Sip With Me

Put on your fave overalls and goodwill tee because today we’re getting down and dirty with Mr. Kate! Famous design duo  Kate and Joey share everything design, decor, and DIY on their channel. You can find super helpful renovation tips, design inspo, and the behind the scenes from some of their celebrity space makeovers! They’ve earned almost 4 million subs on YouTube alone! They have transformed the homes of YouTube celebrities like Jeffree Star, James Charles, the Dolan twins, and the list goes on! They've launched their very own furniture line, and really inspired both Ioanna and I with design of Ioanna’s first home in Lincoln Park! Join us as we chat their process, relationship, the ups and downs of design, and so much more! Plus, a peek into what they’ve been working on! They’re vulnerable, they’re quirky, they’re loving, they’re Mr. Kate! Follow them @mrkate and shop their lines at https://linktr.ee/mrkate In place of a cocktail this week, please support fellow Hawaiians impacted by the devastating Maui fires by donating: https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/maui

Bekah Wriedt is a chicago-based fashion and lifestyle photographer who shot our GORGEOUS, pink Sip with Me photos earlier this year. We feel the need to brag about how good she is by having her on the show to share her story, tips for getting your photos taken, and what it was like working with us… We hear about how she found her passion through the lens and what her journey has been like building a name for herself. She gives us some tips to use during our next photo shoot and reveals all the tea about shooting us, a Virgo & Chaotic Capricorn. To see her work, including our pics, and to book her for your next personal or business shoot, visit her website: https://www.bekahwriedt.com/ 📸: @bekahwriedt

The day after Ioanna’s wedding last summer, we ambitiously aired an episode of Sip With Me while we were still recovering from the Greek tradition of dancing all night and breaking plates. It was iconic because our guest was an icon, Melissa Andre, Founder of Melissa Andre Design Co. and, according to our episode title from last year, a “Château Innovator”. She’s planned events for the most “A” of the “A-List” celebs and has a vision for creation that is unmatched in today’s event planning market. Melissa is BACK to get all the tea from Ioanna & Aaron about the wedding, including the good, the bad, and the juicy drama. Plus, Melissa tells us about how wedding & event season 2023 is shaping up when compared to the record smashing, post-pandemic social palooza that was 2022. Literally our social batteries are still fried! And, Melissa gets a brilliant idea for a podcast, which we are manifesting and would love to invest in once we ever make a penny from Sip With Me. We finish with a hilarious update on the Château and Melissa tells us what a pain in the a** renovations can be. We truly love Melissa and her support of our show has meant the world! Give her a follow @melissaandre and visit the link in our Instagram bio to check out her work! Melissa, we’ll see you soon for some Pilates reformer and gossip!!

Sheena Melwani is a media personality, but not one who went down this path on purpose. With musical roots, Sheena has always been known for her amazing voice, and in 2020, her and her husband @therealindiandad went viral, forming their iconic “interrupted series”. Today, approaching 10 million TikTok followers, Sheena and her husband continue to make people laugh through positivity and joy, and Sheena continues to bless us all with her angelic voice, including her EP “Find Your Happy” and some amazing collabs with global performers. Sheenah joins us to discuss her rise to fame, longtime passion for music, and her recent EP. Plus, we talk about about how nerves to perform are SO real! And, we get a motivational pep talk on how to truly “find you’re happy”. We end with rapid fire, during which we learn a truly iconic bagel connection between Ioanna and Sheenah! I’m place of a cocktail, we share our go-to bagel orders! Follow Sheenah on Instagram @sheenahmelwani and visit her website to stream her music www.sheenahmelwani.com

At 52 Million TikTok followers and 1.4 Billion likes, Michael Le is one of the world’s most influential, most viewed, and key to his success, most loving and positive, social media personalities out there. Everything he touches turns to gold, and we’re so excited because he shares a passion for a lot of what made Ioanna and I friends- dance, fitness, and family. The 23 year-old dancer and choreographer is known for his epic dance vids, collabs, and his bright personality. On top of his TikToks, he has several YouTube channels, a business, and is always partnering with world famous creators and brands. Michael joins us to discuss how he got into dance and how how creativity led to his historic rise to the top of the TikTok charts. Plus, hear about his entrepreneurial side and his company “Joystick”, a gaming and esports platform that seeks to empower players in the web3 space. And, he talks about his hysterical family, known by fans as “The Shluv Family” and gives us a peak info what it’s like creating with your loved ones. We end with an update on what he’s looking forward to in the rest of 2023, AND we play a round of rapid fire, discussing Michael’s favorite workout, dream collab, what game he’s playing right now, and more! Follow Michael on Instagram: @justmaiko Follow his YouTube channels: https://youtube.com/@JustMaiko https://youtube.com/@justmaiko2 https://youtube.com/@TheShluvFamily Discover “Joystick”: https://joystickgaming.io

There’s nothin’ more Chicago than a shot of Malört (or a bottle)! It’s famous for its unique taste and rich history. It’s a traditional wormwood based liquor near and dear to Chicago’s food and drink pop culture, and it’s been gaining insane popularity in recent years. Tremaine Atkinson, CEO, Co-Founder, & Head Drinker of CH Distillery, which bought the famous brand in 2018, added it to its portfolio of artisan spirits. The company, which embodies Chicago in name and spirit, is host to a 50,000 sq foot distillery and a portfolio of Illinois spirits. We chat with Tremaine about why he founded CH and what led him to fall in love with Jeppson’s Malört. Hear some of its rich history and why Tremaine brought the brand back to Chicago. Plus, hear about what it’s like to run a distillery in a major city and  what makes their spirits stand out from the crowd! Follow them @chdistillery Visit https://chdistillery.com/ to learn more about the brand, book a reservation at CH Bar, or book a distillery tour! PLUS, they have partnered with Jinsei Motto to offer both cocktail and sushi at their West Loop location! Ioanna and I checked it out, and it’s a 10/10 spot for a night out or drinks after work!

She’s back, and this time, she’s an author! You know the memes- one of the most recognizable online symbols of the last decade. Jen Ellis, the creator of Bernie Sanders’ mittens, joined us in June 2021 well after the meme frenzy had cooled, and honestly it felt like an old friend was having coffee with us. Now, she’s put her story to paper, and let us tell you, it’s magical! Jen craftily (literally) walks readers through her life, leading up to the day her mittens went viral, and beyond to how it hugely impacted her life. The book is raw with honest emotions, vulnerable moments, and witty jokes. Ever wonder what it’s like to, in a matter of 2-3 minutes, became Internet famous? Read her book to find out- cause it’s crazy and not exactly what you might expect! Beyond that, she shares life stories that everyone can relate to, and yes, Aaron did cry reading! Jen joins us to discuss the book, where we can catch her on tour, and she’s announces she’s writing a second book! And, we learn about “Breakfast Ice Cream”. You can get the book at the link in our bio! And follow Jen on Twitter: @VTawesomeness About The Author: Jen Ellis was a teacher and crafter when the mittens she sewed for Senator Bernie Sanders became the inspiration for millions of memes. Originally from South Portland, Maine, Ellis’s teaching career spanned nearly two decades in the public schools of North Carolina and Vermont. She is a songwriter, beekeeper, and still sews the occasional pair of mittens for local non-profit fundraisers.

Seltzerland could be coming to a city near you! We chat with Kate Levenstein of Cannonball Productions about her food and beverage events company which is throwing this epic bash! We talk our favorite seltzers, some of the cool brands who will be pouring at the events, and why this festival is SO on brand for #summer2023. You can find the official event description below and a link to snag tickets! Dates include Chicago June 10, Boston June 17, NYC July 22. Seltzerland, the ultimate hard seltzer festival, will be traveling to epic outdoor venues across the United States where attendees will spend the afternoon tasting a ton of hard seltzers and canned cocktails. This year, Seltzerland is debuting the first-ever CANtina presented by Good Foods, dedicated to serving delicious guacamole and chips, refreshing tequila sodas from Casa Azul, and of course good vibes. While experiencing the perfect blend of bold flavors and fun, there will be a DJ performing a live soundtrack, instagrammable photo-ops, tons of games and activities like seltzer pong, ladder ball, and cornhole, and go home with all the seltzer swag you could dream of. https://www.seltzerland.com Follow them on Instagram @seltzerland

You’ve seen these celeb favorite, super meme-worthy cookies before, most likely for the first time during the 2016 presidential campaign. Sarah Silverman, Owner of New York’s Funny Face Bakery, got her start in baking after leaving school to pursue her culinary passion. Her iconic cookies designed as the faces of Bernie Sanders, Hilary Clinton, and Donald Trump went viral in 2016 soon after opening shop in the East Village, and they’ve been designing “pop culture” and custom cookies ever since! Sarah chats with us about what inspired her to make the leap of faith into the culinary world and how she actually started with cupcakes, not cookies. Hear what happened when she made her iconic presidential cookies in October 2016. Plus, we discuss the design process, her incredible team of bakers and designers, and what they have coming up later this year! We end with rapid fire to learn her favorite cookie design, the secret to a great cookie, and what kind of design Sip with Me would be as a cookie! Shop or order custom cookies at www.funnyfacebakery.com, and follow them on instagram @funnyfacebakery

Live from our virtual kitchen, it’s Eitan Bernath! Chef, Author, Activist, Entertainer, Entrepreneur, and CEO, he’s got the tastiest bio of any 21 year-old we know! At 3 billion views annually across social platforms, he is an international sensation who started as one of the youngest contestants ever on Food Network’s Chopped and later appeared on Guy’s Grocery Games where his entertainment career really began to sizzle. It’s all sizzle and no fizzle in his future, as he’s released a cookbook, became Principal Culinary Contributor to The Drew Barrymore Show, and continues to travel the world exploring all humanity has to offer via food. He joined us to discuss his career, cookbook, and working with Drew Barrymore. Plus, we chat about his influences, his adorbs cats who made a cameo, and we even played a round of THIS OR THAT NYC Edition!! Follow Eitan @eitan and visit eitanbernath.com to get his cookbook or watch his television segments!