Meet Elysabeth Alfano 

Elysabeth is a culture and entertainment journalist, and a TV and stage producer and host. She has been bridging the gap between chefs, entertainers, celebrities and the public for over 20 years.

Her production company, Fear No ART Chicago, is responsible for shows including: Fear No ART on PBS’ WTTW and The Dinner Party with Elysabeth Alfano. 

The Dinner Party is a celebrity, round table TV talk show in which Alfano invites 3 celebs to a dinner created by a guest chef. Over food, wine and a few impromptu performances, the conversations flow! Filmed live in front of a live audience, the show streams live on The Chicago Sun Times before being edited for Chicago’s Ch. 19, TiVO, Youtube, and iTunes.  

In addition, Elysabeth blogs for The Huffington Post. She has done voice-over work for Kurtis Productions and took the “Improv for Actors” series with Second City. Occasionally, Elysabeth hosts a radio show on WGN Radio, and her Dinner Party podcast can be found at WGN Radio’s WGNPlus.com.

Q+A

What is your favorite place to travel to? 

Cambodia.  I just love Siem Reap region and all its temples.  I was there by myself on an extended 3 week trip in 2001 before anyone thought of visiting.  If you can believe this, I was an Ankor Wat…alone.  No other tourists,  just locals selling fruit.  Hard to imagine now!

What makes you laugh? 

My dog. I just love him so much, and everything he does is funny. The first Anchorman is also something I could see days in a row. 

What do you believe? 

I believe that we have the power to make ourselves happy. It isn’t something that comes from the outside in the form of a promotion, an achievement, a compliment, etc., but it is something that comes from within, something we choose according to how we chose to frame our life. 

What expression or saying do you love? 

Rat Bastard.  It gets out the energy of a swear word without being too bad. 

Favorite quote? 

“A body in motion stay in motion.” - (paraphrasing Sir Isaac Newton) Just keep going. Even on bad days, I try not to overthink it.  Just one foot in front of the other.  Another favorite is: “When you know better, you do better.”  - Oprah Winfrey 

What gets you through a rough day? 

I tell myself that even though it looks bad, you never know how it is really going to end.  So I try not to focus on the day itself, but on the fact that it is an open-ended story still unfolding and the ending has yet to be lived. 

Want more? Connect on Twitter and Facebook and of course, watch past episodes here!