Jeff Miller has been making furniture professionally for 30 years. Lately he is doing more and more teaching, much of it at his Chicago shop. “Teaching is more than just conveying information,” Miller says. “For me, it’s all about understanding the students and figuring out just what they need in order to progress.” Miller’s shop is outfitted with an extraordinary collection of workbenches he has built.

Best and worst things about Chicago? “The food and the wind, in that order.”