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Jesse Raub

Jesse Raub is a writer for Serious Eats and has pieces published in Vulture, Edible Madison, and other publications. He moved from Chicago to the SASY neighborhood of Madison in 2021 and enjoys assimilating to his new, lake-based lifestyle. You can find him walking his dog in Yahara Place Park or bowling at Dream Lanes, and if you’re polite and introduce yourself, he might offer to drop off a loaf of sourdough bread to your front door.
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Jesse's Latest Articles

A photo shows several pieces of handmade pasta sitting atop a counter surface covered with coarse flour. A grooved wooden board is visible in the foreground. Basil leaves, lemons, and garlic are visible in the background. The photo is framed with an illustrated tablecloth with food items including pasta, cheese, a hamburger and more frame the photo. In the lower left corner, a small chef, with a comically large mustache, stands on a spoon and says, "Small Bites."
Small Bites: Fresh pasta meditations
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Small Bites
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February 28, 2025

Working through the horrors of modern life one cavatello at a time.

A winter photo atop a cliffside shows an expansive landscape of trees on the horizon. A flakey pastry and white mug with a hot beverage rest on a rock in the foreground. The photo is framed with an illustrated tablecloth with food items including pasta, cheese, a hamburger and more frame the photo. In the lower left corner, a small chef, with a comically large mustache, stands on a spoon and says, "Small Bites."
Small Bites: Infinite treats
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Small Bites
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January 24, 2025

Finding balance among the city's incredible bakeries.

Photo of cuts of meat in a display case. An illustrated tablecloth with food items including pasta, cheese, a hamburger and more frame the photo. In the lower left corner a drawn small chef in a spoon says “Small Bites.”
Small Bites: This holiday season, pay more for your meat
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Small Bites
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December 20, 2024

Good habits start small (bites).

A landscape photograph shows a lake with greenish water from atop a cliffside. A large cropping of trees appears on the opposite part of the lake. The sky is nearly a clear off-white color, and the general color palette of the image is muted on a late fall day.
What will be left, if anything?
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Microtones
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December 6, 2024

The true Midwestern world at unrest.

A photo shows ingredients for a Caesar salad arrayed on a wooden cutting board in a home kitchen, including a tin of anchovies, bunches of lettuce, a cheese rind, a lemon, a garlic bulb, a bottle of mustard, a bottle of mayonnaise, and a piece of bread. An illustrated frame around the photo depicts a checked tablecloth pattern with various items of food. In the bottom left corner, a small caricature chef stands on a spoon with the speech bubble, "Small Bites."
Small Bites: There’s always Caesar salad
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Small Bites
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November 15, 2024

Whatever the news, you still have to eat.

A photograph of the storefront of Butterbird restaurant on Regent Street in Madison at a medium shot. An illustrated frame around the photo depicts a checked tablecloth pattern with various items of food. In the bottom left corner, a small caricature chef stands on a spoon with the speech bubble, "Small Bites."
Small Bites: “Fall” into a spiraling cycle of indecision
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Small Bites
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October 25, 2024

A backup plan for those seeking reliable comfort amid ever-expanding food options.

Photo of a pulled chicken sandwich, topped with yellow pepper sauce, lettuce, and fried potato sticks. An illustrated frame around the photo depicts a checked tablecloth pattern with various items of food. In the bottom left corner, a small caricature chef stands on a spoon with the speech bubble, "Small Bites."
Small Bites: Gas station gastronomy
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Small Bites
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September 20, 2024

An argument against modern convenience.

At a medium shot, a man in a red and white cowboy outfit face away from the camera, looking away out at the rolling hills and desert valley beyond. The wind blows a black sheet off a stabled horse in a cage standing to his right.
The generational trauma of “Nope” challenges audiences to engage more intellectually with its imagery
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Film
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August 7, 2024

Jordan Peele's alien-invasion horror-mystery screens at the Memorial Union Terrace on August 12.

A photo of Ehlenbach's Cheese Chalet. The building is dark brown and inspired by Swiss Chalet architecture. A large sign suspended above the building reads "CHEESE," as a cartoon mouse climbs the poles that elevate the sign. In front of the building is a large fabricated Holstein dairy cow. An illustrated frame around the photo depicts a checked tablecloth pattern with various items of food. In the bottom left corner, a small caricature chef stands on a spoon with the speech bubble, "Small Bites."
Small Bites: The unassailable allure of the Wisconsin cheese hut
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Small Bites
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July 19, 2024

It's time to reimagine your road snack game.

A selection of packaged, bottled, and jarred food items from the Italian market, Fraboni's, as well as pan-African grocery store, Gooh Grocery, sit on a black countertop. Items include caramel corn, imported pasta, samosas, dates, sun-dried tomatoes, and prosciutto. An illustrated frame around the photo depicts a checked tablecloth pattern with various items of food. In the bottom left corner, a small caricature chef stands on a spoon with the speech bubble, "Small Bites."
Small Bites: Bringing the world home
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Small Bites
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June 28, 2024

How not to be intimidated by an international market.