Evanston Woman Magazine

Setting the Bar High with Nasutsa Mabwa, President ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons

PHOTO CHANTEL PRYOR

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FROM THE EDITOR

VOLUME 1 / ISSUE 10

CONTENTS

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s we meander through these hot summer days, we were empowered by our fellow members of the Lighthouse Rotary Club to host one of the most fabulous events in Evanston – the Taste of Evanston whose proceeds benefited local charities. Our beloved city is known for being the “Restaurant Row of the North Shore” featuring one-of-akind pallets catering to a variety of different palates. With the support of our local restaurants, patrons were able to experience the unique flavors, cultural settings and hospitality that the event showcased.

A new shopping experience melding art, gifting and culture was introduced by co-owner Sally Beach in the form of the Pop Up Gallery. It was amazing to see its doors open on its way to becoming one of the trendiest shopping stores in Evanston hosting over 50 artists and multiple vendors showcasing art, jewelry, gifts and more.

7 FEATURES 7 Setting the Bar High with Nasutsa Mabwa, President ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons , as she shares her life with us.

Balancing one’s life between being a wife, a mother, and President of a company all while staying true to self is quite demanding; yet one Evanstonian woman has set the bar for excellence while being all 4 of these things. She has truly earned a rightful place as one of the elite leaders for women-owned businesses in the North Shore. Please meet Nasutsa Mabwa, President of ServiceMaster By Simons, as she shares her life with us.

XOXO!

DEPARTMENTS 1 Editor’s Corner: A Note from the publisher and Editor in Chief, Linda Del Bosque

Linda Del Bosque | Editor in Chief

2 Community: 3rd Annual Taste of Evanston with The Evanston Lighthouse Rotary 4 Wellness: Full Your System with Evanston Athletic Club

Editor-in-chief Linda Del Bosque Graphic Designer Maribel Lopez Photography Chantal Pryor | 2195 Photography Editors Christine Wolf, Kasimu Godfrey Advertising Office 847-722-5654

evanstonwoman.org facebook.com/evanstonwoman

Copyright © Evanston Woman Magazine, all rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from Evanston Woman Magazine.

PHOTO BY ANNETTE PATKO

11 Art/Life/Culture: Welcome to the POP UP Gallery with Sally Beach, Co-Owner.

3RD AN NUAL

TASTE OF EVANSTON

SELLS OUT, RAISES BAR FOR FOOD FEST CHARM PHOTOS BY JOHN SEARLES

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vanston Lighthouse Rotary Club’s 3rd Annual “Taste of Evanston” brought people together in gastronomy and in spirit to raise funds for work readiness programs in Evanston. This year the event sold out with a record number of tickets. More than 35 of Evanston’s finest restaurants, breweries, and wine shops donated samples of their most popular appetizers, entrées, desserts, and beverages to the 350 guests.

Continued on page 9

E VA N S TO N W O M A N . O R G 3

TRUEHEALTH WELLNESS

FUEL YOUR SYSTEM

Interview with Expert, Barbara Fine Evanston Athletic Club

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older temperatures can derail healthy eating and exercise goals over the winter, but a little planning can get you out of hibernation mode. Barbara Fine, a Certified Diabetes Educator and Registered Dietitian at Evanston Athletic Club, says being in tune with your own body’s needs as well as the specific needs of women will help you put your plan into action. Staying hydrated, eating a variety of nutrient-dense foods, and keeping active will allow you to feel your best year round.

“A lot of women feel sluggish in the winter when there’s less sunlight, which provides our primary source of vitamin D. Since many women are already deficient in vitamin D, I recommend taking a supplement of 1000 IUs a day in addition to eating plenty of leafy green vegetables. This also helps with calcium absorption, which is especially important for women to build healthy bones,” says Fine. She suggests eating calcium rich foods and regularly engaging in weight bearing exercise, like walking or a Zumba class, to further promote bone health.

Being properly fueled before a workout will allow you to exercise more efficiently and productively. “A piece of fruit with a little protein is a great pre-workout snack. The fruit gives you fiber and nutrients, and the protein will give you sustained energy. Cheese, peanut butter, or hummus are easy options,” says Fine. Spending a few minutes each week planning your meals and snacks so you have nutritious options already in the fridge will encourage you to make smarter choices when you may be tired and hungry and feel better overall.

For more information, visit ChicagoAthleticClubs.com/ team-members/trainers/Barbara-Fine/ 1723 Benson Ave, Evanston, IL, 60201 (847) 866-6190

4 E VA N S TO N W O M A N . C O M

“

As a working mother on this incredible journey, I have come to realize we can’t “have it all”... however I am grateful for what is most

important– family, friends, health and those little successes

”

that do

happen

along the way

6 E VA N S TO N W O M A N . O R G

Meet Nasutsa Mabwa

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t first glance, her story reads like many:

Evanston daughter returns, anchoring family by the lake. Dad was a professor at Northwestern. Mom ran a daycare. She grew up dancing with Gus Giordano, graduated from Evanston Township High School, and eventually achieved tremendous professional success.

But Nasutsa Mabwa’s story’s anything but conventional – it’s in those turns of the pages when her best self shines through.

At 12, Mabwa and her siblings lost their parents under tragic circumstances. Evanston neighbors raised the orphaned children. Following college, Mabwa met Sam Simon while they were social workers. The caseload took her everywhere in Chicago, stirring Mabwa’s passions for architecture, real estate, and urban planning and design.

Eventually, Mabwa’s city planning skills – and tenacity – led to her role as Lead Project Manager of Dan McCaffrey’s joint venture project with USX Steel Mill. Mabwa juggled the executive position in a male-dominated industry for 8 years, all while coming into her own as a wife and mother of two. “I was always running down airport terminals in heels,” Mabwa smiles.

With one child chronically sick, Mabwa left a well-worn path between her office in the John Hancock Building and the daycare center across the street. “I worked to pay the full-

BY CHRISTINE WOLF

time nanny and daycare…so I could keep working…to keep paying them…” she says, shaking her head. “I was happy as an executive, unhappy with the work/life balance. Technology, apps, computers, phones, reminders…you still have to be there…You can’t spreadsheet your role in household life. I wasn’t happy splitting roles.”

So, she changed the story.

Mabwa and Simon now manage their own joint venture, ServiceMaster By Simons – a Fire and Water emergency restoration and specialty cleaning company based in Chicago. By transitioning into small business entrepreneurship, Mabwa is better able to manage her own time and work life balance.

In 2015, she and Simon bought the former Evanston Day Nursery, donating some of its playground equipment to her father’s birthplace in Kenya. In 2016, they bought a warehouse in Skokie from which to run the north shore arm of their business, partnering with The Talking Farm and Y.O.U. on community gardening and farming projects.

But the best part of this new chapter, being back in Evanston? “It feels like I’m home again,” Mabwa says. “I’m biracial. My husband’s Middle Eastern. We’re an international family. And our kids are here as we run our business.”

And really, she says, “It’s the people here. They go out of their way to make people feel welcome.”

E VA N S TO N W O M A N . O R G 7

Welcome To The Pop Up Gallery Pop Up Shop

NOW OPEN 1627 Sherman Ave Evanston www.evanstonpopupgallery.com 847-859-6150

COMMUNITY Continued from page 3 The theme of this year’s event was “Hungry for Work.” The festival raised money for three programs: No Boundaries provides workplace training for people with disabilities; Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse teaches deconstruction skills to people who are low-income, homeless, or ex-offenders; and the Evanston Work Ethic (WE) Program provides mentoring, training, and financial assistance to ETHS students who aspire to a career in skilled trades. A portion of proceeds will also support ongoing service work of the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club.

Magician A.J. Sacco and the jazz band Alfonso Ponticelli & Swing Gitan helped create a festive atmosphere. Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty and gubernatorial candidate and Illinois Senator Daniel Biss spoke at the event. Foodie favorite Vince Gerasole, award-winning reporter and anchor for CBS2 Chicago, served as emcee.

True to Evanston’s commitment to green approaches to community building, the fundraiser was a zero waste event, with Evanston’s Collective Resource, Inc. collecting all food scraps as well as biodegradable plates, cups and flatware and transporting them to a commercial composting site.

Donated food and beverages were from both old favorites and newer Evanston restaurants. Visit tasteofevanston.org to see the list of restaurants, breweries, wine shops, and sponsors, or to donate to “Hungry for Work.” You can also view videos of some of Evanston’s top chefs sharing secrets from their kitchen.

E VA N S TO N W O M A N . O R G 9

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ocated in the heart of Evanston, The Pop Up Gallery has opened its doors featuring over 50 artists and vendors throughout the year creating a go-to destination for a combined gift, art, and shopping experience. As you look for the hottest and newest artist or artwork or seek out that special gift for that one person who has everything, The Pop Up Gallery will service both of those needs.

ART/LIFE/CULTURE

Evanstonians can thank owners Sally Beach and Stephen Brooks the UK & Europe’s leading “Pop Up Retail Expert” for providing this experience to us. Sally, who is a CPA and has a background as a controller and CFO of her family’s company, inherited her entrepreneurial drive and love of art from her father, who was both a businessman and artist. She has been excited and imbued with hope through each step of the process as she plans to make The Pop Up Gallery ‘the gift destination in Evanston.’ “What’s driving me the most is the creation of something from nothing… What I am seeing happening at The Pop Up Gallery is like a child of Stephen and I growing up and blossoming into an adulthood…It’s really exciting to watch, work, and be apart of.” says Beach.

Currently co-owner of a business that manages pop up space for 11 shopping malls in the United Kingdom, Beach & Brooks saw the location’s ‘history of being an art and gift destination’ as the perfect place to launch their retail pop up experience here in the US. It is also going to offer an interactive experience where artists will be interviewed and can connect with customers via their own Pop Up TV studio. You are even encouraged to take selfies from the location, putting your own touch on the experience.

The Pop Up Gallery will be open 7 days a week all year long. Please stop in and enjoy their vision!

Located at 1627 Sherman Ave Evanston, IL 60201 Facebook: Evanston Pop Up Gallery Instagram: The Pop Up Gallery Evanston Website: evanstonpopupgallery.com

Arts, gifts, & shopping with Sally Beach

BY KASIMU GODFREY

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