It’s that time of year again — the annual family food fest, an excuse to enjoy your favorite Thanksgiving classics: turkey, potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, succotash, cranberry sauce, rolls, salad, pumpkin pie (and, presumably, lots of antacids).

Hello! “Roister” means to enjoy oneself or celebrate in a noisy, boisterous way, and the restaurant by that name fits right into the bustling Fulton Market area of the trendy West Loop. Unpretentious, yet serious about standards of excellence, it was awarded a Michelin star in its first year and has retained it since. Chef Andrew Brochu has spent time in some of Chicago’s most illustrious kitchens, but Roister is where you see his creative culinary point of view flourish. I spoke to Andrew to learn about his influences and inspiration.

If you have lived in the Chicago area for most of your adult life, you might think that BYOB is a standard practice everywhere. This is not the case; in fact, Chicago is one of the few major U.S. metropolitan areas that encourages diners to make their own brought-from-home-or-store alcoholic beverages part of the dining experience. Why is that?