No04 APRIL09
Latino Lifestyle Magazine
Yo Soy The future of the green movement From fuel to food, art to autos Latinos lead the way
APRIL2009
Latino Lifestyle Magazine
FEATURES sustainable driving
Latinos are the prime-target for the auto industry’s green campaigns. words Darhiana Mateo
eat organically
As more Latinos go organic, healthier food options become less expensive. words Christina Chavez Weitman
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NATURALLY FASHIONABLE This season’s environmentally friendly fashion.
REPURPOSING SPACE
Three Latino artists stay connected with nature, light and their spirit. words Benjamin Ortiz
Organic pepper plants grown indoors using permaculture techniques practiced by WeFarm America. | photo seneca kern |
Come and experience the magic and enchantment of Latino culture through F I L M
The Festival is presented by the International Latino Cultural Center in collaboration with Columbia College Chicago
DEPARTMENTS 6 10
Editor’s Note
Alejandro Riera
Dear Café
Reader feedback
Contributors
Café Espresso Somos ¿sabías que? The Buzz 18 ojo 20 la plaza 22 upgrade 23 BEAUTY 24 spotlight
Natalie Marty Cultural factoids Hot events around town Curious images Latinos make strides in recycling Energy-efficient tech products Eco products for your skin Mario Castillo’s DNA art
Café Filter MI CASA 32 tu CASA 34 familia 36 GET AHEAD 38 be well
Rocio Romero’s prefabricated homes Grow your own organic food A Pilsen family goes green Preparing for the green economy Autism’s impact on Latino families
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The House on Mango Street turns 25
CafÉ Blend MUST go Latino Film Fest’s silver anniversary TO DO TO Sí Calendar of events nightlife Karaoke en español 72 DINING Eating green at Kendall College 74 Restaurant Guide A list of Latino eateries 78 Scene at Latino social scene 80 A mí Me enseñaron Make and save space
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Akin Girav takes fashion photos of Ford model Cecily Rodriguez at A New Leaf Chicago, a flower shop on Wells St. in Lincoln Park. | photo alberto treviño |
How green are you? When it comes to our community, going green may be a relatively new concept. The Green Living Report, a 2007 national online poll by Mintel among 3,085 Englishspeaking respondents 18 and older, revealed that 40 Alejandro Riera percent of Latino respondents say they buy green products always or almost always and 60 percent never or almost never do. Personally, I am not quite a role model when it comes to saving our environment. I do recycle my newspapers; yet, I unnecesarily print too many copies at the office. I have used public transportation for 23 years, thus minimizing my carbon footprint while saving money on insurance, gasoline and other costs. And yes, I do turn the lights off when I leave a room and the central heat/ac unit when I leave my condo. But, I do not recycle my plastic or glass bottles and am capable of leaving the water running while washing dishes. Based on these actions, any environmentalist would grade me with a C. I have yet to stop and ponder the environmental consequences of my actions. There is a need — and I would say a hunger — for information in our community when it comes to green issues. From organic food to eco-friendly cars, from environmentallyconscious dining halls to green-oriented college courses, the Café Green Issue was designed to answer those informational needs and as a way to inspire us as we celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day. We have not forgotten two key celebrations this month: the silver anniversary of the publication of Sandra Cisneros’ classic novel “The House on Mango Street” and the 25th birthday of the Chicago Latino Film Festival. Both events helped place Chicago on the map of U.S. Latino culture and both are profiled in the pages of this special issue.
editor’s note
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Quite a few articles in this issue are eco-friendly. Some are not. A few stories are greener than others. So to keep your carbon footprint at bay, the art director made this handy little tool called the “Story-Eco-Meter”, so you can immediately identify the eco-friendliness of the story (not the people involved in it).
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Christina Chavez Weitman Christina has worked as a culinary consultant, chef and spokesperson for Kraft Foods since 2000, with a focus on ethnic marketing. She was deeply involved in the launch and content development of Kraft’s Hispanic Web site (www.comidakraft.com), as well as the quarterly Spanish-language magazine cookbook Comida y Familia. Christina began her 17-year career in the media with UPI in Miami and has worked for CNN, NBC, PBS, the Fox Network and CBS News in Chicago.
The CONTRIBUTORS Juan Carlos Hernández Born in Michoacán, México and raised in East Chicago, Indiana, Juan Carlos holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and is a freelance writer for Hispanic Magazine, a freelance producer for WTTW’s V-me and an English professor with the City Colleges of Chicago. He is currently finishing a book on the Camino de Santiago, in Spain. Angélica Herrera Raised in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village, where she still lives, Angélica obtained her B.S. in News-Editorial Journalism in 2005 from the University of Illinois at Urbana. Herrera’s works have appeared in Hispanic Magazine, The Daily Tribune in Wisconsin Rapids, The Chicago Reporter, Chicago Public Radio and Extra newspaper. Herrera cursed the groundhog this past winter while walking dogs in record-cold temperatures; she plans to defrost soon on a beach somewhere south of the Rio Grande. Rick Villalobos Earning a degree in Communications from DePaul University, Rick is a freelance writer and copywriter living in West Chicago. He is also a film critic for FilmMonthly.com and Lowdown of Record magazine. Rick is currently pursuing a literary career as an essayist and poet. An accomplished artist, he is also a fine arts painter and graphic designer.
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Publisher Julián G. Posada Café media Advisors
Editorial
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Managing Editor Copy Editors
Alejandro Riera
Martin Castro, George De Lama, STEVEN GROYA,
marilia t. gutiérrez Marie Joyce Garcia
Chris MALCOLM
DarHiana Mateo
CHRISTINA E. RODRíGUEZ
Editorial Assistant
design
Art Director Graphic Designers
alberto treviÑo LOURDES ALMAZán
wendy melgar
sales
Sales Director Sales Associates
david murga Denise Carrasco
JON chaparro Anthony Pérez
marketing
Marketing Director Marketing Analyst
Pete kingwill, IAN LARKIN, Mike Malee, david selby
Gina Santana
melissa m. martínez Rodrigo SaUza
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Cruz Registered Investors & Advisors LLC Executive Title Gomez Consulting Grainger HACE Harris Bank Home State Bank The LDI Group Loyola University Chicago Merrill Lynch Mesirow Financial National City Bank National Louis University Roosevelt University The Resurrection Project UIC LARES Program
Office Manager IT Manager
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Fashion CONTRIBUTors
timothy priano
Fashion Stylist Assistant lauren roffle Hair and Make-up Artist joyce taft at artists by
timothy priano
Photo Location: A New Leaf Chicago
Andrew Cesena
Laurie Dunphy
Rashelle strate-hootman
Olga Camargo Bruce Lines Ana Maria Soto Mirna Garcia Raul Raymundo Leonard Ramírez
Congress Theater EDDIE CARRANZA Cuatro matt molina Diageo Luis Rosado
Photographer Akin GIrav Art Director Alberto Treviño Production Manager Gina SAntana Fashion Stylist agga b. raya at artists by
Juan Carlos Avila
Acknowledgements
Mauricio Rubio, jillian sipkins
regina treviño
Henry Kingwill, Pete kingwill, Ian Larkin, William Mckenna
contributing writers
stacie freudenberg, AKIN Girav, ALEXA RUBINSTEIN,
Brian SOrge
Daniel Bleier, Michael Bleier, WILLIAM GRAHAM,
CHRISTINA CHÁVEZ WEITMAN, JUAN CARLOS HERNández,
Marla Seidell, rick villalobos
Lilia Alvarado Magdalena Rivera
Special Thanks
Jorge Jiménez
BENJAMIN ORTIZ, MICHAEL PUENTE, ISABEL RESENDIZ,
Andrea Saenz
Norma Magaña, Francisco Menchaca
JANET PéREZ
angélica herrera, MIGUEL JIMENEZ, DARHIANA MATEO,
Angel Gomez katie porter
ADMINISTRATION
Angel Cruz Martha Tovias
Roujay Vargas
e-Hispanics.com jose jara Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce omar duque
Roberto Cornelio
Maranon Capital Jana Gardella m?rk mark flores Mikey O Comedy Mike Oquendo NBC 5 Chicago Lora Johnson-Lesage
chris peÑA
MARCUS RILEY Vocalo BIBIANA ADAMES
Whole Foods
LLOYD KING buffy Feinstein
Kristen Kaza
stock photos
nelly aguilar, angeles almazÁn-martÍnez,
STOCK.XCHNG, ISTOCKPHOTO
CARLOS MARTÍNEZ ALMAZán, al Augaitis, james Cicenia, BETTY CORTiNA, Chris Courtney, EDUARDO FERNáNDEZ, Lorena
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Los Cafeteros originales Julián, Gina, Marilia, melissa, david y alberto
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caféLetters
Dear Café ... We know that V.L. Zamora’s contribution to our Voices column on the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution ruffled some feathers out there. As stated in our Editor’s Note, the intent of Voices is to provide a space for writers to express a wide range of opinions and perspectives. We invite everyone to do the same on this Reader’s page. We welcome and do not shy away from constructive criticism. We see it as an essential tool in our growth as a multimedia company. Thank you for your feedback. A Disappointed Reader There are so many articles in this issue (March) that hit nerves I didn’t know I had. It was painful to say the least. You need a better balance in editors. I may as well watch Univision and read the Miami Herald. Deeply disappointing! - Nina Valentín Santana, Chicago
Praise for Achy Achy, thanks for sharing your words (“The Marvelous Reality of Achy Obejas”). I enjoyed reading the article. Here is a quote from Jorge Luis Borges that I find most appropriate: “Writing is nothing more than a guided dream.” - Leticia Cortez (posted online) I find the creativity that is churned out of oppressive and domineering societies amazing. There is great art bubbling under the surface of tyranny. Perhaps great art and understanding are symbiotic with the despotism that blankets the people’s lives who live under such cruelty. [Achy] Obejas has that oppressed voice that is necessary for change. - Anthony Baiocchi (posted online) Cuba Represents… So, I just got my latest issue and I LOVED all the Cuban stuff. It’s so rare to see Cuban [stories] in Chicago... or at least it seems that way. I know, we’re a small population but, man, are we loud! Just had to tell you that I really enjoyed it. It made me proud. - Lee Concha, Chicago Che, a Marketing Tool? What a great article (“Viva la Revolucion…Not!”), a true perspective from a person who knows something about Che
and the Cuban Revolution. I’m a Cuban American, my father escaped from Cuba in 1962 and my uncle and his family left Cuba in 1969. I have never heard my father or my uncle say anything good about Che or the revolution. Che is a marketing tool to make money in the U.S. If you want to know the truth about Che and the Cuban Revolution, ask someone who has lived it, not someone who read about it. - John Mosquera, Chicago Proud to be Latino I’m a 32-year-old Latino male (puertorriqueño) born and raised in Humboldt Park. As a lieutenant for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office and a criminal justice professor at Joliet Junior College, I’m honored to be a Latino, especially when I encounter true diversity, talent and pride in our Hispanic culture. I live in Plainfield with my wife Debbie and four kids. We subscribe to Café and, let me tell you, I was impressed with what I read. This is progress for Latinos, and more blessings are to come. Continue to educate our local cities on what fine, beautiful Latinos we really are. - Noel Acosta and family, Plainfield Great Magazine! I love this magazine! I ordered one for my home and some for my office. I also told all my friends about it. It’s about time a magazine like this exists. And as a Diageo employee, it makes me proud to see the partnership between Café Media and Diageo to create the program “Diageo - Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund.” Thanks for putting out a magazine that shows Latinos in a positive light. - Socorro Cerero, Chicago A Little Scary When people trade rent for rims,
I’m scared (“Best in Show,” Holiday08/ Winter09). How badly do we need peer approval to do that? I love flashy and shiny things too, don’t get me wrong, but never at the cost of my home. I am afraid this may represent the character of many people nowadays. - Dulce Ramos, Chicago Global Citizen As a marketing professional and a Hispanic, I spend most of my days assisting my clients to successfully reach this vibrant and growing segment of our country. As an individual, [I have] a personal quest to identify the evolution of what I call a “Global Citizen.” We are a by-product of globalization and immigration patterns that have allowed individuals not to assimilate to the culture and traditions of the host country, but to pick and choose either the best and/or the worst of two or even three distinct cultural groups. Perhaps, the experiences shared by Stephanie Elizondo Griest (“Globetrotting in Search of an Identity,” published online) in “Mexican Enough” will be enough to understand some of my own experiences when it comes to identity at a professional and personal level. Thank you for providing an outlet that allows me to connect to a new generation of Latinos. - John Alfonzo (posted online)
Yeah, we screwed up, we apologize
• Because of an editing error, our Somos interview with Pierre Colorado states that his Colombian parents lived in Montreal, Canada. In fact, his parents went to Montreal and didn’t like it. The correct version of the interview is available at www. cafemagazine.com. • In the article “The Marvelous Reality of Achy Obejas” (March 2009), Junot Diaz’s book “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” was incorrectly identified as “The Short Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” Café magazine regrets these errors.
Send comments to readers@cafemagazine.com, post them at www.cafemagazine.com/index.php/comments or write to Letters to the Editor, Café Magazine, 660 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60654. Include your full name, address and phone number. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.
10 Café APRIL2009
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
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photo
Interior Designer
Natalie Marty, 30
What trends are you seeing that you love? Global design — the mixing of multi-cultural styles. I love eclectic spaces and I don’t think there should be one specific look.
Define your design style. Transitional style. It depends on the client. I like to create a space that can be translatable over the years. I like to keep the harmony in the color and mood within the space rather than a specific style.
How does your Latinidad come into play? I want rich colors, something warm. Rich reds, bold colors. A lot of greenery — green, luscious [colors]. I think of Puerto Rico and it being a luscious island.
How do you see the “green” movement influencing design? There are some really innovative designs with recycled materials. When you recycle something, you change the composition and look dramatically.
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Who’s your dream client? A client who will take the time to find out what they really want, but trusts me to provide them with the unforgettable space they always dreamed of. For more of this interview visit cafemagazine.com
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¿SabÍasquE? RIOS
spain
OZONE HERO
Meaning rivers, Ríos is a common surname first found in Asturias, a kingdom of medieval Spain and is known as a habitational, or local, name. The original bearer of the name Ríos lived near rivers or was born in a lush and natural region.
Dr. Mario Molina won the Nobel Prize in 1995 for his study of atmospheric chemistry. The Mexican-born chemist’s studies concluded that the high usage of CFCs resulted in the depletion of the ozone. This was the first time that an award was given to a topic concerning the effects of a manmade object on the environment.
‘The Pride of Havana’
First Latino in the MLB
The first Latino major leaguer was Esteban Bellán who played in 1871 for the Troy (N.Y.) Haymakers, which eventually became the San Francisco Giants. A Cuban immigrant, Bellán studied at Fordham University and was a member of the Fordham Rose Hill Base Ball Club, the first team to participate in a college game of nine-man teams against St. Francis Xavier College in 1859. Traditional beverage
Pulque, also called octli in Nahuatl, is a fermented beverage made from the aguamiel, or sap, of an 8- to 12-year-old agave plant. (The plant is also used to make tequila and mescal.) Its exact origin is unknown, but references to the drink first emerged in stone carvings around 200 A.D. Pulque was consumed only by the elderly, royalty and high priests for celebrations and religious ceremonies. Sources: Behind the name (surnames.behindthename.com);
Adolfo “Dolf” Luque (below), a Cuban pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, was the first Latino to make it to the World Series in 1919 against the Chicago “Black Sox” of gambling scandal infamy. Luque, who died in 1957, was inducted into the Reds’ Hall of Fame in 1967.
tionmaster.com;
Fact Monster (www.
factmonster.com);
Fordham University
(www.library.fordham.edu); Educational Achievement Services (www.easleadership.com);
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House of
Names (www.houseofnames.com); Na-
Tequilamescal.com
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THEBUZZ
Los charolastras are back
What is it about Morrissey?
Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal, those two astral cowboys from “Y Tu Mamá También,” are up to no good in “Rudo y Cursi” (above). Written and directed by “Y Tu Mamá...” scriptwriter Carlos Cuarón. Luna and García Bernal depict two brothers who play soccer for their village team. They are recruited by a slippery talent coach and end up playing for rival teams while facing their demons. The movie opens in May, but you can catch a quick glimpse of Gael performing “Quiero Que Me Quieras” (a norteño version of Cheap Trick’s “I Want You To Want Me”), from the film, in www.rudoycursilapelicula.com.
One of the biggest head-scratchers in pop culture today is the almost cult-like devotion young Mexican rockeros have for Morrissey, the heart and soul of British 80s pop group The Smiths. Artists like Saul Hernández (Jaguares) not only consider him a major influence, but have also opened for the Man from Manchester. And the love is fully corresponded: Morrissey dedicated his 1999 “Oye Esteban!” tour to his Mexican fans, and in his latest album, “Years of Refusal,” adds some Latin flourishes to the theme “When Last I Saw Carol.” Morrissey performs at the Aragon, 1106 W. Lawrence Ave., April 4. For ticket information, go to www.aragon.com or www.ticketmaster.com.
Make ‘Em Laugh!
We sure do need a laugh or two these days and the 12th annual Chicago Improv Festival promises to deliver it with a week full of comedy beginning April 13. The highlights of the fest: Mexico City’s Impro Top ensemble and Chicago’s very own “Dominizuelan,” a show created by Wendy Mateo and Lorena Diaz. For more information, go to www. chicagoimprovfestival.org. Bittersweet Taste of Success
Ever wonder what baseball players like Sammy Sosa had to go through to make it to the Major Leagues? Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s new film “Sugar” gives you a pretty good idea. It tells the story of Miguel “Sugar” Santos, a 19-year old pitcher from the Dominican Republic who dreams of becoming a professional baseball player, makes it to spring training and is recruited by a minor league team. But the language barrier and culture become a major roadblock on his way to success. The movie opens in Chicago on April 18, just in time for the new baseball season. Watch the trailer at www.sonyclassics.com/sugar. 16 Café APRIL2009
Potter-Mania
Are you still mad at Warner Brothers for delaying the release of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”? Are you still suffering from Hogwarth’s deprivation? The Museum of Science and Industry will satisfy that craving. Opening April 30, Harry Potter: The Exhibition gives you a personal look at the making of all six films. Combination tickets are $26 for adults, $25 for seniors and $19 for children ages 3-11. For more information, visit www.msichicago.org.
Moving families Forward
The 19th Annual Gala
Saturday, april 25, 2009 ravenSwood BillBoard Factory 4043 n. ravenSwood ave, chicago
Join us for a fun-filled evening, and make a big difference in the life of child! • • • • •
Enjoy Cocktails, Dinner, & Dancing to Retro Jukebox Favorites Don Hollywood-Inspired or Creative Dress (Optional) View Vintage and Antique Cars & Pose for Pictures with Iconic Celebrity Look-A-Likes Bid on Once-In-A-Lifetime Live & Silent Auction Packages Delight in a Short “Feature Film” Created by Christopher House Students
preSented By:
Media SponSor:
For more than 100 years, Christopher House has made a significant impact on the lives of thousands of low-income families in neighborhoods on Chicago’s north and west sides. Our five locations provide early childhood education, after-school programs and a range of critical supportive services that help families. With your support, Chicago’s poorest working families can thrive, even in these tough economic times.
For tickets or to learn more visit www.christopherhouse.org or call 773.472.1083.
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• sarahhadley.com | photo sarah hadley |
1. Humboldt Park Pond [ photo michelle wodzinski ]
2. Shadow [ photo sarah hadley ] This is a photo of my best friend Margaret. I turned and saw her 4 shadow against the wall and thought it looked so beautiful.
3. Bone Tree [ photo bboyb ] This art was erected at Burning Man festival in 2007. The tree is made of bones. myspace.com/michellewodzinski
| photo michelle wodzinski |
4. CTA Sunset [ photo elia alamillo ] Photo of sunset on Chicago Transit Authority platform.
| photo elia alamillo |
| photo bboyb |
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Send us your best photographs and the story behind them in 20 words or less. Only original, unmodified high res images please. We will publish or post online what we like. Café reserves the right to turn down any image. Send images to readers@ cafemagazine.com.
Sneak Peek at the Next Issue ...
MOTHER’S DAY Latina Moms are like a precious diamond: they possess many facets. We celebrate our madres and the sacrifices they have made for us. Summer Camps Believe it or not, there is still time to enroll your kids in many of the city’s and the suburb’s summer camps. Gooooooollll!!!!!! Did you know that the Chicago metro area has the largest number of amateur soccer leagues in the nation? Soccer is more than a sport for these amateur players: it’s a way of life. What If…? Have you ever wondered what would have happened if the French had defeated the Mexican army at Puebla on May 5, 1862 and turned Mexico into a French colony? How would have Mexico ’s history changed? We dare to wonder what if…. Art in the Making Behind the scenes look at the creation of a 150-foot mural by acclaimed muralist Hector Duarte in one of the National Museum of Mexican Art’s galleries.
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WasteNOT
Latinos in the Chicago area make strides in recycling words
Michael Puente
Like many Chicagoans, Latinos are increasingly interested in doing what it takes to save the planet. But although many city residents want to dispose of their garbage adequately, challenges such as the lack of information about available services and the so-so results of city-sponsored programs have made it difficult for them to fully embrace recycling programs. With that in mind, in 2002, Oliver Santos had a simple idea. It was centered on getting more Chicagoans, including Latinos, to recycle more and think more about conservation. With the help of a friend, Santos started Do The Right Thing Recycling (DTRT). “We just felt there was a need in Chicago. We were not trying to make money,” the 37-year-old Santos said. “We got most of our funding through grants.” That’s still primarily how the not-for-profit DTRT still raises money. The company also accepts donations. The goal of DTRT remains firm to this day: Educate Chicago residents about the positive environmental impact of recycling despite the city’s lackluster record on recycling. DTRT, which is part of the Chicago Recycling Coalition advocacy group, provides customized services to various sectors of the community, including schools and residential units on Chicago’s North Side. Santos, who now lives in San Jose but still works for DTRT, believes education is the key. “The students really get to see how it’s done,” he said. “They get hands-on experience and learn the importance of conservation.” DTRT tries to lead by example. Santos’ partner, Adam Goldstein, visits schools to work directly with students and teachers on how to have a “green” classroom. “We want to develop good recycling habits early in a child’s life,” Goldstein said. But Santos says getting more Latinos involved in “going green” is a struggle, especially for those living on Chicago’s South Side. “We recognized that more emphasis is [put] on the North Side of the city,” Santos said. “It’s difficult to get the word out to the minority neighborhoods. I don’t know why that is. Maybe one part is money.” For years, Chicago has struggled with its green image. Last summer, the city discontinued its controversial blue-bag program to phase in a new recycling program that calls for the distribution of blue bins to residents interested in city-sponsored recycling. Resi-
20 Café APRIL2009
dents will be able to put their recyclables in blue containers that will be collected separately from garbage. According to the City of Chicago’s Web site, the Blue Cart Recycling Program started in 2007 on the Southwest Side and will slowly expand throughout the city until 2011. In the meantime, Chicago residents will have to use specially designated city drop-off sites or switch to private companies if they wish to continue recycling. “Chicago is not as progressive as California,” Santos said. “Chicago and the Midwest are known for manufacturing, doing things the old way.” But those attitudes may be forced to change. According to a poll taken by Discovery Channel en Español in 2007, 80 percent of Latino respondents indicated that they are highly concerned about global warming, with 93 percent believing that global warming is a real threat requiring immediate action. Beyond Chicago, suburban communities with a heavy Latino presence seem to be managing their recycling efforts more efficiently. And it’s not just in the most affluent areas. In the predominantly Hispanic city of East Chicago, Ind., about 5 miles from Chicago, recycling is a top priority. “We get a lot of calls from people requesting recycling bins,” says Monsi Corsbie, who heads the city’s Sanitary Solid Waste Department. East Chicago, with a population of about 35,000, is more than half Hispanic. It’s primarily a blue-collar town, with the largest employers being ArcelorMittal Steel (formerly Inland Steel Co.) and Ameristar Casino. Because East Chicago is the most bilingual community in Indiana, services are often provided in English and Spanish. “We get calls from residents asking [for information] in Spanish and we have plenty of people here, including myself, who speak Spanish,” Corsbie said. “I find that the residents, including those who speak Spanish, do a good job at recycling and are interested in participating.”
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Eco Tech
Green products for a more environmentally conscious lifestyle words
Isabel Resendiz
Going green is sweeping the nation and makers of electronics are taking notice. Companies have been introducing products that are energy-efficient and even help reduce harmful effects on the environment.
Nikon S600 and S550
Motorola W122 Renew
The Coolpix S600 and S550 series are more than 40 percent energy-efficient over previous models and are made with the environment in mind. Nikon claims it has reduced the amount of hazardous substances in the production of both cameras. They also use eco-glass, a more energy-efficient glass that is recyclable.
The new Motorola W122 Renew cell phone is the world’s first phone made using recycled water-bottle plastics. Who would have thought that you could keep up to date on all the latest chismes and go green at the same time? It costs only $10 with a two-year TMobile contract.
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Apple MacBooks
The newest MacBooks are built using highly recyclable materials with no environmentally harmful substances. Raw materials used in the new computer line can be reused in other products. So years down the line, your MacBook may be recycled as your grandson’s iPod. Apple has also redesigned the MacBook’s battery to make it last up to five years, a far cry from other notebook batteries that need a replacement every year or so. In addition, Apple is working on eliminating toxic chemicals from all of its products and offers to recycle Apple products you no longer use. For more information, go to www.apple.com/ environment/recycling/program.
Green products from Samsung
Samsung’s WF448 line has the world’s first 4.5-cubicfoot, front-loading washers. The large capacity decreases the number of loads run during the product’s lifetime, thus lowering energy and water use. Also, the company introduced last October its Samsung Recycling Direct program, which accepts — at no cost to the consumer — all Samsung-branded consumer electronics. To find a recycling location, go to www.samsung.com/ recyclingdirect.
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Beauty
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NaturalBeauty Treat yourself to products inspired by Mother Nature words
Isabel Resendiz
Nourish your skin and respect the environment with these organic products that are sure to make you feel good in mind and body.
| photo alberto treviño |
Origins Organics
Burt’s Bees
Aveda
The first full line of products to be certified under the USDA National Organic Program, Origins Organics Nourishing Face Lotion is 95 percent organic, made of shea and cocoa butters known to hydrate and soothe skin. Hydrating Body Lotion, with sunflower seed oil leaves skin soft without an oily residue. www.origins.com
Whatever the weather, lips can always use extra hydrating protection. Burt’s Bees Lifeguard’s Choice is perfect for outdoor protection all day. Titanium dioxide creates a natural barrier from the elements to keep lips kissably soft. Burt’s Bees Radiance Lip Shimmer gives lips extra shine with added lip color in a variety of shades. www.burtsbees.com
Enhance skin’s moisture barrier while protecting it from the sun and environmental pollution with the pure plant ingredients of Aveda Daily Light Guard, SPF 15. Pair it with Aveda Tourmaline Charged Protecting Lotion, SPF 15/Oil-Free to add a naturally energizing mineral for the face. www.aveda.com
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DNA ART
For Mario Castillo, his paintings are his offspring, especially those that mix his bodily fluids with acrylics words
Rick Villalobos
24 CafĂŠ APRIL2009
As a child growing up in the town of Villa Union, in Sinaloa, Mexico, Mario Castillo used to draw shapes on a blackboard in his mother’s classroom. With just a piece of yellow chalk and a chair to stand on, he endeavored to live out his vision of becoming an artist like the great Mexican muralists.
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of both worlds,” he says. Looking back on his work as a muralist, Castillo concludes that self-identification was an important element during the 1960s. “The murals reinforced our being, nourished our identity and gave pride to the community,” he says, taking in a quick gasp of air. “It was OK to be brown. It was OK to acknowledge our history and pay tribute to our heroes. It was OK to show our art out on the barrio walls since mainstream galleries were not showing it. We had to do this for ourselves because this was not being done for us.” In 1964, he began to mix acrylic paint with semen. “Semen is like the old medieval paintings, which used egg yolk instead of oil as a binder,” he says. He coined the terms “semen art” or “semen-acrylic” to describe this medium. This mixture of bodily fluids and paint is related to body art, the process of making the body a part of the materials used in creating a painting or sculpture. “Since I have never married because I wanted to give myself to art and dedicate my life to it, I see my paintings as my offspring and more so since some of them contain my semen,” he says. “When I die all of what was my physical self will disintegrate and turn to dust or ashes, but my DNA will continue, implanted in my perceptualism paintings.”
| photo mauricio rubio |
Now 63, the painter and art educator is considered a pioneer of Chicago’s 1960s mural movement. Once painting on the neighborhood walls of Pilsen, Castillo now toils in a studio, delving into new art forms with childlike enthusiasm as if he were drawing on the same blackboard from his childhood. Today, Mario Castillo recalls the past with great admiration, admitting that even though his art has evolved, there is one element in his work that has remained constant — his ethnicity. “I find that I need to somehow represent contemporary American art and my Mexican culture in my work, because after all this is who I am — a product
Corey Postiglione, a professor of fine art and art history at Columbia College of Chicago, says Castillo challenged the canon popularized by the white Anglo-Saxon male. “He moved away from conceptual art and moved back to painting,” says Postiglione. “The subject became the iconography of his Mexican heritage, and when he did that, he was also personalizing it with his own body. Semen is seminal, it is about fertility, it is about growth — all of these factors play into his work.” In 1972, Castillo created a burial place in the walls of the main art gallery at the California Institute of Art. This piece, “D.N.A. Transdisplacement,” showcased ten semen samples belonging to ten different artists. It was quickly seen as a negative representation of art and was eventually censored by the school’s administration. “This work reflected society’s current preoccupation with semen banks, [as well as ideas from] Day of the Dead and garbage archaeology,” Castillo says. “Backward-thinking people brought the controversy to my work.” The use of bodily fluids in art is not new. Other artists have used urine, blood and even vomit in their artwork in what is
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SPOTLIGHT
| photo jillian sipkins |
exhibits Mario Castillo’s work can be seen in two exhibits this month: PERCEPTUALISM When: April 18-19 Where: 10057 S. Ave. M, Chicago Hours: 1-6 p.m Info: By appointment after exhibit dates. Contact Mario Castillo at castillo02@ comcast.net ARTISTS OF PILSEN When: Ends April 25 Where: Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, 911 W. National Ave., Milwaukee Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Admission: Free Info: (414) 672-2787
considered shock art. While artists test the boundaries of self-expression, what was once shocking is gradually becoming more acceptable. “This is getting to be less and less controversial,” Castillo says. “I get all kinds of responses from negative to positive to, ‘I do not care if the paint is mixed with semen, I like your painting.’ It is art and that is all that matters to me.” On July 4, 2001, Castillo wrote a manifesto in which he liberated himself from his past style. These days he has put down the paintbrush and taken up the computer mouse. His recent work, abstract surrealism, is an exploration in digital art. Mario Castillo’s work can be seen at the National Museum of Mexican Art or by visiting www.mariocastillo.com.
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Special Advertising Section
A new opportunity
G
rowing up in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico, Rocio Herrera dreamt of dedicating herself to the field of food and nutrition. Specifically, teaching others how to eat well and care for themselves through healthy food choices.
Herrera studied nutrition in her native country. She worked as a supervisor in a company cafeteria, watching and making sure that food was prepared properly. Unfortunately in Mexico, that profession is not looked at with much importance. “They paid me very little,” says Herrera, 25. “They didn’t value my job very much.” After three years and virtually getting nowhere, she figured that the only way to make a living as a nutritionist was to come to the United States. “I wanted to come here and start over,” she says. “I wanted to learn English and build up my credentials.” Herrera found work at a catering service, but once the economy slowed down she lost her job. A new opportunity arose when a friend nominated her for the Diageo – Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund. This scholarship would help her take courses that will help her pursue a career in the hospitality industry. “I want to learn about everything when it comes to food,” Herrera says.
Rocio Herrera in her Chicago home. | photo stacie freudenberg |
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She envisions herself in a position planning well-balanced meals and helping chefs
Special Advertising FEATURE
“I want to learn about everything when it comes to food”
Mike Moreno
—Rocio Herrera | photo mauricio rubio |
How to apply Would you like to become a professional in the food-service or hospitality industry? Do you know someone who is over the age of 21 and wants to pursue a career in hotel, restaurant or bar management, work in a catering or culinary business, or own or manage a liquor store? Here’s what you can do: • Nominate yourself or someone you know. (One entry per person) • Read the Participating Rules and meet the criteria for participation. • Fill out a nomination form available at participating locations or online at www.cafemagazine.com/future.
and owners decide on the healthiest foods to serve. Her nutritionist background could be pushed in many different directions when it comes to dietary needs. Her aim is to help people eat healthily. “If we had better food and balance, we would be healthier people,” Herrera says. As an expectant mother, Herrera knows the importance of her food choices not only for herself, but also for her unborn child.
Send it to Diageo – Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund c/o Cafe Media, 660 West Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60654 before August 15, 2009. Award decisions will be based on demonstrated need and dedication to getting ahead. Finalists will be chosen by a review committee. Winners will be announced in September 2009.
no Liquors, in May 1977. Working and raising her child in the United States is ideal for her because compensation is better than in Mexico. “It’s more work and heavy work at that, but at the same time, you’re more heavily rewarded,” says Herrera. The rewards are more than just monetary, they come from knowing that the community is genuinely interested in improving the lives of others. Case in point, Mike Moreno, 55, a successful business owner who supports and is on the advisory board for the Diageo – Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund. Moreno values the importance of contributing to the experience and education of the new workforce. Moreno learned how to run his business from his dad, who had a grocery store in the Little Village neighborhood in Chicago. After learning about the business, Moreno decided to test the waters and opened his own business, More-
Moreno took marketing classes to enhance his expertise in the first few years following the opening. Wanting to give something back to the community, Moreno decided to participate in Diageo – Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund. “I think it’s nice because it gives Latinos an opportunity they sometimes don’t have. Latinos aren’t always making a ton of money and it helps with their studies,” says Moreno. Moreno’s decision to work with the Diageo – Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund stems from the experiences that he has encountered with the company. “With Diageo I’ve had an excellent experience. It’s a wonderful company,” he says. “They’re very conscious of what goes on with the Latino community and they’re always willing to help.”
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Education is the foundation —for everything With that in mind, Diageo and Café Media have partnered to create the Diageo Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund, encouraging continued education in the hospitality industry. Your participation starts with a sip! A portion of the proceeds from your Jose Cuervo brands purchase will be donated to the fund. Learn how you can partake in the program; visit www.cafemagazine.com/future.
©2009 Imported by and/or imported and bottled by Heublein, Norwalk, CT under license from the trademark owner. JOSE CUERVO is a registered trademark of Tequila Cuervo la Rojeña. VIVE CUERVO, Please Drink Responsibly.
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artdepartment Micasa very green
Out of the box
Architect Rocio Romero finds a home in the prefab market words
Rick Villalobos
Laguna Verde is a quiet and simple coastal town near Valparaiso, Chile. It is also the backdrop for Missouri-based architect Rocio Romero’s vision: a home that is affordable, modern and simple. The LV (for Laguna Verde), her prototype home, is the epitome of style and functionality. With her company, Rocio Romero LLC, a producer of pre-fabricated homes that range from a little over $20,000 to just under $47,000, Romero has proven to be a force to be reckoned with both in the United States and abroad.
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This alumna of the Southern California Institute of Architecture comes from a long line of artists, sculptors and builders. The first in her family to become an architect, Romero says her grandmother, an avid crafter, and an uncle, a sculptor, introduced her to the formalities of design. “For me it was something that was very natural,” she says, “so I did not see it as entirely unique — it was what people did.” An architect grounded in her Chilean roots, she reminisces humbly about her upbringing: “I think my more important influences have to do with my values and the way I look at the world.” In the summer of her freshman year at the University of California, Berkeley, she acknowledged her hidden interest in architecture. She was 19 and traveling through Europe, when she
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noticed the ancient structures that would one day guide her hand at creating something as timely. “It was just one of those experiences where I was left thinking, ‘Wow, there is so much power and so much meaning behind those beautifully designed buildings!’” she says. “And it started from there — that curiosity, that passion. I started taking courses and I never looked back.” Since then, Romero has been leading the pack with her affordable and distinctive prefabricated home designs. Jennifer Siegal, founder of the Los Angeles-based firm Office of Mobile Design, says, “Rocio was ahead of the curve.” “She tapped into something before most people realized it was going to be a movement,” explains Siegal. “I think that is what is interesting about what she is doing — she is sticking
to her beliefs.” Romero agrees that with persistence comes success. “I was told I was crazy when I first started because the architects that had done prefabricated homes in the 1950s were considered a failed experiment,” she says. “Everything that I was doing was very contrary to what was going on around me.” Despite that, Romero managed to turn an unpopular idea into a profitable business. An LV home is sold as a kit comprised of individual parts that include wall panels and structural materials, like posts and beams, that are prefabricated off-site. Each kit is then shipped off to the client and put together on-site much like a jigsaw puzzle by any contractor or do-it-yourselfer. “We use sustainable timber,” Romero says. “Our steel for the most part is recycled, so we are
PREVIOUS PAGE AND THIS PAGE: The standard LV home is 1150 sq. ft. and has a living room, dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. | photo richard sprengler, courtesy of rocio romero |
micasa For more information about the LV Series, visit www.rocioromero.com
using materials that are creating a design that is fair and energyefficient.” José L.S. Gamez, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s School of Architecture, says people now are more aware of issues affecting the planet. “The general public has become more eco-conscious in recent decades,” he says. “Earth Day events, recycling, organic foods — these all represent the mainstreaming of sustainable or green practices. And following this past year’s flux in gas prices, energy and renewable resources gained more attention because they became ‘pocketbook’ issues.” Since 1833, prefabricated techniques have been utilized to promote a sustainable way of building. George Washington Snow, an architect from Chicago, introduced the
concept of “balloon construction” — a collection of studs, cross beams and stresses woven together like a basket. Assembled onsite, these buildings were lighter, used less lumber and cost less to construct than a traditional framed home. This method is widely used today by many home builders. In 1908, Sears, Roebuck and Co. introduced some of the first and most successful mass-produced prefabricated homes in history. A kit, sold by catalog, consisted of pieces set up over a period of months. It was cheaper than a conventionally built home and much easier to construct. But it wasn’t until after World War I that prefab homes took on a modern twist. Something that was once revered by only the affluent, prefab structures like the LV home has now been driven by mainstream American needs. Today, the prefab movement is geared by the need for a more contemporary and distinctive design. Romero admits that each job is different, but there is one element that every client has in common. “What connects everyone is the love of the design — the need for a more efficient and a more sustainable home,” she says. Romero’s flexible design grants her the freedom to adapt and satisfy the needs of her clients. She stands by her work, literally. Located in Perryville, Mo., 70 miles south of St. Louis, her LV home, the second prototype in the series, stands erect and square and shows how a modern home can be placed even in the most unthinkable of places: a working walnut plantation.
The LV series prefabricated homes by Rocio Romero have different floorplans to choose from. | photo ethan, courtesy of rocio romero |
Owners can customize the exterior structure of their LV home to include stairs and decks. | photo ethan, courtesy of rocio romero |
The LVL model is the largest kit home in the LV series by Rocio Romero. | photo traci roloff, courtesy of rocio romero |
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UrbanFarming
WeFarm America makes growing your own organic food easy words
Marla Seidell
photos
Seneca Kern
This Page: Tomato plant. Opposite Page, Far Left: Navy bean plant. Middle: Tomato plant in re-purposed bottle. Far Right: Pepper plant.
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Who’s WEFarm America? WeFarm America is a communitybased collaborative that helps urban dwellers set up organic gardens in their backyards or apartment balconies and roofs. The company is currently based in Hyde Park, with a product development team in Pilsen. A wide range of indoor and outdoor garden kits are available to customers, in addition to installation services and instructions. For more information about how to create an organic garden, visit www. wefarmamerica.com.
With grocery prices perpetually on the rise and climate change heading towards dangerous, a radical change in food consumption is urgent. “The environmental crisis is going to start to affect us,” notes Seneca Kern, co-founder of WeFarm America, a community collaborative that helps people morph from being passive consumers of shrink-wrapped vegetables to conscious growers of organic greens. The concept behind the idea is outfitting urban dwellers with a range of garden kits, from micro-green window planters to soil beds for backyard plots. “It’s like going to Ikea: all of a sudden you have a dresser,” quips Kern. Only in this case, you can actually help the environment instead of adding to a landfill. In November, Kern formed WeFarm America with Bill Morisett, with whom he shares an interest in permaculture, the integration of food gardening into one’s living space. Including the founders, WeFarm America currently “employs” 13, all of whom work pro bono with the goal of earning a living wage and benefits through the company. Through gardens, WeFarm America proposes affordable access to organic food and composting on a large-scale basis. WeFarm America customers are encouraged to choose from a range of composting options, including vermicomposting (worms), which reduces kitchen garbage by about a third and provides organic soil that naturally feeds plants and vegetables without the use of petrol chemicals typically found in store bought soil. Plus, it prevents the squander of throwing useful food waste into a toxic landfill. In addition to indoor/outdoor compost kits, various products are available for apartment and urban dwellers. The former are encouraged to buy single device items, such as mushroom logs or self-watering cans. For those with backyard space, there are three options: 1. The kit which includes frame, topsoil, mulch, compost, drip-down irrigation, weed barrier, seedlings; 2. The kit with installation; and 3. The full kit with installation and weekly service. According to Kern, the last option is ideal for those who wish to gain in-depth experience in crop rotation. Online instructions and regular workshops contribute to the learning process. Price points appeal to a wide range of patrons: $10-$20 for a single container, $250-$470 for a kit, depending on installation, and $23 a week for service. Ground zero for WeFarm America is Hyde Park, Bronzeville and
Kenwood, each with vast economic differences. “You can’t really get affordable organic vegetables [on the South Side],” remarks Kern. To bridge the economic gap between communities, WeFarm America intends to incorporate Healthy Homes, a WeFarm America project that facilitates donations of food or land to the impoverished — those without the financial means to purchase vegetable-growing materials. It works by asking existing clients to install more space on their plots for purposes of donating food back to the community. “We want people in neighborhoods to come together,” explains Kern. Following the South Side, WeFarm America’s second wave of development will target Latino communities such as Pilsen, where, clearly evident from the high number of mercados, there’s already a high level of consciousness about the importance of fresh fruits and vegetables in one’s diet. “There’s a lot of knowledge about food rooted in the people,” notes Kern. “We want to give the Latino community the opportunity to return to that.” Ultimately, WeFarm America seeks to help urban dwellers from all socioeconomic situations cultivate a garden, the antithesis of the suburban lawn. Not only does a lawn require chemicals but gargantuan water upkeep and 11 times the output of a car. “This is moving beyond the suburban lawn model,” Morisett says of the permaculture movement. Love of garden life for Kern stems back to childhood, when his grandmother maintained an urban oasis in Oakland, Calif. — a sprawling plot of grapes, cabbage, raspberries, peaches, spinach and peas amid the gunshots. In similar fashion, WeFarm America has a long list of organic and heirloom seedlings, including a wide variety of tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, broccoli, squash, cauliflower and herbs. WeFarm America is more local than locavore (people committed to eating foods grown within a certain radius) — the backyard (or apartment) garden shortens food miles even more drastically and provides the means to compost materials and save money on food. “We’re moving towards a permaculture way of life,” Kern says. cafemagazine.com 33
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Pilsen resident Cynthia Nambo decided to live green “to be healthier overall for myself, my family and my community.”
Green up your family How one Latina is making a favorable impression on our ecosystem words photos
Angélica Herrera Mauricio Rubio
34 Café APRIL2009
Going shopping at La Segunda on Chicago’s Southeast Side with her two sisters and her Mexican parents was Cynthia Nambo’s first experience living green. While there, 8 year-old Cynthia spent her time looking for books while everyone else rummaged through clothes and picked out furniture for their home.
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Back then, Nambo says, being from the suburbs was considered a sign of affluence, and the secondhand clothes she wore made her look affluent. “Kids would tell me, ‘You must be from the suburbs because you dress so well,’” Nambo says with a laugh. “I would think, ‘Are you kidding me? This shirt was five bucks!’” Fast forward 30 years and Nambo, her two young daughters and husband also practice living green. “Instead of buying new materials, such as furniture and clothes, I’ll shop at thrift stores,” Nambo says. “You can have a beautiful, artistic home without spending a lot of money — and also be environmentally conscious.” If the brightly-painted walls in Nambo’s Pilsen home could talk, they would tell you they’re actually green. This past summer, Nambo used environmentally-friendly drywall and insulation to replace in the walls in her home and those of two other buildings she manages. A science teacher by trade, Nambo’s awareness of what happens in the ecosystem makes her mindful. “Everything we use and produce becomes waste and either benefits or harms the cycle,” she says. “I decided to be more earth-friendly to be healthier overall for myself, my family and my community.” Since the city doesn’t have a pickup service for recyclables in Pilsen, Nambo sorts and distributes them to area trash collectors making their rounds in the alleys. In exchange for a reduction in rent, one of Nambo’s tenants takes the building’s recyclables once every two weeks to the nearest recycling center, at 1424 W. Pershing Road. After Nambo installs a compost bin in the backyard this summer, the tenant will also be responsible for its use. Nambo also hopes to plant her own garden this summer, fully-equipped with chiles, pepinos, jitomates, hierba buena and basil. In the meantime, she hopes neighbors on her block will mirror her actions and place trash cans in front of their homes to reduce the amount of waste on the street. Last summer, about 130 people showed up for a
familia yearly family reunion hosted by her mother-in-law’s family. As usual, the cookout food resembled entire meals with mole and arroz among the many wheatbased Mexican dishes on the menu. “My greatest victory to date is the overwhelmingly positive response I got from the vegetarian dish I prepared — it was the first time my in-laws had tasted eggplant,” Nambo says proudly. “The men loved it, and everyone was asking for the recipe.” Eating organically, or at least incorporating more raw vegetables and fresh fruit to her diet, is an important part of the Nambo family’s green life today — but this wasn’t always the case. “Before, my diet consisted of a meat base with lots of soda and tacos, which always made me feel sluggish,” Nambo says. “My digestive system was a mess, I felt heavy, and I wasn’t as energetic or positive.” After changing her diet, Nambo says she felt an immediate energy change. “I felt more energetic, more positive, and really felt like I could accomplish all of my goals — all of this just from changing what I put in my mouth.” One of Nambo’s biggest challenges of going green has been finding affordable eco-friendly products. “I wish I could install a solar panel, but it’s just too expensive and it’s not the economy for investing in something so costly,” Nambo says. “I know it’s supposed to pay itself back in time, but I just don’t have the money to pay for it upfront.” Though more expensive, other products like green cleaning supplies make Nambo feel accomplished about reducing her carbon footprint, a task she says we all should try. “At the end of the day, all of that stuff ends up in the water and in our ecosystem,” Nambo says. “And since we live in and rely on that ecosystem, we need to take care of it. It’s that simple.” For ideas on ways to leave a green print and online resources on how to keep a green home, go to www. cafemagazine.com.
Nambo, a science teacher by trade, has inspired her two young daughters to be ecoconscious.
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Eco-degrees Now is a good time to get a graduate degree and ride la ola verde
words
Angélica Herrera
When it comes to the green jobs of tomorrow, 27-year-old Adrian Esquivel will be among the new kids on the green scene ready to influence the policy sector. As a second-year graduate student at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Urban Planning and Policy Program, Esquivel is as deeply rooted in community activism today as he was in college. As a first year undergraduate student at the University of Michigan, he joined a three year movement that, in 2001, persuaded the university to sign a code of conduct stating that the school’s logo would only appear on apparel made by companies who guaranteed fair wages. These days, as an intern at the Chicagoland Green-Collar Jobs Initiative, Esquivel is coming closer to his goal of identifying opportunities to develop and 36 Café APRIL2009
retain green jobs. At the Initiative, Esquivel says his interaction with Chicago experts is teaching him how to find ways to do just that without compromising wages. Giving green jobs the green light requires convincing power players to play along, says Esquivel. “Change will come from the people who have the power,” states Esquivel. “So my green contribution comes from writing to congressmen to advocate for that change.” With the passage of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package, many are hopeful it will not only directly create new green jobs, but also spawn new ones as a result.
In the U.S., 5.3 million jobs have been created so far in environmental management and protection, according to a 2006 study by Management Information Services Inc., a Washington research firm that has been tracking green jobs for two decades. By 2010, green employment is expected to reach 5.8 million jobs; by 2020, 6.9 million. So, if there’s a good time to go back to school and get a graduate degree and ride la ola verde, the time is now. But figuring out how to go back to graduate school to prepare for future green jobs will take some patience — at least for now.
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For a list of higher education and certificate programs in Illinois, as well as a list of emerging green jobs, go to www.cafemagazine.com.
A NEW CONCEPT
Because green jobs are so new, few university programs are available to prepare for them. The idea of implementing green into existing programs — or creating green programs altogether — is such a new concept that experts say academia has some catching up to do. “It’s new, but it’s coming,” says Paige Finnegan, the director of sustainable development at the Local Economic and Employment Development Council (LEED). The LEED is a non-profit organization that serves businesses in the North River Industrial Corridor in Chicago’s Northwest Side. “If people are thinking about the green economy in academia, they have the leg up, but I’m not sure academia is there quite yet,” adds Finnegan. For those looking to attend graduate school during the recession, obtaining a green degree will require some customization. Because a sustainability-specific
university program in Illinois is unavailable, Cynthia Klein-Banai, the interim associate chancellor for sustainability at the UIC, advises people to choose a program in math, science, engineering, public policy, technology or management. The trick, she says, is to take a green slant with the program because people need to have an understanding of the environmental sciences — at least at a certain level. “But you also need to understand the economics and social implementations [of green jobs], so you want to look at it from all points of view,” Klein-Banai warns. “You don’t want to be a victim of ‘green washing’ and promoting [going green] without knowing how everything is affected.” Klein-Banai and Finnegan agree that building retrofitting and renewable energy are two sectors where green jobs will be red hot. Building retrofitting will need people to weatherize and make old buildings more energy efficient, while the renewable
energy industry will seek people who can do everything from solar panel installation to construction and operation of wind turbines. One way to prepare for a boom in green jobs is to determine how to make existing jobs greener — and how available programs can help others do that. “For example, now is the time for a mechanic who already knows how to fix a regular car to also learn how to work on a hybrid car because that’s the direction we’re heading,” says Dr. Victoria Cooper, director of the Environmental Technology Program at Wilbur Wright College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago. And if the masses demand a green new world, Esquivel says he’s confident it’s going to happen. “It’s going to move in that direction. But it’s going to take more than just implementing recycling to create green jobs,” he says. “It’s always been about the people, and what the people want.” cafemagazine.com 37
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As experts sound the alarm, more Latino families are grappling with the epidemic
Living with Autism words
Darhiana Mateo
Shortly after Elsa Sanchez’s son Israel’s first birthday, the La Grange Park mom suspected something was wrong. Her fairskinned, redheaded second child wouldn’t look at her in the eyes or try to form words, and he never seemed at ease. When Israel was two years old, his pediatrician confirmed her fears: He was diagnosed with autism. “That was the saddest day of my life,” says Sanchez. “I didn’t know what autism was. The first thing that popped to my head was ‘Is there a cure? How can I help my son?’” Israel, now seven, is part of an alarming trend that many experts are now calling an epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism affects as many as one in every 150 children in the United States. In fact, autism is now the fastestgrowing developmental disability in the country, with government statistics reporting a 10 to 17 percent increase in diagnoses each year. The complex developmental disability, part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders, impairs an individual’s ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behavior. Symptoms range from mild to severe depending on the individual. For families, a diagnosis of autism — which occurs across all racial, ethnic and social groups — can be devastating, says Jonathan Tarbox, director of research and development for the Center for 38 Café APRIL2009
Autism and Related Disorders, one of the world’s largest organizations dedicated to treating autism, and an adjunct faculty member at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. “It really is a pervasive, global developmental disorder. It affects basically every aspect of the person’s life,” Tarbox says. “Mothers that I’ve met said things like when their child was diagnosed they felt like they were dying, that their world was falling apart. They felt a tremendous weight crushing down on them.” There is no cure for autism, but with critical early intervention, there is hope. “If you intervene early on, you can make permanent changes in the child’s ability to function,” Tarbox says. “The earlier you start the less delayed the child is likely to be.” TREATING AUTISM
In spite of some strides, the medical community remains as baffled by the disease as affected families. Experts still have not reached a consensus as to what causes autism. “It’s very controversial still,” says Tarbox. “No one has identified any ‘autism genes’ yet. But most agree that it’s a product of genetics and some mix of environmental factors.” As soon as autism is diagnosed, early intervention instruction should begin. Effective programs focus on developing communication, social and cognitive skills. While there is no single treatment
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Red Flags Doctors once waited until a child was at least three years old to diagnose autism. Now, children are being diagnosed by 18 months or even earlier. Parents are usually the first to notice unusual behaviors in their child or the failure to reach appropriate developmental milestones, according to the Web site Autism Speaks (www.autismspeaks.org). Caretakers need to be vigilant and watch out for delays in their child’s language and socialization skills, as well as unusual behavior, Dr. Jonathan Tarbox says. Some early warning signs: • No response from the child to his or her name by the age that children commonly start to (usually around 6 to 8 months) • No attempt to communicate through babbling or gestures • A lack of eye contact • A lack of interest in engaging with others (i.e. not wanting to be held or cuddled or interact with siblings) • Sudden loss of speech or social skills If your child is showing any of these warning signs, Tarbox advices parents to find a psychologist or medical doctor who is an expert at diagnosing autism — most family physicians or pediatricians still know very little about this disorder, he says.
regimen for all children with autism, most individuals respond best to highly structured behavioral programs, according to Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization that sponsors research. Some of the most common interventions: applied behavior analysis; floortime therapy; a gluten-free, casein-free diet; speech therapy; and occupational therapy. Within the Latino community, children are often diagnosed with autism and other developmental disorders later in life than other groups, thus missing out on key early treatment. Dr. Elina Manghi, a native of Argentina and clinical services director at the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Developmental Disabilities Family Clinics, says barriers that prevent Latino parents from accessing needed services include lack of knowledge, limited resources and language. The clinic houses the Hispanic Diagnostic and Family Support Program, which provides interdisciplinary comprehensive assessments in Spanish and/or English for individuals of all ages with developmental disabilities. Its specialized bilingual
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BEWELL
Insurance Mandate for Autistic Children In December, Senate Bill 934 was passed into law in Illinois, providing insurance coverage to parents of children with autism for the first time in the state’s history. The new insurance mandate provides for each eligible beneficiary up to $36,000 per year of services, including diagnosis, speech, and occupational, physical and behavioral therapies (including Applied Behavior Analysis), explains Laura Cellini, a policy advocate and parent representative for the Illinois Autism Task Force who helped co-write the bill. The law applies to all insurance companies in Illinois except for large, self-funded corporations. April is Autism Awareness Month. For an extended version of this story and additional resources, go to www.cafemagazine.com.
services and culturally sensitive approach is filling a void in the Latino community, she says. “The most pressing needs for the Latino population in Chicago affected by autism include information about the diagnosis and about services for their child; information regarding how to teach their child or how to handle the child’s behavior difficulties; access to services; and connection to other parents who also have a child with autism,” Manghi says. The clinic launched Grupo SALTO, a Chicagoland monthly support group for Hispanic families with children with autism spectrum disorders. More than 150 families attend the meetings, which consist of training sessions for the parents and art classes for the children. Sanchez is a member of Grupo SALTO as well as Grupo Fe, a support group for Latina mothers of children with developmental disabilities. During a Wednesday evening Grupo Fe meeting at Cicero Stadium on the South Side, Sanchez fought back tears as she explained how she draws strength from the other families: “The meetings are like my therapy. I’ve learned so much.” Within the Latino community, there is still a stigma attached to being different, she says. “We can’t accept a diagnosis like autism,” Sanchez says. “It’s too harsh, especially when we know there’s no cure.” Sanchez was immobilized by fear during those early months after her son’s diagnosis: “I was scared. Really scared. I didn’t want to accept it. I was afraid to even tell my family.” Eventually, she realized she had to fight to help her son lead a normal life. Thanks to years of intensive therapies and his mother’s determination, Israel, a second-grader, is doing much better. His proud mother describes him as a “happy, confident, charismatic child.” cafemagazine.com 39
Fuelforthought
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Darhiana Mateo
All signs point to green. Are Latinos getting the message?
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Cristina Diaz (left) and her mother Isabel are the proud owners of two Toyota Prius. For Isabel, owning “green” is a generational issue. | photo mauricio rubio |
n any given week, 23-year-old Cristina Diaz, a South Side real estate agent, drives 500 to 600 miles. It’s no surprise that fuel efficiency ranks at the top of her “must-have list.” She alternates between her eco-friendly Honda Accord and the family’s Toyota Prius Hybrid.
“This market is a force to be reckoned with,” says Dave Rodriguez, multicultural marketing manager for Ford Motor Co.
“With the amount [of miles] that I drive, it’s the greatest thing in the world,” Diaz says. And the eco-friendly appeal was a huge draw for her, even though it meant a higher initial investment, she says.
President Barack Obama’s recent move to enact strict automobile-emission and fuel-efficiency standards, an order that elevates manufacturers’ green efforts to almost mandatory — coupled with a dismal economy — has unleashed “a perfect storm” of sorts, Rodriguez says. As manufacturers step up their green marketing, their ability to appeal to the country’s fastest growing demographic will play a key role in their success. “We think that the time is right and we welcome the challenge,” he says.
In recent years, consumers like Diaz have increasingly caught the eye of the auto industry. As the automobile industry works to clean up its act — fueled in part by a new administration pushing for environmental responsibility, as well as a distressed and increasingly competitive new-car market — Latinos are emerging as prime targets for its green marketing campaigns.
SHIFTING GEARS Fuel efficiency and eco-friendly vehicles have been part of the Ford strategy for a long time, says Rodriguez. And the company has been marketing specifically to the Hispanic community since the early 1970s. “Our focus is on communicating the benefits of our vehicles as well as the work that we do in the Hispanic community at a more grass-roots level,” he says.
But are Latino drivers really buying the hype? According to the U.S. Census, the Hispanic population recently surpassed 45 million, now comprising roughly 15 percent of the total U.S. population.
Ford does that by identifying the core commonalities within the complex Latino market. “We try to find the common ground. Certainly, there are nuances with language, culture, food,” says Rodriguez. “We’re not trying to ignore the differences, but we try to connect more of the dots.”
With a buying power widely predicted to outpace that of other groups, this relatively young (median age: 27.6) and increasingly affluent demographic represents a coveted piece of the pie.
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According to J.D. Power and Associates, a global marketing information company, Hispanics’ share of the auto market could grow to 13 percent by 2020.
COVERSTORY
The 2009 Toyota Prius. | photo mauricio rubio |
But when it comes to buying green models, the numbers indicate there is still work to be done: Hispanics contribution to total sales of hybrid vehicles hovers around six percent, according to R.L. Polk & Co., a marketing data company specializing in the automotive industry. “It is a growing opportunity,” says Ana Rodriguez, vice president and general manager for Conill, the creative agency in charge of Toyota Motor Sales’ Hispanic marketing. Despite widespread consensus suggesting green initiatives are not a top priority for Latinos, says Loida Rosario, co-founder and director of DePaul University’s Multicultural Marketing Program, Latinos do care. The problem is that traditional campaigns have not been effective at communicating the value of green commodities in a way that this audience can relate to. “Marketers need to be cognizant that it’s not that, as a group, [Latinos] don’t care,” she says. “Al contrario, they care and care a lot. It’s part of the heritage, the history. You just have to know how to relate the message in a way that resonates.” A culturally relevant and multidimensional approach to marketing is a starting point. “It’s important for the auto industry to understand that the Hispanic community in the [United States] is multilingual, multicultural and, to a great extent, multigenerational,” says Rosario. “It’s not an either/or [proposition].” Some manufacturers have taken note. Toyota has responded by shifting gears to better resonate with the values,
The 2009 Saturn Plug-In Hybrid. | photo mauricio rubio |
needs and behaviors of Latino consumers. Driven by consumer research, Toyota tailors its campaigns to specific subsegments of the Latino population. “We’ve been able to identify specific targets for all of our models,” says Ana Rodriguez of Conill. For example, the campaign for Tundra, a popular full-size pick-up truck, differs markedly from the marketing of the Matrix, a compact hatchback. Whereas the Tundra’s target audience is less acculturated Mexicans, the Matrix is specifically geared toward a subgroup they’ve dubbed “los alternativos,” a more bicultural, bilingual, highly acculturated group of individuals who “live in both worlds,” says Rodriguez. Toyota’s “camreality” campaign, launched two years ago, highlights the different faces of the Latino culture: The cameras capture the reactions of people from various backgrounds, including Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Mexicans and South Americans, as they experience the car for the first time, says Cindy Knight, a Toyota spokeswoman. Savvy manufacturers are going beyond the traditional print or television campaigns route and offering a more “360-degree approach” to their green marketing mix, complete with interactive, experiential, online, mobile and even grass-roots community-outreach elements. “The industry is getting the message that this is an audience that we must recognize and we must have a dialogue with beyond just throwing TV commercials on the air,” says Dave Rodriguez of Ford.
Sharing is Caring For the most eco- and cost-conscious among us, owning a car is out. Car sharing, however, is in. When public transportation just won’t cut it, car-sharing clubs offering “cars on demand,” such as the Chicago-based I-GO and global Zipcar, are pretty convenient. For an annual fee (and additional rates), members can choose from a fleet of cars, including eco-friendly models, to rent by the hour or day. With gas, insurance and maintenance costs typically included, car sharing is dramatically cheaper than owning or leasing a private vehicle. I-GO, a Chicago nonprofit committed to economical and environmentally sound transportation choices, offers members their choice of a fleet of eco-friendly vehicles on an hourly basis. Zipcar, a global company based in Cambridge, Mass., boasts 250,000 members and a fleet of 6,000 vehicles serving more than 50 cities in the United States and England. The company says it offers members something you can’t put a value on: freedom. ”Zipcar is committed to improving the quality of urban life. Zipcar’s service gives city dwellers freedom to use a car to run simple errands….to get out of town for a weekend adventure, or to travel for business,” says Toby Ciottone, regional marketing manager for Zipcar Chicago. Both clubs say they enjoy a diverse consumer base and are reaching out to Latino consumers. For more information, visit www.igocars. com or www.zipcar.com.
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caféGrande | COVERSTORY SITTING ON THE FENCE In spite of some strides, Latinos aren’t rushing to hop on the “eco-friendly” automotive bandwagon just yet. “The whole concept of environmentally friendly marketing for Hispanics is very new, very recent,” says Ana Rodriguez of Conill. Toyota, according to Rodriguez, has divided the Latino green consumers base into three categories: the innovators, always at the forefront looking for the latest technology; the early adopters, the group easily swayed by the green movement; and the “fence sitters” who are waiting to jump in. Most Latino consumers fall into the latter category, she says. And unless they understand the tangible benefits, to themselves or their community, they’ll remain unconvinced. The challenge is to educate all consumers — both Latinos and the broader market — about the environmental and economic perks of eco-friendly models, whether hybrids or other low-emission vehicles. “Similar to the general market, we have to help the Hispanic population get over the curiosity and turn that into action,” says Dave Rodriguez. Cristina Diaz’s mom, Isabel, is also the proud owner of a Toyota Prius. In 2007, she traded her gas-guzzling SUV for a new compact hybrid. The car’s eco-friendly features sealed the deal, says the 41-year-old mother of three from Mokena, Ill. “Granted, we could have bought a cheaper car. Our focus was also the kind of impact we are having on the world we will at one point leave to our kids or our grandkids.” For Isabel Diaz, it’s more of a generational issue than a cultural one. For many older Latinos, “green” isn’t a priority unless it refers to dollar signs. “I think it could be a hit or miss on both sides,” she says. “Manufacturers haven’t really targeted the Latino population because of some misconceptions, like that all we are looking at is the bottom line. If you talk to my dad, that is going to be the case.” Her daughter suggests that marketers need to appeal to people’s wallets as well as their consciences. And painting the “surprisingly roomy” Prius as not just eco-friendly but also family-friendly, says Cristina Diaz, would be another plus: “Stereotypical or not,” she says, “our culture is very family-oriented.”
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Erin Claudio started selling his processed oil for $1.50 a gallon; when gasoline prices went over the roof he sold at half the biodiesel price at the pump. | photo mauricio rubio |
Vegetable Oil Upgraded For 31-year-old Erin Claudio, a health and recreation instructor at Northeastern Illinois University, the saying “one man’s garbage is another man’s treasure” hits close to home. Fed up with the lack of eco-friendly fuel options, Claudio — who eventually traded his Jeep Cherokee for a bicycle — started researching alternative fuels. During the summer of 2007, he stumbled on an “old technology” that intrigued him: filtering waste vegetable oil and using it inside a biodiesel engine. According to Claudio, the processed oil yields the same efficiency out of the engine as biodiesel, with far lower emissions and a much lower price tag. “You can [literally] use someone’s garbage basically as fuel,” he says.
Pretty soon, Claudio was collecting gallons of waste vegetable oil from local restaurants and filtering it through the use of a “sock” filter and pump in his garage. Eventually, he had so much waste oil that he started selling it on Craigslist. One loyal customer looking for a cheaper alternative to biodiesel drove to Chicago from rural Michigan every two to three weeks to buy 200 gallons of the fuel from Claudio. Claudio started selling the processed oil for $1.50 a gallon; when gasoline prices skyrocketed last year, he would charge half of the biodiesel price at the pump. For Claudio, the unconventional business had a higher purpose: “You don’t have to shout it from the rooftops; you can do something quiet and simple that is good for the environment,” he says. “I saw it as a circle: getting rid of waste and turning waste into something useful.”
HOW CAN WE SERVE YOU? When Hispanic families need help, they turn to Casa Central because they know Casa Central helps them grow and become self-sufficient.
Through its network of 25 programs and services, Casa Central ensures that the three basic human needs – food, clothing and shelter – are a fundamental part of a sound support plan for families. These staples are integrated into Casa Central’s multi-cultural outreach, from pre-school and after-school programs to a wellness center for older adults. Call (773) 645-2300 or visit www.casacentral.org to learn more about Casa Central.
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ORGANICFOOD
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It’s easier
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green As more Latinos go organic, healthier food options get more plentiful and less expensive
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Christina Chavez Weitman photos alBerto Treviño
Latinos caught on to the “going green” movement a long time ago. Before it became the hip thing to do, our abuelitas were buying and cooking with only the freshest produce, usually purchased that day from the vegetable markets or vendors in our neighborhoods. But abuelita would have laughed at the idea of being green; she did it because it was convenient and it was fresh. Imagine that: After all these years, abuelita really does know best. For Lisa Carrizales Revord, a married Wilmette mother of three, buying organic food is important “because I know that I am giving my family the very best that is in the market. It is expensive to do this, and I can’t always buy everything organic, but I know when I do they are eating food that is healthy and hopefully free from additives and pesticides.” Recent research indicates that Latinos have emerged as a core group of consumers who prefer organic foods. Whether they do so because of the basic nature of their cuisine (even something like mole, which may take days to prepare, uses only wholesome products) or the close connections to the land, a study by consumer researcher organization The Hartman Group shows Latinos purchase organic items in several categories, especially fruits, vegetables and dairy.
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And Latinos don’t have to depend on small neighborhood vendors any more. Almost all supermarkets carry a wide range of organic produce, meat, dairy and packaged goods, and many have entire aisles or sections devoted to organic products — quite a turnabout from a decade ago when consumers could find organic food and products only in what were then referred to as “natural food stores.” “Buying or shopping for organic food is a lot easier than it used to be. It was hard ten years ago! Now you can find several different kinds of organic milk and lots of different organic cookies and crackers,” said Carrizales Revord. But what makes something “organic”? Certified organic foods are produced without herbicides, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, irradiation or bioengineering. Organic farmers must follow strict U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines regarding soil and water conservation methods and strict rules about the humane treatment of animals. The “USDA Organic” label on a product means that at least 95 percent of the ingredients are organically produced. Those regulations have kept organic food prices much higher than regular items on grocery shelves. And yet, over the past decade, sales of organic products have grown by 20 to 30 percent a year according to a 2008 report by marketresearch firm The Nielsen Company. Now, with the economy in a free fall, sales of organic foods have slowed down considerably. But even though Latinos are cutting back, organic products are still finding their way into their shopping carts. “The cost keeps me from buying everything organic,” says Carrizales Revord. “I did go through a
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phase where I bought all of my meat at Whole Foods, even our sandwich meat, but it just became outrageously expensive.” SHOPPING HEALTHY AND SMART Carrizales Revord says there are certain organic products that she automatically buys without thinking twice. When she shops at Trader Joe’s, a specialty grocery store, she stocks up on pasta sauce, granola bars, crackers and cookies. She says organic berries, apples and tomatoes are also on the organic list. But when considering what to feed her family, she says, it’s not so much about eating organically, but eating healthy. “There are so many studies showing how certain additives are linked to behavioral problems [in children],” she says. “For years people never thought about reaching for certain cereals or fruit snacks, but now people stop and say, ‘Wow, this has tons of artificial sugar and coloring and flavoring.’ There are so many better options now in the organic aisle.” Registered dietitian Maria Alamo says finding those better options can be challenging. She warns that just because a product says it’s organic or contains organic ingredients it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a healthier alternative. Some organic products may still be high in calories or contain a lot of sugar, salt or fat. Organic food must still meet the same quality and safety standards as conventional food. Alamo also says there is no conclusive evidence that organic food is more nutritious than conventionally grown food or that it even tastes better. “The taste difference could come from how the food was pro-
organicfood
Lisa Carrizales Revord buys certain organic products such as apples and tomatoes without thinking it twice at stores like Whole Foods.
duced, processed and handled. Organic foods may seem to taste better because organic farms sell their produce in season and that makes their produce literally ‘farm-fresh,’ ” says Alamo. “Organic fruits and vegetables may seem to spoil faster because they are not treated with preservatives or coated in wax, like our other conventional produce, which will also affect the taste.” Alamo explains that while eating only organic food would be ideal, making healthy mealtime choices and incorporating organic food into your diet whenever economically possible is the next best thing. Organic meat makes sense, Alamo says, because consuming it reduces the risk of exposure to potential toxins in non-organic feed as well as to the agent believed to cause mad cow disease. She also suggests that eating less meat, organic or otherwise, is better for your health and will help your food budget. The Organic Consumers Association agrees that eating less meat saves money, and recommends a number of other ways to live organically on a budget. Spokeswoman Honor Schauland says the best idea is to make a meal plan, shop around and clip coupons for organic food items, many of which are available online. [See sidebar.] She says organic products can be found in a variety of places besides large supermarket chains. “Organic food markets like Whole Foods, farmer’s markets, community gardens, organic food co-ops and organic produce markets are great places to look for what you want,” Schauland says. Becoming a member of a co-op can save you a lot of money, while organic produce markets, like Newleaf Natural Grocery near Loyola University, in Chicago’s North Side, give you access to produce you won’t see often in supermarkets. Schauland says consumers can also save money on organic products by buying produce when it’s in season. “Go to a farmer’s market and stock up,” she says. “Freeze whatever you won’t eat over the next few days. If you have like-minded friends, split flats of berries with them. Try to be selective in what you buy. Think about what your family will get the most use out of, like organic milk or cheese.”
Save Money The Organic Way The Organic Consumers Association offers other ideas for living organically on a budget: 1. Buy in bulk: Many grocery and organic food stores have bulk sections where organic products can be bought in as large a quantity as needed. 2. Look for sales: Organic canned goods often go on sale, so stock up on items like broths, soups and beans. 3. Plant a container garden: Growing tomatoes, cucumbers or herbs in containers on a porch, patio or balcony will save you money.
The USDA says that the demand for organic food products will continue to rise despite the poor economy, particularly as giant food companies, like Kraft Foods and Pillsbury, add organic product lines to their portfolios. With this growth, the USDA predicts the number of producers and suppliers will increase and spur a competitive market, so more people will be able to live organically … just like abuelita.
Top 10
Organic Fruits and Vegetables Purchased by Latinos* Chiles Strawberries Cilantro Tomatoes Carrots Squash Onions Limes/Lemons Oranges Apples *USDA
Coupon Sites http://organicvalley.com http://www.wildharvestorganic.com http://www.horizonorganic.com http://www.stonyfield.com http://www.mambosprouts.com http://browncowfarm.com http://earthsbest.com
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Earthly accents Spring into the season of rebirth and renewal with blossoming environmentally-friendly fashion
Photographer akin girav Art Director alberto treviño Production Manager Gina Santana Fashion Stylist Agga b. raya at artists by timothy priano Hair and Make-up Artist joyce taft at artists by timothy priano Model Cecily Rodriguez, ford models Location A New Leaf Chicago
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Dress and Scarf by Chetta B. Neiman Marcus Paper Mache Necklaces and Bangels by Ianneci Jewelery Design Shibuy Hada Boutique Natural Pearl Earrings by Majorica Bloomingdale’s
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Dress by Luca Luca Luca Luca Copperwire Recycled Cuff Greenheart Shop 52 Café APRIL2009
Organic Wooden Earrings Skinstinct
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Dress by Leifdottir Antropologie Mod Squad Handmade Bag with Obsidian Semi-precious Stones by Yvette Floro www.pamhiran.com Frida Kahlo Earrings Greenheart Shop Handmade, Recycled Fabric Flower Headbands (used as bracelets) by Pierogi Picnic www.pierogipicnic.etsy.com
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Dress by Alberta Ferretti Neiman Marcus Handmade, Semi-precious Woven Bangels Made of Onyx, Mookaite and Rhodium Beads by Pam Hiran www.pamhiran.com 54 Café APRIL2009
Frida Kahlo Earrings Greenheart Shop
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Dress by Luca Luca Luca Luca Square Bracelets Made of Compressed Leaves by Naturecast Skinstinct Snake Skin Print Stocking H&M Clutch Made From Recycled Cookie Wrappers by Ecoist Skinstinct Want to see more earth-friendly accessories? Go to www.cafemagazine.com. cafemagazine.com 55
caféGRANDE
Redefine re-imagine recycle
Latino artists connect with nature, light and spirit by repurposing their space and environment
PAOLA CABAL
words photos
Benjamin Ortiz Mauricio Rubio
Latino visual artists in Chicago are turning their aesthetic concerns over to the environment we all inhabit. These three artists, in particular, envision and expand notions of environmental themes that connect with both typical and unusual ideas about urban Latino ecology. Whether their themes concern balancing natural with human-made space, seeing art in a wider context of biological and planetary processes, or digging into a spiritual heritage to pay respect to Mother Earth, these Chicago Latino artists are making us look deeper into the environment that we might take for granted from within our skyscraper valleys and vistas. CHASING THE SUN
Above, Paola Cabal uses light in her art to explore the way it moves through space.
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Paola Cabal remembers returning to Bogotá in the late 1990s, after growing up in the United States from age 3. Newly elected President Andres Pastrana was attempting to end the decades-long civil war there among the various insurgencies. But, she recalls, “nobody had a sense of nation, a sense of country.” She came away from the experience feeling more “torn apart” than any sense of unity, and that has informed her artistic practices ever since.
Creating site-specific installations, Cabal calls her works “interventions” because she does not believe in pure invention, especially since what’s already there is much more interesting to her, from the spatial context to the audience. “What I try to do is point up the strangeness of painting,” Cabal, 33, says, referring to the classical idea of creating monuments to perpetuate things. “I like to juxtapose the still, static thing with the real context of ‘always change.’” In the end, she says, “somebody moving through space is ulti-
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SPIRITUALITY MEETS RECYCLING
Ricardo Santos Hernández
Playing with found objects and collage materials, Ricardo Santos Hernández, above, works through the funky aesthetic of “making do.”
mately the thing that activates the piece.” “Shadowtracing,” a piece she did for her bachelor’s degree, was the skeletal winter painting of a denuded tree against the wall of a not-for-profit organization she noticed while going to and from school. She thought first about doing a mural, but then decided to fill out the streetlight shadow. Once the leaves grew back, the shadow effect seemed to fulfill the natural promise of rebirth across the wall. “Here Tomorrow,” the piece for her master’s thesis, traced patterns of sunlight throughout the day across a gallery space. With no methodology worked out, she ran around with an assistant every 15 minutes all day, tracing patterns. Later, she went back and filled in the traces with white spray paint to look like sunlight. Without trying to, she fooled some audiences into thinking they saw real, natural light. She has created variations on this theme and tried to imagine natural light in cavernous spaces, also painting sun patterns across others’ works and charting nighttime lighting and reflections. She always accommodates her work and approach to the environment at hand, whether it’s a gallery or a public space. “One thing that I haven’t done yet that I would like to do is analemma — the pattern that’s made by the declension and ascension of the sun over the course of the year,” she says, relishing the eventual product that will be not only natural but also gorgeous. “It’s beautiful, because the shape that it makes — if you do it right the same day every month, every two weeks if you’re really religious about it — it makes a figure-eight.”
Ricardo Santos Hernández calls himself “Consumer Man,” admitting that he’s just as caught up in wasteful materialism as anybody else. In an essay of the same title, he bemoans the Cermak Road smokestacks spewing “a continuous vaporous smoke” that he sees from his third-floor studio in Pilsen’s A.P.O. building on 18th Street, as well as “the smoldering steel mills and refineries in Gary and Hammond.” To him, these are symbols of environmental racism and a shorter lifespan for the working class. “I seek to paint these troubling landscapes to negotiate with my tormented heart,” says the artist, who turns 52 on April 3, describing his artistic practice almost in Catholic terms of sin and expiation. Even so, he’s not optimistic about salvation: “I see a strong disconnection between Latinos and the environment … It is really sad, because if you have a disconnect, your soul is also not grounded.” Hernández sees himself grounded by the desert of his upbringing in Nogales, Arizona. “My dad is indio. He’s from Sonora, a Yaqui Indian, and we’ve always had this idea to walk in the desert,” he says. “I don’t consider myself an individual who practices or follows my traditions, but there was always this blessing and fulfillment from being in the desert.” Those expansive deserts seem a far cry from Pilsen’s landscape of cramped signage, neon and tenements. Among oxygenating plants and plastic water bottles in his studio space, a decommissioned artillery shell from Army surplus sits atop a dais like a lethal quinceañera cake. Various paintings on display or in the works depict a massive fish kill that Hernández witnessed when he came to Chicago in 1993 to attend the School of the Art Institute. “Even though Chicago’s very dynamic, it’s also very contaminated, very industrial,” he says. Playing with found objects and collage materials from magazines, Hernández works through the Latino pop-culture notion of rascuachismo — a funky aesthetic of “making do” with minimal resources. [Rascuache has several meanings, ranging from poor and penniless to kitsch bordering on vulgar.] Influenced by the work of Chicago muralist Marcos Raya, he also references the typical cultural iconography, such as La Virgen de Guadalupe and Mexican wrestlers, that one finds across mural walls. Thus, his paintings seem at first glance to reflect a recognizable U.S. Latino popular aesthetic, but with a sense of rascuache-as-recycling. “Rascuache has been elevated to a scholarly and fashionable thing, but it’s really about making ends meet and not being wasteful,” he says. “It’s always been the realm of the disadvantaged, the one who will not make it or is always at the end of the totem pole.” cafemagazine.com 57
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JUAN ANGEL CHÁVEZ
RE-IMAGINED URBAN SPACE
Juan Angel Chávez, above, tries to tap into the “personality,” as he calls it, of found objects.
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From atop a skateboard, Juan Angel Chávez might look at the city a bit differently than somebody just waiting for the bus. “What is a bench to somebody is not a bench,” he explains. “It was never a bench to me.” Kinetically re-using sidewalks, steps and objects for his own jollies rather than what they were meant for, has clued him into new ways of seeing what’s right in front of him, affording the same meditative experience he gets from hanging out in abandoned buildings and scavenging for castoffs in hardy post-industrial ecosystems. “Walk in the old factories, and they’re completely decayed,” he says, “and plants are growing on the roof, and moss is growing on the walls, and you see that nature is beginning to take over again.” An elemental part of his artistic practice involves working with found objects and creatively tapping into their “personality,” as he calls it. “They’re a part of us — they have a history,” Chávez, 37, says of materials that bear the aura of human use and interaction. Through these pieces, he aims for an effect that is immediate, humble and unpretentious. Influenced by public art, Chávez worked on murals around town while interning at the National Museum of Mexican Art. But he grew more interested in the act of creating a mural in a community than in the product itself. “I started losing interest when I [realized I] wasn’t really
interested in the outcome of the pieces as much as what was happening at the moment,” he says. Taking cues from public interaction on mural projects, the McKinley Park resident began creating guerrilla-style street installations with found objects. His work from the past five years combines “large community spaces, structures and architecture.” For example, his “Speaker Project” (an “interactive sound structure”) from 2007 was as big as a two-car garage. Local bands performed inside it at the Hyde Park Art Center, while audiences enjoyed both music and art space. “It’s not only [just about] playing inside an object or a sculpture — it’s actually creating this experience,” he says of his goal. Originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, Chávez considers himself from neither here nor there, and despite strong familial influences, he doesn’t consider his work “cultural.” “I can’t even call it Latino, because that’s too much of a loaded word,” he says. “But I think resourcefulness, in terms of materials and objects, is something that I learned from people who have to live that way. I think that is an international thing and cross-cultural. I can’t say it’s Latino at all.” Likewise, “I don’t consider my work ecofriendly,” he says. “I’m not doing this because I’m trying to save the Earth necessarily — I’m doing it because it connects me to nature, the processes of decaying nature, rebirthing, re-growth and the wild side of existence.”
go ch i ca
09
Chicago's only Latin American Fair A curated exhibition
An international Art Fair celebrating the important role contemporary Latin American art currently plays in the international art arena. Chicago ARTEahora will showcase the work of over 80 established artists.
ARTEahora09 is presented by
United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) Curator: Aldo Castillo
Location: Chicago-ARTEahora '09 River North Gallery District 233 W Huron St. Main Floor, Chicago, IL 60654 312/222.0774 or 312/337.2536 Email info@artaldo.com www.chicagoarteahora.com Open to the public: Thursday, April 30, 12am - 6pm Friday, May 1, 11 am - 6pm Vernissage: Friday, May 1 6:30 to 9.00pm (Private Event) Saturday, May 2, 11am - 7pm Sunday, May 3, 11am - 7pm Monday, May 4, 11am - 6pm Tickets: General Public $7.00, Students $5.00 Guest Galleries: Aldo Castillo Gallery (Chicago) AlmacĂŠn de Arte (Argentina) Galeria Arteconsult/Aleman y Grimberg (Panama) Antuan, Mind Hook, 2003, Photograph
caféGRANDE
The House That Sandra Built
“The House on Mango Street” continues to validate the Latino experience 25 years after its publication words
Miguel Jimenez
Acclaimed author Sandra Cisneros has opened the doors of her house to other Latino writers. | photos courtesy of vintage books |
60 Café APRIL2009
The auditorium of the Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana, Calif., is full. Children are piled on the front rows, sitting on each others’ laps. Some squeeze two or three seats out of one chair. A mother nestles a baby in her arms, balancing a copy of “Caramelo” on her knee. A young girl, in a seat directly in front of the microphone, holds open a copy of “The House on Mango Street.” She is running a finger on a page and reading into her
friend’s ear. Those without a seat stand along the perimeter of the room scanning the theater stage hoping to be the first to catch a glimpse of today’s guest speaker.
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After falling silent during the host’s introduction, audience members come alive once again as they find the speaker framed by a doorway on the side of the stage. Just below her knees she holds a large yellow purse with the edges of her books poking from the inside. She smiles over the microphone. Hundreds of hands unite in applause. This is her. This is Sandra Cisneros. Most writers have an answer ready when you ask them “What do you do?” Not Sandra. She doesn’t discuss writing the way most writers do. “I think of stories as medicine,” she says during a recent interview. “And I always hope that I get a confirmation at the end of a reading that I delivered the right prescription to the right person.” Back at the public reading, she thanks her audience with a voice that is light and delicate. The clapping comes to a sudden end, but she revives their excitement by asking them what she should read first. Not surprisingly they yell out titles from “The House on Mango Street.” It’s her most recognized work — a book so light yet so loud that it’s celebrating its 25th anniversary. With neatly packaged vignettes, “Mango Street” has made it everywhere, from middleschool classrooms to university English courses to theater productions. It is an accomplishment, not just for its longevity and the many people who have read it, but because it continues to validate the stories and experiences of Latinos in the United States. For many college students, “Mango Street“ is “the very first book they ever read by a Latina or Latino,” says writer Carla Trujillo, director of the Graduate Diversity Program at the University of California, Berkeley. “That’s really gratifying. She’s the first person to show validation for Latino lives through literature.” Acclaimed Spanish-language translator Liliana Valenzuela, who has translated the works of Sandra Cisneros, Julia Alvarez, Ana Castillo and others, agrees. “Sandra was there at the right time, with the right quality book. It was extra special because it was accessible — it was short, it had the little vignettes. It could be read by everyone,” she says. “But it’s also deceptively simple. It’s really quite complex. Yet ... so many people connect with it in a very deep way.” Sandra is startled by it all. She thinks of the book as her child. “I didn’t have any children. I chose to have books instead, and it’s the right age for my child to be,” she says.
CHICAGO, THE STARTING POINT
In those 25 years there has been some backlash to this book. Some say it reads like an autobiography, which seems to discredit Sandra’s abilities as a fiction writer. But she quickly points out that, although it is set in a Humboldt Park that she left in 1972, Chicago only served as a starting point. “My family will tell you it’s not an autobiography because I gathered so many things from different places and manipulated characters,” she explains. Sandra Cisneros has accomplished what most writers get done only after they are long gone. So what do you do with this kind of success? For one, she shares it with other writers. Fourteen years ago, she started the Macondo Foundation (named after the fictitious town in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ “One Hundred Years of Solitude”) — an association, as she describes on her Web site, intended “to advance creativity, foster generosity, and honor community” with writers who “view their work and talents as part of a larger task of community-building and non-violent social change.” The foundation started out as a writer’s workshop in Sandra’s dining room and has grown so big that the workshops had to be moved to university campuses. When explaining the foundation’s origins, she speaks from experience. “After all the work put into it, you want [your] book to have a long shelf life,” she says. “More importantly, you want to have a long shelf life as an author. That’s when you need high-quality people editing your work. That’s what Macondo is about.” But for Sandra it’s not enough that she has already played a leading role in promoting Latino literature, or that she has influenced the new Latino writers that have acquired more real estate in bookstores for Latino literature. She says she’s constantly asking herself, “How do I share my success and my space in a practical way so it’s not wasted?” Her answer has been to buy the home across the street from her own house in San Antonio to provide a place for writers who need time alone to work on their projects. She calls it the “Casa Azul Residency,” after Frida
Major Works by Sandra Cisneros “Bad Boys,” 1980 “The House on Mango Street,” 1984 “My Wicked, Wicked Ways,” 1987 “Woman Hollering Creek,” 1991 “Loose Woman,” 1994 “Hairs = Pelitos,” 1994 “Caramelo,” 2002
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caféGRANDE | literature
Sandra Cisneros has inspired an entire generation of young Latino writers. To meet them and learn about the impact Sandra’s works has had on their lives and writing, go to www.cafemagazine.com. writing about writing
Sandra Cisneros currently lives in San Antonio, Texas.
Kahlo’s home in Mexico, and although it is not yet painted blue, it will be soon. Casa Azul will complement Sandra’s own home, which is painted a cotton-candy pink — no easy feat considering that she had to challenge the city of San Antonio to allow it. For years, the historic community of King William seemed to only want to preserve the Spanish culture of the community by limiting the colors of homes to shades of white. While writing her novel “Caramelo,” Sandra did research that led her to argue that the city had done very little to preserve Mexican architectural history. “It was a big relajo,” she says. “They didn’t want to hear that.” But they did, and eventually came to a 62 Café APRIL2009
compromise, acknowledging that the color of her home is historically correct. In that pink frosted home she lives with her closest companions — six dogs. In truth, she is her own humane society, carrying food in her car just in case she sees a stray dog on the highway. “I get them spayed, get their shots, and when they’re all cleaned up and ready to go, I interview people, and stay in touch with the new owners,” she says. She sighs when she talks about those she has placed in homes, but immediately returns to her full joyous voice when she describes how she remembers them. “I have all the dogs’ pictures on my medicine cabinet,” she says. “Of all of them I am the foster mom.”
Back at her reading, she concludes her appearance with a passage from “Caramelo.” Although she is celebrating the 25th anniversary of “Mango Street,” she is not reading in Santa Ana for that reason. She is there to support keeping the city’s Martinez Bookstore open during a struggling economy. After emphasizing the importance of keeping the bookstore open, she begins her question-and-answer session. A mother with a child in her arms tells Sandra she read “The House on Mango Street” when it first came out and that since then she continues to dream of being a writer like her. She asks Sandra, “How do you write?” “When I’m still in my pajamas,” Sandra responds quickly. “I always feel the best writing comes when you write in the voice as if you’re still wearing your pajamas.” In fact, writing is what her next project is all about: a collection of autobiographical essays on writing. In addition, she is working on a children’s book and a highly awaited screenplay for “The House on Mango Street.” The young girl who has been following Sandra’s reading with her open book stands up. Her thoughts seem to be flooded by her emotions. After tripping up a bit, she begins in what seems to be the middle of a thought. “It’s just that you sound like me,” the girl says. “Or, I mean, that feels like that’s me in your book.” Sandra places her hand over her chest as if to steel herself. She seems moved. It could be she just found she gave the right prescription to the right person.
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MUSTGO
years of“reel”life The Chicago Latino Film Festival celebrates its silver anniversary as the city’s premier Latino cultural and cinematographic event words
| photo jillian sipkins |
Juan Carlos Hernández
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caféBLEND
Great success is often born from a flicker in the dark. Such was the case for the Chicago Latino Film Festival – the tiny seed sown 25 years ago has blossomed into a vibrant annual event that draws thousands of movie lovers and films from around the country, Latin America, Spain and Portugal.
José “Pepe” Vargas is the driving force behind the Chicago Latino Film Festival. | photo jillian sipkins |
66 Café APRIL2009
It began in 1985 at St. Augustine College on Chicago’s North Side. Jorge Armando Afanador, the festival’s founder, received $20,000 from the college to organize the first two Chicago Latino Film Festivals over two years. The college’s aim was to recruit more students through the festival. Afanador, on the other hand, wanted to showcase the beauty of Latino culture. That year, 500 attendees came out to watch 14 films that were projected onto a concrete wall. There were no stars, no fanfare, no big names – but the college’s location proved to be a good omen. The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company once called the campus home. Essanay was the very studio that helped propel Charlie Chaplin to fame. It may have done the same for the film festival. For the second year, the number of attendees ballooned to more than 3,000. Word had spread, support had grown and the numbers followed. Yet, as a recruitment tool for St. Augustine, the festival was a failure: Few people, if any, had signed up to attend classes and the college cut the funding. The organizers were left without a home, but good fortune, hard work and momentum carried them forward. José “Pepe” Vargas, the festival’s director and driving force, met Afanador while working on a bachelor’s degree at Columbia College in the early 1980s. They discovered a mutual passion for film and the power of the arts to enlighten and increase awareness of other cultures. Vargas served as adviser for the first festival and helped organize the second one. This encounter became a relationship that pushed the festival forward as it became an event that helped celebrate the city’s 150th birthday in 1987. The festival got its first corporate sponsors and foundation support then. It also established a partnership with Columbia College, giving it a new home. However, one move proved crucial to building enthusiasm and buzz: The festival acquired the Mexican film “Frida, naturaleza viva” by Paul Leduc, a poetic tribute to Frida Kahlo, starring acclaimed Mexican actress Ofelia Medina. “That was phenomenal!” Vargas recalls. “We put together two shows, and we had to put on an [additional] show at 1 a.m. The people went nuts! Everyone wanted to
MUSTgo
Festival Highlights
A scene from “Los Actores del Conflicto” by Colombian filmmaker Lisandro Duque.
see the film, and it was unbelievable having 1,500 people in one night. It reaffirmed the idea that, yes, we are needed here, we better start thinking seriously about what we’re doing and how we do it.” From that point on, the film festival thrived and, in response, Vargas created Chicago Latino Cinema, the organization behind the festival. Over time, the seedling grew deep roots and matured into one of Chicago’s premier cultural events. AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING VISION
But Vargas has bigger plans. He believes that because Chicago has grown into a global city, it should have a cultural center to celebrate all of its Latino communities without being specific to one country. Though his focus remains on the film festival, in 1999 he created the International Latino Cultural Center, or ILCC, to honor the cultural wealth of Latinos through music, dance, theater, visual arts and literature in addition to film. The all-encompassing vision allows the ILCC to draw more artists and hold year-round events. The center has organized classical music concerts, comedy shows and dance shows, among other events, but remains without a permanent home. Given the current economic climate, ILCC has put plans for such a home on hold. The film festival also has run into some difficulty. Sponsors have cut back on their budgets, but Vargas says the festival has been successful enough to keep the prices at the same level they were nine years ago. He believes the strong relationships he has nurtured have helped in these lean times. Theater chains reach out to show festival
films at their venues, and filmmakers and production companies continue to crowd the ILCC’s mailbox with submissions; the staff receives more submissions than it can possibly schedule for the public to see. Isidro Lucas, who has been a part of the event for about 15 years, knows the task well. The former board member is vice chairman of the film advisory committee. He sees and critiques some 90 films a year for the ILCC. Staff and other advisory committee members may evaluate even more. “We watch them at our pace and provide written reports to the staff,” Lucas says. The committee prepares recommendations for the film festival and related events, such as the matinees for school children and the city’s summer Movies in the Parks program. The ILCC has also worked to help local filmmakers break into the world of cinema, an undertaking often difficult for Latinos without Hollywood connections. To Dalia Tapia, a teacher and filmmaker, the festival has helped Latinos tell their Chicago stories, which often are untold or misrepresented by the mainstream. “These are our stories from our perspective,” she says. “It is our responsibility to challenge our people to tell them.” Her short film “In Search of Leti” was screened at the 2003 festival. The national cable network SíTv later picked it up; that led to a feature film, also called “In Seach of Leti,” which also was shown at the festival. This year, Tapia will participate in the festival with “Silent Shame,” a film by Tadeo Garcia that she produced. “Without the festival, where else would we show our work?” she asks. “The Chicago Latino Film Festival gives us a place to do that and I am proud to be a part of it.”
List of films you might want to watch out for. For actual capsule reviews visit www.cafemagazine.com beginning April 17: • “Aniceto,” directed by Leonardo Favio (Argentina) • “Orquesta de los Meninos” (The Children’s Orchestra), directed by Paulo Thiago (Brazil) • “Buscando a Gabo” (Looking for Gabo), directed by Luis Fernando Bottia (Colombia) • “Titón, de la Havana a Guantanamera” (Titon, From Havana to Guantanamera), directed by Mirtha Ibarra. (Cuba) • “Arrancáme la Vida” (Tear This Heart Out), directed by Roberto Sneider (Mexico) • “La Mala” (Lola the Bad One), directed by Lilian Rosado and Pedro Pérez-Rosado (Puerto Rico) • “Fuera de Carta” (Chef’s Special), directed by Nacho G. Velilla (Spain) • “El Baño del Papa” (The Pope’s Toilet), directed by Cesar Charlone and Enrique Fernandez (Uruguay) • “Bracero Stories,” directed by Patrick Mullins (U.S.A.) • “Silent Shame,” directed by Tadeo Garcia (U.S.A.)
INFORMATION Chicago Latino Film Festival When: April 17-29 Information: (312) 431-1330, www.latinoculturalcenter.org Special Events Opening Night When: April 17 Where: Film screening at AMC River East 21, 322 E. Illinois St.; Gala at River East Arts Center, 435 E. Illinois St., Chicago Noche Mexicana When: April 22 Where: Gala and film at Thorne Auditorium, Northwestern University, 375 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago Closing Night Gala When: April 29 Where: Gala and film at Thorne Auditorium, Northwestern University, 375 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago
cafemagazine.com 67
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ToDOTOSÍ < Aterciopelados When: April 5, 7:30 p.m. What: The group led by Andrea Echeverri and Hector Buitrago returns to the House of Blues to perform songs from “Río,” their new album dedicated to the ecology. Where: House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St., Chicago Admission: $24.50 Info: (312) 923-2000, hob.com/venues/clubvenues/chicago/
The Aztec World When: Ends April 19 What: This is your last chance to experience this magnificent exhibit of nearly 300 spectacular artifacts from museums across Mexico and the United States. Where: Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago Admission: Adults, $22; Children ages 4-11, $12; students with ID and seniors, $19 Hours: Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Info: (312) 922-9410, www.fieldmuseum.org
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs When: April 3, 7 p.m. What: The legendary Argentinean rock-ska group, creators of the hit single “Matador,” kick off their first U.S tour in almost a decade after an extended sabbatical. Where: Congress Theater, 2125 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago Admission: $45 Info: www.congresschicago.com
Alejandro Escovedo/ Carrie Rodriguez When: April 11, 7 & 10 p.m. What: Hailed as a musical poet and storyteller, Alejandro Escovedo blends rock, folk, blues and classically influenced music into a boundary-defying style. Violinist and singersongwriter Carrie Rodriguez will open. Where: Old Town School of Folk Music,
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4544 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago Admission: General, $25; Old Town School Members, $23; Seniors & Children, $21 Info: (773) 728-6000, www.oldtownschool.org 13th Annual Chicago Día del Niño Festival When: April 18, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. What: The largest free children’s festival in Chicago kicks off with a Family Health Walk from the National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W. 19th Street) to the UIC Pavilion. Live performances, arts and crafts, health and fitness activities, games, prizes and more. Where: UIC Pavilion, 525 S. Racine, Chicago Info: (312) 738-1503, www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org Annual Salsa Competition When: Saturdays, 11 p.m. beginning April 18 What: Do you think you have what it takes to be a salsa champ? Or would you rather watch from the sidelines? If so, don’t miss Nacional 27’s Annual Salsa Competition. Trials will be held April 18 and 25, semifinals May 2 and finals May 9. Pick up an entry form at Nacional 27 or download one at Nacional27.net. Where: Nacional 27, 325 W. Huron St., Chicago Admission: $15-$30 cover charges apply during semifinals and finals Info: (312) 664-2727, nacional27.net Ximena Sariñana When: April 24, 7:30 p.m. Who: The daughter of Mexican filmmaker
Fernando Sariñana, 23-year old Ximena brings her unique fusion of jazz and indie rock to Chicago for the first time. Where: House of Blues, 329 N. Dearborn St., Chicago Admission: $26 Info: (312) 923-2000, hob.com/venues/ clubvenues/chicago/ Arbor Day When: April 25, 9 a.m. What: Want to combat global warming? Plant a tree. The Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens will be handing out tree seedlings and planting guides to the first 200 families attending Arbor Day 2009. Also, family games, hay rides and nature exhibits among other activities. Where: Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens, 7402 W. Lake Katherine Drive, Palos Heights Info: (708) 361-1873, www.lakekatherine.org Cuartetango When: April 25, 8 p.m. What: Founded by violinist Leonardo Suárez Paz, whose credits include the critically acclaimed show “Forever Tango,” this 10-piece ensemble combines music, poetry, song and dance into a spellbinding spectacle. Where: Prairie Center for the Arts, 201 Schaumburg Court, Schaumburg Admission: General, $34; students, $32 Info: (847) 895-3600, www.prairiearts.org
caféBLEND
Karaokecastellano Tequila shots and country gritos spike a Spanish sing-along night words photos
Benjamin Ortiz Mauricio Rubio
Above, Lizbeth Villaruel, of Chicago, flexes her vocal chords at La Botana’s Karaoke en Español nights.
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Twenty-seven-year-old Salvador likes to sing Soda Stereo songs, and it’s good practice for his Spanish pop-rock band Caoba. But tonight he might even croon to norteño accordion star Ramón Ayala’s music. “It depends on how many I’ve had,” he says with beer-bottle punctuation, like he’s ready to pitch another one back and then cut loose with a tear-jerking ranchera cry that will send the whole house to Ayala’s “Un Rinconcito en el Cielo,” like a little piece of heaven left long ago, back in the homeland. (“A” is for Alejandra Guzmán. “B” is for Belanova. “C” is for Caifanes.) Find out if you can sing your way through the Spanish-language alphabet on karaoke Thursdays, at the bar La Botana on Chicago’s Southwest Side near Midway Airport. Mix a few thousand song titles with a couple of shots of liquid courage, and see how long it takes you to get from Juan Gabriel to Selena, maybe with a detour past Molotov. (“Ch” is for Manu Chao.) Host “El Gran Iván” flips tunes and
butters up the crowd with Mexican radiostyle vocab, like a high-strung fronteraairwaves announcer caught on a roller coaster of his own bilingual verbiage: “¡Qué no tengan miedo ni temor!” Up next, two women grab the microphone and try to follow racing lines and stanzas from Café Tacuba’s “Ingrata,” but the duet comes to a crashing halt with a sluggish echo of indio-punk feedback. “El Gran Iván” declares, “¡Y que sigan pisteando!” [“Just keep on drinking!”] Héctor Iván García, 34, hosts Karaoke en Español as a part of Enchufate, the Latin alternative music promotions company he runs with thirty-something partners Sandra Treviño and José Calvo. “El Grán Iván” is the character he created when he was a 5-yearold mariachi singer, and that persona now serves to agitate, provoke and encourage the
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NIGHTLIFE
karaoke crowd with Spanglish double entendre. “El Gran Iván” also jazzes up the event Karaoke en Español “You’re at a place that’s energetic and live,” with DJ sets blended in between the singing. La Botana García says of a typical Thursday night. “Your Local DJ Nando recently threw together a 4818 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago Thursdays 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. name is mentioned, and you make instant lively mix of Latin alternative and rock, No cover friends with your peers, with people that speak with some funky shoe-gaze downtempo www.myspace.com/spanishkaraoke Spanish and like the same genres you like.” cumbia for good measure. Enchufate plans www.enchufate.com “You see the metalhead singing a norteña on scheduling more DJs, listening parties and the dude in the cowboy hat singing El Tri,” for new releases, ticket giveaways and free he adds. “We come from all kinds of music and cultural influences downloads to promote local Spanish-language and Latino music covering the gamut of what’s Latino — and every week it’s truly happenings. different.” García started Karaoke en Español six years ago and moved it Born and raised a South Sider, García also fronts Spanish around town, landing at La Botana last fall. Enchufate partner rock band Descarga. “My whole upbringing has been a mix of Treviño notices a mostly Spanish-speaking audience at their current Mexican and American, plus multicultural Chicago,” he says. venue, but she also sees “the fresa [pop dandy] crowd that likes the The Botana crowd, likewise, is a diverse gathering, with Mexi- pop and rock.” cans from across the region and generations, Central Americans To Treviño, Spanish karaoke is a way for people to connect with and homegrown Latino South Siders. their roots, hear about new music and have fun. “People love their Bar co-owner Ivan Fandino was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and ’90s rock and they like their Luis Miguel, too,” she says. came to Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood when he was 3. He Born in Chicago and raised in Durango, Mexico, José Calvo sees La Botana as a more upscale and Latino-friendly South Side shoots photos for Enchufate and helps document the music scene. spot for showcasing Latino arts and music. He admits to singing the occasional Ramón Ayala ditty, too — Fandino has welcomed local and touring acts from a variety “Tragos Amargos,” to be specific. of genres, including Spanish rock and flamenco, and the venue “That’s when the tequila kicks in,” he says. “People love going currently offers salsa and merengue on Fridays. “We’ve had some up there in front of everyone and letting it all out, whether they tremendous singers come through here,” he says of karaoke know how to sing or not.” night, mentioning that he occasionally sings one or two Freddy After all, how many of us ever thought that we’d end up drinkFender songs. ing and singing in a cantina, just like dear old dad or grandpa?
cafemagazine.com 71
caféBLEND
Eatinggreen
Crisp Yellow Finn potato cakes, house smoked salmon, topped with crème fraîche, chives and pickled red onion.
Earth-friendly practices are key to Kendall College’s Dining Room restaurant’s success Marla Seidell Mauricio Rubio
words photos
Local food may be a hot new dining trend, but few Chicago restaurants have made the leap to true environmentally-friendly business practices. Change a light bulb, recycle and compost, conserve energy — it sounds simple, yet many still balk at the costs involved. “A lot of people say you can’t be sustainable in business because it costs too much money, and it’s not true,” asserts Christopher Koetke, dean of Kendall College’s School of the Culinary Arts, who has led the school’s eco-friendly initiative since 2005.
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As a result of his efforts, Kendall culinary students are thoroughly immersed in practices of recycling and composting, saving energy and water, and cooking with local produce. And in the school’s Dining Room restaurant, where students
ry eco meter sto not green
Three teaspoons of potato and parsnip mixture topped with pancetta, roasted garlic puree, goat cheese and thyme.
Right, from top: Chestnut and porcini mushroom soup, with beignets stuffed with taleggio cheese; Pan seared duck breast, duck meatball, rosemary sugo, celeriac cream, red onion marmellata; Butter mixed with cream cheese and pesto made with pine nuts, olive oil and garlic.
take turns as both chefs and servers, Koetke has seen first hand the benefits of green habits. “A lot of things you do in a sustainable manner save you substantial money,” he notes. A case in point is the restaurant’s dimmable fluorescent light bulbs, which offer savings in the long run. “It cost $950 to replace all of them, but we found out from ComEd that in one year we’d save the same amount from using them,” explains Koetke. “The bulbs last 2 to 3 years. So do the math — it makes absolute sense.” And light bulbs aren’t the only shrewd choices at the Dining Room. Locally grown, mostly organic food (culled from the school’s on-site garden as well as local farms and markets) stretches further than washed-out produce shipped from California. “Sometimes you spend a little more [buying local food] but very often the flavor, such as the garlic or tomatoes, is stronger, so we use less,” says Chef Peggy Ryan, who oversees the lunchtime shift. And like the light bulbs, local food has long-term perks. “We also consider it environmentally — we try to incorporate saving on fossil fuels in the long term,” she says. For patrons, the “Wow!” factor of feasting on green grub can’t be beat. Dishes in the 3-course gourmet meal are moderate in size yet rich in taste. During a recent lunch visit I sampled the chestnut and porcini mushroom soup that contained beignets stuffed with taleggio cheese and rolled spinach soufflé accompanied by artichoke, goat cheese and portobello mushroom picatta and pan-roasted tomatoes. For dessert I tasted the Apple Sampler: the mutsu Japanese apple tarte tatin served with rosemary ice cream; the caramel antique Winesap served on a
very green
DINING
fennel gelato; and hot apple cider served with apple chips. I also tried the Duet of Chocolate: lavender hot chocolate served with a homemade raspberry marshmallow along with a chocolate and hazelnut praline torte. Elements such as organic apples, artisan cheese and local vegetables deliver a luxurious touch that makes the relatively low price of the meal one of Chicago’s best dining values. “You’re only going to be as good as your materials,” explains Brian Garcia, who teaches regional Mexican cuisine at Kendall. A longtime Chicago chef (he opened the South Loop’s Cuatro restaurant), Garcia attests to the value of spending more to get the right products. “When I try to do something the real way, it costs more money but the flavors are right where they should be,” he notes. Because local food tastes better, it results in customer and business satisfaction. “In a restaurant, it’s a little difficult to justify more expenses,” Garcia says. “But since we have such a great value here, it’s easier to do and has a bigger impact.”
The Dining Room at Kendall College Where: 900 N. North Branch St., Chicago Hours: Monday-Friday, Noon-1:30 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, 6-8 p.m.; Saturday, 6-8:30 p.m. Reservations required. Info: (312) 752-2328, www.kendall.edu
cafemagazine.com 73
caféBLEND < Estrella Negra 2346 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago (773) 227-5993, www.estrellanegra.com Mexico’s Day of the Dead is celebrated all year long in this new addition to the Bucktown art and food scenes. Each table carries a Day of the Dead motif created by local artists. The menu includes traditional entries like tacos and tamales, as well as some unique spins on the same. All major credit cards accepted, wheelchair accessible, BYOB and corkage fee
| photo alberto treviño |
Dig in! We keep adding new restaurants to our ever growing list. This month we invite you to enjoy the traditional cemitas from Puebla and Brazil’s take on roasted chicken, and we celebrate the opening of a new Spanish restaurant in the South Loop. ¡Como siempre, buen provecho! Note: This section does not include every Latin American or Spanish restaurant in Chicago or the suburbs. We invite you to submit your favorites to readers@cafemagazine.com.
CENTRAL AMERICAN Mayan Sol Latin Grill 3830 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago (773) 539-4398 Marinated grilled beef and chicken served with rice, beans, plátano maduro (sweet fried plantain), yucca, potato and guacamole. All major credit cards accepted, BYOB Restaurante El Salvador 4125 S. Archer Ave., Chicago (773) 579-0405 Delicious variety of pupusas: cheese and jalapeños, frijoles (beans) and tres leches. Enjoy them with the curtido salad (pickled vegetables), served on top, and hot sauce. Cash only, wheelchair accessible Tickie’s Belizean Cuisine 7605 N. Paulina St. (773) 973-3919 For something different, try the oxtail with red beans and spicy rice; the dukunuisas (tamales made with fresh corn, filled with pork and steamed in foil); and the panades
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(tiny fish-filled crescent-shaped pastries). Plenty of chicken, pork and vegetarian options. All major credit cards accepted CUBAN Cafe 28 1800 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago (773) 528-2883 www.cafe28.org Great mojitos and caipirinhas. Go for the “Taste of Cuba” appetizer. Leave room for the ropa vieja, arroz con pollo, grilled shrimp quesadillas or chipotle grilled chicken and green tamales in this intimate cafe. Wash it all down with the traditional café cubano. Wheelchair accessible, all major credit cards accepted, music Cafecito 26 E. Congress Pkwy., Chicago (312) 922-2233 A restaurant for people who work in downtown or are visiting one of its many museums and attractions and suddenly develop an urgent craving for a sandwich cubano. Try the sandwich de palomilla, the choripán (Spanish
chorizo with grilled onions and chimichurri) and some rather interesting hybrids of Cuban, Italian and even Middle Eastern sandwiches. All major credit cards accepted, wheelchair accessible Habana Libre 1440 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago (312) 243-3303 A popular choice is the combination appetizer, which includes croquetas (ham and cheese fried dumplings), yucca, tostones (twice-fried smashed green plantains), empanadas (meat-filled pastry) and papa rellena (potato filled with ground beef). For dessert, check out the flan de coco. BYOB, all major credit cards accepted, wheelchair accessible. MEXICAN Bien Trucha 410 W. State St., Geneva (630) 232-2665 This tiny Mexican restaurant offers such delights like the portobello mushroom cazuelitas
(fresh melted Chihuahua cheese, chopped portobellos and garlic) and a wide variety of tacos: al pastor, tilapia, chicken, etc. All major credit cards accepted, wheelchair accessible Cemitas Puebla 3619 W. North Ave., Chicago (773) 772-8435 www.cemitaspuebla.com The cuisine of Puebla, Mexico, is this family-owned restaurant’s specialty, especially the cemitas (sesame-seed bread sandwich layered with avocado, choice of meat, adobo chipotle peppers, fresh Oaxacan cheese and papalo, a Mexican herb similar to cilantro). The menu also includes a wide variety of mole dishes. Cash, wheelchair accesible Fuego Mexican Grill 17 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights (847) 590-1122 www.fuegomexgrill.com Gourmet-style Mexican fare. Menu favorites include rollitos de pollo (spicy chicken rolledup like an egg roll with black beans, corn, onions, peppers and cilantro, melted cheese with an avocado-lemon cream sauce) and huachinango al mojo de ajo (red snapper with olives, capers, cilantro in tomato sauce). All major credit cards accepted, wheelchair accessible, music
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Maiz 1041 N. California Ave., Chicago (773) 276-3149 Authentic Mexican street food in a trendy but relaxed atmosphere. Go for the mouth-watering corn tortillas and the succulently seasoned meat on the tacos al pastor. Cash only, wheelchair accessible Mi Mexico 220 Milwaukee Ave., Buffalo Grove (847) 229-3491 From tacos to burritos, from margaritas to super nachos, this family-owned restaurant leaves no stone unturned. Try the sopa de albóndigas (meatball soup) and sopa siete mares (seafood soup) as starters. The enchiladas divorciadas (meat, cream sauce, chipotle and green salsa) are also a good choice, as well as the spinach quesadillas and the steak Jalisco. All major credit cards accepted.
Sergio’s Cantina 30 W. State. St., Geneva (630) 845-9200, www.sergioscantina.com Enjoy authentic Mexican dishes like enchiladas, fajitas, chiles rellenos, camarones a la diabla and pollo con mole, as well as their margaritas and signature mojito in a warm environment. All major credit cards accepted NUEVO LATINO/ LATIN FUSION Cuatro 2030 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago (312) 842-8856 www.cuatro-chicago.com Serves up the best of Latin American favorites: spicy pinchos de pollo (chicken kabobs); black beans and rice; plátanos maduros (sweet fried plantains); mashed yucca; tender, flavorful steaks; interesting desserts, like sweet potato upside-down cake; and good drinks – mojitos, sangria, etc. All major credit cards accepted,
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wheelchair accessible, music Dorado 2301 W. Foster Ave., Chicago (773) 561-3780 Mexican-French cuisine with interesting pairings: nachos with smoked duck; seafood-stuffed poblano chiles with green rice, vegetable ragout and lobster shrimp sauce; crabmeat-stuffed pan-seared salmon over chipotle mashed potatoes with fresh basil, tomatoes, capers and a citrus beurre blanc. All major credit cards accepted, wheelchair accessible, BYOB Mexique 1529 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago (312) 850-0288 www.mexiquechicago.com Offers a blend of Mexican ingredients using French cooking techniques. Try the sweet and savory pato al tamarindo (duck leg with tamarind sauce) or the asada (steak). For a unique treat, check out the chocolate
RESTAURANTGUIDE enchilada. All major credit cards accepted, wheelchair accessible PUERTO RICAN Borinquen 1720 N. California Ave., Chicago (773) 227-6038 Home of the original jibarito sandwich (fried green plantains with meat, lettuce and tomato). All the classic frituras (fried treats): morcillas (blood sausage), alcapurrias (green plantain filled with ground beef), rellenos de papas (potato filled with ground beef), piononos (sweet plantain rolls stuffed with ground beef). Vegetarian options available. All major credit cards accepted Delicia Tropical Cafe 780 Villa St., Elgin (847) 695 6207 Savory arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), steak with sautéed onions and beef stew. Cash only
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Tumbao Bar & Grill 3213 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago (773) 772-9800 Enjoy a wide variety of traditional Puerto Rican dishes, local comedians, live music and, some Monday nights, sports events in this large and rustic brick-walled spot on the West Side. Wheelchair accessible SOUTH AMERICAN Al Primo Canto 5414 W. Devon Ave., Chicago (773) 631-0100 www.alprimocanto.com The galeto al primo canto is this restaurant’s specialty: young chickens marinated in white wine, garlic, rosemary and sage. The all-you-can-eat menu is only $29.95 per person and the food is delivered to your table nonstop like in the best churrasquerías. All major credit cards, wheelchair accessible, parking Galapagos Cafe 3213 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago (773) 754-8265 The cultures of Ecuador and Japan join forces in this restaurant. Kick things off with their cheese empanadas or the llapingachos (thick fried mashed plaintain or potato cakes filled with chese). Entrees include pescado encocado (fish in coconut sauce) as well as a wide variety of sushis. Gloria’s Cafe 3300 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago (773) 342-1050 Small, cozy Colombian cafe near Logan Square. The menu includes pastries and baked goods for breakfast, sandwiches (including a chicken jibarito) and salads for lunch and rotisserie chickens, the bandeja paisa and a NY strip steak with chimichurri sauce for dinner. Wheelchair accessible, all major credit cards, BYOB
Tango 5 W. Jackson St., Naperville (630) 848-1818, www.tangogrill.com Perfect place for meat lovers. Go for the “world’s longest steak”: a 32-inch-long grilled skirt steak. Sangria is made fresh at the table. All major credit cards accepted, wheelchair accessible SPANISH Café Ibérico 739 N. La Salle St., Chicago (312) 573-1510 www.cafeiberico.com Famous for the queso de cabra (baked goat cheese), pulpo a la plancha (grilled octopus), ensalada de pimientos asados (fire-roasted peppers in olive oil) and toasted bread. Spanish wines, brandies and beers. All major credit cards accepted, wheelchair accessible Mercat a la Planxa 638 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago (312) 765-0524, www.mercatchicago.com Enjoy Spanish tapas Barcelonastyle in this restaurant located within the Loop’s Blackstone Hotel. Try the more traditional fare like gambas al ajillo or a la planxa (items grilled to order) such as the meats. Have a nice leisurely dinner upstairs or relax at their downstairs lounge with a nice glass of Spanish wine. All major credit cards Tapas Valencia 1530 S. State St., Chicago (312) 842-4444 www.tapasvalencia.com If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it is: originally based in Bloomingdale, Tapas Valencia now moves to the South Loop to join that zone’s expanding restaurant scene. A sibling to Naperville’s Meson Sabika, Tapas Valencia will share its menu and executive chef. All major credit cards
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caféblend
Jennifer Campos and Vivian Fritzlor
Umair Vaid and Luis Lopez
march
pick-up photos
Moira Harat, Carlos Cubas and Dickson Kasane.
Orlando Espinoza
Café Media celebrated the publication of its March issue with a second pick-up party at Cuatro Restaurant, 2030 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago, on Feb. 19. Readers were able to meet some of the people and writers featured in the March issue such as Beatriz Ronzero, co-founder alongside her husband César Russ, of Realviews Photography; fashion designer Orlando Espinoza; hair stylist Gil Castro; and writer Michael Puente.
Alicia Rey and Chip Hill
Martha Ruth Garcia, Estrella Herrera, Vanessa Martel and Rocio Herrera
78 Café APRIL2009
alBerto Treviño
Ada Lopez and Jairo Lopez
ry eco meter sto not green
Jorge del Busto and Luis C. Ibañez
very green
sociales
Sharon Yecies, Anne Godick and Kristin Janssen
art Bash photos
Alexa Rubenstein
Aldo Castillo Contemporary Gallery, 435 W. Illinois St., Chicago, held an opening reception for its “Krzysztof Wasko: Life Readers” exhibit on Feb. 13. A painter and photographer, Wasko was recently commissioned by the Chicago History Museum to create the image of a Chicago Madonna. Proceeds from the exhibit, which closed March 13, partially benefitted Join the Impact, a non-profit organization launched after the passage of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriages, in California.
Aldo Castillo, Cece Vidito and Luis Ibáñez
Greg Silva and Marianne Palombo
cafemagazine.com 79
caféBLEND | a mí Me enseñaron
ry eco meter sto not green
very green
Tear it up
| photo alberto treviño |
s a young kid, I remember eating the last of the cereal and just throwing the box in the garbage can without really thinking about it. The box is empty, so it’s trash, I thought. Well, when Papi would go to the trash and see the empty box taking up all that space, he would call me over and make me tear the box into pieces and lie it flat. He said that way we could save space in the trash and save money on trash bags. Now, as an adult, I do it without thinking twice. And, when my kids throw that empty box of cereal in the trash, guess what? I tell them to tear it into pieces so that we can get more trash in the bag. Go figure. —Abel Exclusa, Kissimmee, Florida Send us your “A mí me enseñaron” stories to readers@cafemagazine.com. 80 Café APRIL2009
Shape your Shape r u o y e p your a h S Shape your Shape your Shape your children’s future. children’s . e r u t u f s ’ n future. e r d l i h c children’s future. children’s future. children’s future. Stop by your nearest National City
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