Getting chummy with da guys from Restaurant Radio, Daily Herald

							Getting chummy with da guys from Restaurant Radio
By Deborah Pankey | Daily Herald Food Editor

Published: 6/17/2009 12:00 AM

I've been a regular contributor to Restaurant Radio Chicago for a couple of months now and while I talk each week with hosts Tom Reboletti and Dane Neal, I really don't know them all that well. Unless you've been a regular listener to the show, which airs 5 to 6 p.m. Saturdays on WIND 560-AM, you probably don't know much about them either. So I gave them a call when we were off the air so we could get better acquainted the guys behind the mics. Tom's the guy with the long dark hair (longer than mine, anyway). Tom knows the food biz and loves (I mean really loves) to talk about it. Dane's the one in the ball cap. I'd call him the "straight man" of the duo; he keeps Tom from getting too far off track. Tom lives in Bloomingdale and has been in the restaurant business for 30 years, first as an owner, now as a consultant. When he's not eating breakfast at Dali's Cafe or checking out the newest Italian eatery, Tom is booking restaurant owners for guest spots on the show, while Dane is lining up interviews with celebrity chefs. "There's so much on TV with food, chefs, cooking shows," Tom says. "Not everyone has time for TV, but they still want to hear about the Mom and Pop places, hear about recipes that have been passed down through the generations." They started the show 21/2 years ago at a smaller station in Cook County and for the past 18 months it has aired on WIND, reaching listeners as far away as Green Bay, Wis., and Evansville, Ind. Dane, who lives in Lombard, was working in radio (he's the former host of Gasoline Alley, a NASCAR show) when he met Tom and he knows the production side and media side. He also handles a lot of the stuff for the Web site, www.restaurantradio.tv. "Together on the air our personalities really mesh," Tom says. "According to the station, our popularity continues to grow." Dane has been super busy lately, getting the show ready to move Restaurant Radio Chicago to Restaurant Radio America. "Each week Restaurant Radio America will have guests ranging from Food Network hosts like 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives' ' Guy Fieri to inspirational stories of franchise success with guests like Craig Culver and Famous Dave Anderson," Dane says. "And because sometimes the best restaurant in town is your own kitchen or your own backyard, stay tuned for plenty of recipes and tips both on the show and online at restaurantradio.tv." Restaurant Radio America will be carried on the Radio America Network in Washington, D.C. and heard in the New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Phoenix, Orlando and St Louis markets as well as on affiliates in 23 states. So when you're traveling this summer, tune in and you might hear some familiar voices on the radio.