The new issue is here

We are so pleased to announce our new issue is here! TOC Kids issue eight focuses on two of our favorite things: food and superheroes. What more could you ask for, right? 

We scoured the city to find the best in kid-friendly foodie meals, including spots that cater to allergies, healthy fast-food options and great way for tricking your tots into trying new food. We even hosted our own spaghetti taco-making competition à la iCarly fame.

We also caught up with some super-heroic peeps who are doing great things for kid musicians, comics and kids' perceptions of food. Oh, and did we mention there's origami?!

We certainly learned a lot this issue, and we even had a bit (read: A TON) of fun. Below, some of our lovely staff shares their favorite memories from the creation of issue eight. We hope you love it as much as we do!

"I always liked to think that I was good about feeding my kids healthy, interesting foods. But on days when life is hectic for us (which is a lot) and everyone's stomach is grumbling, I've been taking the easy way out by opting for dinner from the drive-through for my kids. I'm hoping 'Good Food ... Faster' will change that for me, and for our readers."

–Judy Sutton Taylor, Editor

"My favorite memory is from the 'From here...or to go' photo shoot. We asked one-year-old twins to model for the photograph and they ended up running wild through out the office with blueberries and Cheerios in tow. I think that was the most action the TOC offices have seen in a while."

–Erica Gannett, Associate Photo Editor

"The funniest thing about working on this issue was the amount of time it took all of us to develop the do-it-yourself origami page, even though our teenage origami whiz, Ty Perez, assured us it's a beginner project! He's actually not too off the mark about that, as long as you have a full set of instructions. We worked on developing that page, off and on, for many days. Almost every single member of the TOC Kids staff —writers, editors, photographers and art designers— took a crack at that origami flower."

–Web Behrens, Associate Editor

"I never knew what chaos meant until I started researching origami in Chicago."

(CHAOS is the acronym for Chicago Area Origami Society)

–Zachary Whittenburg, Editorial Assistant

"I have to say, the research aspect of this issue was more arduous and terrible than any in the past. First, I had to test out different types of macaroni and cheese and spaghetti and meatballs for our feature package, which made me suffer from intense, weeks-long cravings for the combos afterwards. Then, I had to discover and write about all the fun and amazing things going on for families in Chicago this spring for our April and May calendar—torture. Lastly, I was forced to visit Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to get the facts for my Final Frontier story...how terrible is that? Abuse in the workplace, I tell you."

–Joanna Batt, Writer