Daily Inspiration: Meet Sara Faddah

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Faddah.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
The idea for 77 Flavors came about when Dario, my co-host and co-producer and honestly the person you’ll see in most of our social posts, purchased $2500 worth of podcast equipment in the middle of the pandemic. I put the headphones on and heard my voice for the first time and, humbly, thought I sounded great. Fifteen minutes later we had the idea and the name down. Our plan was to visit every single community area in Chicago, document the history, and eat at a local restaurant. We spent the next 77 weeks going all over the city. The Chicago Tribune wrote an article about our work after our second episode and so we quickly had to learn how to be real podcasters. We went from a handful of friends listening to thousands of people who were very passionate about this city, waiting to hear what we had to say about their neighborhood. We built an incredible community made up of great activists, artists, chefs, creatives etc.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Research is hard, and research done thoroughly and ethically is even harder. The internet is full of clickbait and inaccurate information and so we make sure to always take our time and triple check every piece of information we put out. This makes our job harder because we’re basically trying to make a subject that many people don’t necessarily enjoy, history, enjoyable. We love history, and we love Chicago, and we want to make sure we do our best every time. Every story we tell involves us going to the library or the archives and digging. We believe you have to experience something before you can accurately tell its story. Being present allows us to share narratives that are honest, respectful, and grounded in real people and real places rather than assumptions or surface-level interpretations.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Our work in a nutshell is to get people excited about the place they live in. Chicago is both our starting point and our guide. Its neighborhoods, histories, and communities shape how we choose our stories, how we conduct our research, and how we engage with the people whose experiences we document. This is not simply where our work happens; it is the lens through which we understand history, culture, and the meaning of place.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.77flavors.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/77flavorschi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/77flavorschi
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/77FlavorsofChicago
• Other: https://sarafrom77.substack.com/