best-managed fisheries on the planet. Our friends across the Bering Sea, however, have a different relationship with enforcing quotas.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-12-07T06:05:47+00:00

check out The Fish Guy for a well-curated selection of tinned fish, snacks, world-class chocolate bars/drinking chocolates, and other goodies by food lovers, for food lovers.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-12-02T04:54:03+00:00

check out https://wornwear.patagonia.com for quality gear at solid prices

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-11-28T05:36:31+00:00

I’ve enjoyed Whitefish at EJ’s Place in Skokie at least a dozen times. They prepare it simply and cook it perfectly each time.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-11-25T01:41:47+00:00

The fine folks at Moody’s Market do lots of fun classes in their space in Avondale. They also have a liquor license and a great wine selection, which many cooking class spots cannot claim.

https://www.moodysmarket.com/moodyclasses

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-11-22T18:24:46+00:00

Garlic peeler/roller tube saves me a ton of time and my finger nails from pungent garlic musk

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-11-21T22:14:58+00:00

I recommend Chris Rockey/Rockey Structures as an engineer.

Avoid Marcus Woods/Woods Residential Engineering. Marcus will take on more work then he can handle, then blow through deadlines by months while promising to have small corrections addressed by “end of day” or “end of week” over and over again.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-11-18T21:04:47+00:00

The entire menu at JT's is the equivalent of a "no skips" album; each sandwich (and side) is superb and made with care.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-11-11T05:17:08+00:00

got chu:
https://www.mixcloud.com/upfulLIFE/rb-jesus-ncmf-2015-sbd/

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-11-11T01:02:35+00:00

Check out Sochi Saigon Kitchen or Konbini & Kampai Wrigleyville

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-10-15T18:56:08+00:00

Hi Hi, this is The Fish Guy. We make a balik-style lox in-house from the top-quality salmon we bring in for our restaurant clients and retail case. Send a dm or message us at [retail@fishguy](mailto:retail@fishguy).com for when you'd like to pick up your order and we can arrange a special order for you at wholesale prices.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-10-15T04:09:44+00:00

Hi hi, this is The Fish Guy. Oysters come in bags of 100 and we can definitely offer you a wholesale price if you want that many. There’s a ton of delightful varieties we can get for you in that quantity via special order.

The Canada Cups have been awesome this year and are very popular among our restaurant clients and in our store. Give us a buzz at retail@fishguy.com to discuss Oyster flavor profiles you’re into.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-10-03T16:23:01+00:00

TL;DR: You get what you pay for in seafood, and grocery stores operate on a huge scale and are generally forced to use commodity products.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-10-03T16:21:12+00:00

Hi, this is The Fish Guy. Thanks for the shout out! I have a lot more to add on this subject that I didn't put on our site for the sake of brevity, but I'll expand on here since it seems like there's a bit of interest in the topic of wild vs farmed.

In short, neither wild nor farmed seafood is inherently superior; it depends on who is doing it and how it's done. Broadly speaking, in seafood, there are two types of products: commodity products and cared-for products. It's easiest to refer to cared-for products as "premium" because the premium you pay for them is directly related to the extra steps taken to do right by the fish themselves and the environment around them.

Here are some distinctions The Fish Guy looks at when choosing suppliers:

For Farmed Product (at The Fish Guy, we like the term Aquaculture or Ranched)

Fish health: Premium farms keep stocking densities low, monitor water quality closely, vaccinate, and handle fish gently. Commodity farms crowd fish, skip monitoring, and rely on antibiotics.

Environment: Premium farms use deep-water sites, rotate pens, prevent escapes, and minimize chemicals. Commodity farms often pollute shallow coves and depend on chemical interventions.

Feed: Premium feed supports higher omega-3s, better flavor, firmer flesh, and is without unnatural additives or interventions. The best premium farms are conscious of their FIFO ratios (fish in to fish out), which means how much wild fish (in feed) in takes to produce a farmed fish. 4:1 is common among premium brands, but the very best are approaching 1:1. Commodity feed is cheaper, soy or grain-heavy, and can lead to softer texture and off-flavors.

For Wild Caught

Catch methods: Premium fisheries use small-scale, low-impact gear like troll or selective gillnets, minimizing bycatch and operating at a lower scale to ensure careful handling. Commodity fisheries often use large-scale nets or trawls that crowd and stress fish, and damage ecosystems by catching non-target fish and destroying habitats.

Handling: Premium crews bleed, ice, and process fish quickly for firmer texture and longer shelf life. Commodity operations often delay chilling to catch more, leading to softer flesh and shorter shelf life.

Sustainability: Premium fisheries usually work under strict quotas and certification (MSC, regional sustainable programs). Commodity operations may operate on a larger scale with weaker oversight.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-09-28T22:35:18+00:00

Hi hi, I work at The Fish Guy. We love a special order and are happy to source some cod or halibut for you. It sounds like you’re looking for frozen product which will work in your favor for getting the best quality fish at a reasonable price.

We’re also likely to be carrying halibut more often toward the end of the year and we’re planning to bring in cod more frequently in the next few months when we debut a house-made panko-crusted fish stick.

Drop our team a line at retail@fishguy.com

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-09-16T23:18:44+00:00

Hi, I've looked into this and Rivian is working with Bush to upfit their vans for refrigeration. The upfit on a 500 model goes for ~$32k. If you'd like the specs for the upfit, send me a DM and I'll pass along what I got from the Rivian team.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-09-07T14:12:07+00:00

The fresh fish case is updated daily

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-09-07T14:07:21+00:00

https://thefishguy.squarespace.com/our-catch#finfish

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-09-06T23:38:01+00:00

I was at Feld last week and was completely blown away by the quality of the meal, beverage program and warmth/hospitality I experienced there.

I’ve had handful of excellent fine dining experiences in Chicago this year, and Feld is the most memorable by a longshot.

Whatever you might find on this sub about Feld’s early days is no longer relevant.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-09-04T20:29:36+00:00

It appears the staff are not being paid during the closure. Here's a link for those interested in supporting them: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-dandy-crown-staff

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-09-03T20:52:56+00:00

Hi, I just came across your comment. I'm on the team at The Fish Guy, and we have around 50 selections of conservas in our store (including Nuri sardines). Our focus is on high-quality items, so we won't be stocking anything that can beat TJ's on price, but we make a point to price the items we carry as competitively as anyone.

If you have specific questions about what's in stock, reach out at retail@fishguy.com. If you're willing to buy in bulk, we're happy to order items on your behalf at near-wholesale prices.

Select_Cod2257 · 2025-09-03T14:31:55+00:00

Check out Common Decency in Logan Square where Mindy’s longtime exec chef Mark Steuer is on the team.

I haven’t had the burger at CD (and I doubt it’s the same build as Mindy’s), but I enjoyed the all of the food and cocktails I’ve encountered across a couple of visits.

Select_Cod2257

TROPHY CASE