Forest & Bluff, January 2023

THE BURKUN

JENNIFER MOWER 847.345.6600 jennifermower@atproperties.com 30+ years in sales, development and customer service. Lifelong Lake Forest Resident.

During Our JANUARY OPEN HOUSE

Meet professional designers SHAUN & BRITT CARTER

Offering in-depth expertise reguarding the many facets of what is required in creating next level interiors that are timeless yet comfortable.

Browse the midwest’s largest collection of exclusive home furnishings. Clients, customers & guests often tell us we have one of the most distinctive showrooms anywhere.

Northbrook residence designed by Shaun Carter Lake Forest showroom

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FEATURES

COVER GIRL Helen Berkun steps out from behind the camera to create a brand that is beautifully authentic and undeniably her own. TEAMING UP Lake Forest newcomer Compass Financial Partners and the Gorton Center join forces on February 9 to present The Loyola Project powerful, illuminating documentary about the 1963 NCAA championship Loyola University team.

Helen Burkun wears Gorski jacket from Neiman Marcus Photography by Katrina Wittkamp Hair and Makeup by Frances Tsalas

Editor’s Note

HAPPY NEW YEAR and welcome to your first issue of 2023. I don’t know about you, but I am excited to start a new year. I am always hopeful at this time of the year and look forward to new beginnings and new goals.

One of those goals is to work less and spend more time with family and friends. This is what inspired this issue to be focused on everything family related. We can all agree that time is the most valuable commodities and prioritizing what we do with the 24 hours we have each day is important. Once we let a day go by, we can never get it back.

My cover story celebrates family, fun, and balance. Helen Burkun, a local celebrity in her own right, has been a friend and professional associate of mine for 15 years dating—back to our working side by side as stylists for BonTon or Kohl’s. Since then, she has found a most fabulous (and glam) way to work as a fashion expert (blogger and influencer extraordinaire) yet keeps her family as her number one priority and shows the world (via Instagram) how easy it is to a happy family while being a boss babe.

In The Neighborhood has two short stories, If You Build It, They Will Come and Educational Dynamo, both about the importance in supporting our youth. I remember my mom telling me when I was a teenager and struggling over something either social or academic, “Growing up isn’t easy but you will get through it with the help and support from family and community.” No truer words can be said.

is one that gave me chills because it’s one of those overcoming obstacles situations which ends in the right and greatest way possible, The Loyola Project, a powerful, illuminating documentary about the 1963 NCAA championship Loyola University team which will be presented on February 9 at The Gorton Center. I hope I get a good seat and see all of you there.

The Lake Forest/Lake Bluff community will never be the same with the loss of local legend, Ellen Stirling. As a mother, wife, business owner, philanthropist, community champion, and friend, Stirling left an indelible mark on everything she touched. Larger Than Life, written in partnership with her family, tells a shortened story of how she touched our community. May her memory remain close for years to come.

I’d like to thank all of you for the support I have received as your Editor in Chief of Forest & Bluff

My inbox welcomes your input! I will continue to listen to the community and bring you stories that inspire and celebrate all that Lake Forest and Lake Bluff represents.

Happy New Year and here’s to a fabulous 2023!

THERESA DE MARIA Editor in Chief

Photography by Susan Bowlus

Ellen Stirling with models for fashion show

Helen & Dennis Berkun at their home in Riverwoods

Our second feature story

FORESTBLUFF.COM

J. W. CONATSER

Founder & Publisher jwc@jwcmedia.com

EDITOR IN CHIEF Theresa DeMaria

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jennifer Sturgeon

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Kemmie Ryan, Sherry Thomas

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Ann Marie Scheidler, Bill McLean, Wendy Franzen, Monica Kass Rogers

BEAUTY & STYLE EDITOR Lauren DeMaria

PRODUCTION MANAGER/GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Linda Lewis

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR/GRAPHIC DESIGNER Chris Geimer

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Amin Qutteineh

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Wendy Franzen, James Gustin, Ian McLeod, Monica Kass Rogers, Lisa Sciascia, Robin Subar, Katrina Wittkamp

ADVERTISING SALES Jennifer Sturgeon, Gretchen Barnard

ASSISTANT TO THE PUBLISHER Cheyanne Lencioni

HOW TO REACH Forest & Bluff Magazine

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES jennifer@jwcmedia.com. 847-370-6940

GENERAL INQUIRIES 847-926-0911

EDITORIAL EMAIL theresa@jwcmedia.com EDITORIAL TELEPHONE 847-857-9947

ON THE WEB forestbluff.com

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AGENDA

2023 is here! Your January Agenda awaits …

IN

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

After a brief hiatus, the Church of St. Mary is excited to have its COR youth group back up and running.

Lake Bluff’s Wick DeYoung leveraged his own history with learning differences to build Dynamic Tutoring Solutions.

IN MEMORIAM

Lake Forest mourns the loss of local legend Ellen Stirling.

CULTURE & COMMUNITY

2023 IS HERE! YOUR JANUARY AGENDA AWAITS….

DECEMBER 17 & 18

TEA AT THE RITZ

WHERE: The Ritz-Carlton Chicago

A holiday afternoon tea with all the English finishes during the winter months. Begin the leisurely experience with a complimentary glass of rose champagne or curated Ritz Carlton teas. Afterward, dive into selections such as savory tea sandwiches, Maine lobster, or butternut squash quiche, followed by freshly baked pumpkin spice scones and eggnog panna cotta, which will uplift guests on a cheerful winter afternoon.

THROUGH JANUARY 8

FESTIVE AFTERNOON TEA

WHERE: Peninsula Hotel Chicago

A festive afternoon tea enjoyed under the 20foot Christmas tree has become a holiday tradition for many families. The menu features a traditional English tea menu, including a variety of finger sandwiches; fruit and plain scones with house made preserves, Devonshire clotted cream and petite seasonal pastries with choux, chocolate, and winter fruit creations. Vegan and gluten-free options are available. Entertainment is a string duo and a visit from Mrs. Claus. peninsula.com

JANUARY 13

RENDEZVOUS ARTS; KONTRAS STRING QUARTET

WHERE: Gorton Center

Kontras Quartet has been described as “a tightly crafted and beautiful instrument” by CVNC Arts Journal and has been commended by Gramophone Magazine for their “scrupulous shading and control” and “enjoyable musical personality” Kontras means “contrasts” in the Afrikaans language—fitting for a string ensemble whose colorful repertoire spans centuries, genres, and continents. gortoncenter.org

JANUARY 14

THE SECOND CITY SWIPES RIGHT

WHERE: Gorton Center

It’s love at first laugh with The Second City! Bring your partner, lover, significant other,

spouse, friend with benefits, friend with EXTRA benefits, platonic BFF, or your spectacularly single self to “The Second City Swipes Right: An Incomplete Guide to The Ultimate Date Night,” a brand-new comedy experience right in our own back yard. gortoncenter.org

JANUARY 15

CHINESE NEW YEAR STORYTIME

WHERE: Lake Forest Library

Ring in the “Year of the Rabbit” with a special Chinese New Year story time, paper lantern craft, and more! Admission is free. Drop in, no registration required. lakeforestlibrary.org

JANUARY 17

JANUARY 31

CHICAGO’S SWEET CANDY HISTORY

WHERE: Lake Forest Library

Learn what made Chicago an ideal location for candymakers, how immigrants played a critical role, and the origins of candy names like Baby Ruth and Milk Duds. Admission is free. lakeforestlibrary.org

MARCH 5

ST PATRICK’S DAY SHOWCASE

WHERE: Lake Forest Academy’s Cressey Center, 1500 Kennedy Road

AGATHA

CHRISTIE: A BODY OF EVIDENCE

WHERE: Lake Forest Library Join the Lake Forest Library for an evening with Agatha Christie as portrayed by actress Debra Ann Miller. Admission is free. lakeforestlibrary.org

The O’Hare School of Irish Dance, founded in 1979, has been serving the Lake Bluff and Lake Forest communities for over 15 years. Students from beginner to championship level will perform alongside traditional Irish music. Owner and Lake Bluff resident, Veronica Lilja Brugioni, is proud to offer her students top notch instruction from world champions and stars of “Riverdance” and “Lord of the Dance.” ohareirishdance.com

Winter on Lake Michigan

Photo by Tom Rossiter

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

After a brief hiatus, the Church of St. Mary is excited to have its COR youth group back up and running under the direction of its new youth minister, Chase Hawkins.

Scheidler

CHASE HAWKINS was a high schooler himself when he first felt the connection a great youth group can provide.

“Growing up in Cincinnati, I don’t remember a lot of parishes having youth groups, so I thought it was pretty cool when our church started one,” Hawkins says. “That feeling never left me.”

In fact, that feeling was so strong that on his summer vacations in college from Marquette University, Hawkins worked at Life Teen Camp Covecrest in the mountains of Georgia. It was here that his calling to be a youth minister was solidified.

“It was an experience like no other,” Hawkins says of his time working with high schoolers off the grid in Georgia. “Every day I would see teens have real life encounters with God for the first time in their lives. Every single day. It was incredible. I knew this was something I wanted to facilitate for others.”

So, after graduating from the University of Notre Dame last May with a master’s degree in divinity, Hawkins was offered the vacant spot as the COR Youth Group Minister at the Church of St. Mary in Lake Forest.

“I met St. Mary’s associate pastor Fr. Radley (Alcantara) when I was working at Life Teen,” Hawkins says. “I reached out to him at the beginning of my job search and met him for coffee in Lake Forest. A number of people stopped to chat with us while we were talking, and I got a sense for how welcoming this community was.” Hawkins got to work right away this summer, partnering with other youth organizations like the ones at CROYA and Christ Church to meet the area teens and get a sense for what they are

Chase Hawkins

words by Ann Marie

photography by Ian McLeod

open to.

“My main objective for this first year has been simply to get to know the teens better,” he says. “My next step will be to come up with ways for how our youth can grow together as a community.”

Consistency is the primary strategy for the new youth minister, meeting nearly every Sunday evening at 6 p.m. in St. Mary’s Parish Center for an hour or two.

“My main principle to keep is consistency,” Hawkins says. “I know how busy the kids are, but my hope is that over time, COR (which means ‘heart’ in Latin) will become a priority for them.

“I want to be able to provide a space where teens can bring them-

selves as they are to experience a positive community—free from the pressures of high school life, whether those are academic, social, sports, applying for colleges—all those stresses that are there all of the time,” he says. “I want COR to be a place where they can set those aside for an hour or so on Sundays. I also want high schoolers to feel empowered to practice their faith and ask questions about it and realize that it’s not just something they learned in grade school or religious ed class or something only their grandmas have. God is already reaching out to them, inviting them to encounter His love and experience His mercy and joy in every moment of their lives. I want to help them see this.”

Early in 2023, Hawkins will be unveiling a number of opportunities for teens to get involved, including discussions about the role of faith with mental wellness, how they can be part of Camp Hope (the local summer camp for young adults with physical and cognitive differences where area teens volunteer), as well as an overnight retreat.

“There seems to be genuine excitement about youth ministry that I’m feeling from our teens and their parents,” Hawkins adds. “God definitely works in ways I never could. COR is really about me creating a safe space where we can connect and allow this to happen.”

To learn more about the COR youth group, visit churchofstmary.org/corhigh-school-youth and follow COR on Instagram @cor.youthministry.

“There seems to be genuine excitement about youth ministry that I’m feeling from our teens and their parents.”

EDUCATIONAL DYNAMO

words by Ann Marie Scheidler photography by Ian McLeod

LAKE BLUFF’S Wick DeYoung lives by the motto “It’s not what you achieve, it’s what you overcome.”

DeYoung has personal knowledge of what it’s like to struggle academically. It was his personal experience growing up with learning challenges that led him to launch Dynamic Tutoring Solutions. He understands the need for specialized support for students with diagnosed learning differences.

“I know first-hand it’s not easy being different from your peers, especially on the North Shore,” DeYoung says. “Students need someone they can trust before they are willing to show a vulnerability. This is why Dynamic Tutoring Solutions works hard to understand students as a whole. What is one person’s strength might be another’s weakness. Finding your strengths is hard when you feel defeated.”

Through the support and guidance of his learning specialists and tutors, DeYoung pursued a career in education, earning a master’s degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Special Education from the University of Oregon, a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Concordia University, and ultimately launching Dynamic Tutoring Solutions.

DeYoung built his company after working at the Charles Armstrong School in Northern California, a school specializing in supporting students with language-based learning challenges. He has mindfully built a team of 15 educators to provide one-on-one support to students with and without learning differences in grades K-12 and in some cases—college. DeYoung and his team equip students with the necessary tools and strategies for success. They

teach research-based, multi-sensory lessons in reading, writing, and math and support students with executive functioning challenges.

“Students across the board struggled over the past two years as a result of the pandemic, but the impact has been most profound for students who have learning challenges,” says DeYoung. “These students depend on in-person support and accommodations that were often not able to be provided in a remote setting. More importantly, confidence and motivation took a giant hit, and this takes time to rebuild.

Kristina & Wick DeYoung.

Photography by Ian McLeod

Lake Bluff’s Wick DeYoung leveraged his own history with learning differences to build Dynamic Tutoring Solutions—a private tutoring practice specializing in helping students with learning challenges.

“It’s always been a complicated and overwhelming process for parents to navigate finding the correct resources to get their child assessed for potential learning challenges. And Covid disrupted this even more,” explains DeYoung. “Students who needed neuropsychological testing often faced waits of six months or longer to get assessed. Plus, students who previously didn’t need support started exhibiting challenges with executive functioning and motivation.”

So today more than ever before, Dynamic Tutoring Solutions plays a critical role in helping families learn how to get their students back on track and set them up for success.

DeYoung has grown Dynamic Tutoring Solutions to meet the needs of all learning profiles as well as having expanded the business from the Bay Area to the North Shore of Chicago where he, his wife Kristina and two young sons relocated to during the pandemic.

“Our biggest challenge is making sure families know we are available to help when their child is falling behind or doubting themself,” he says. “For our students, the goal isn’t just getting an ‘A’ on their next exam. The goal is to teach our students how they learn best, how to believe in themselves, how to advocate for themselves, and how to be independent.”

DeYoung shares that he recently toured high schools with a fam-

ily to help determine where their child would be most successful. He often finds himself meeting with administrators and specialists to advocate for his students’ needs.

“The word ‘tutor’ is misleading,” says DeYoung’s wife Kristina, who works full-time in the marketing world but consults with her husband regularly on his business. “It misses the depth of the relationship that Wick builds with his students and their families. Looking at how Wick is changing lives with the work he’s doing with his students—it’s so rewarding to see.”

For some, academic and executive functioning support can be a lifelong journey. But DeYoung and his team are committed for the long haul.

“There’s nothing more rewarding than having a parent tell me that their child now likes to read or was accepted into college,” DeYoung says. “Our goal is to bring back the joy of learning and to bolster their confidence to be successful in and beyond the classroom. Once you find the confidence to believe in yourself, anything is possible.”

To learn more about Dynamic Tutoring Solutions, visit dynamictutoringsolutions.com.

by Elizabeth Lombardo, Ph.D.

VISITATION AND DECISION MAKING

In any divorce that involves children, visitation and decision making are the first things that need to be outlined and agreed upon.

words by Michone Riewer photography by Katrina Wittkamp

THE TERM CUSTODY is often used interchangeably with visitation, but the custody agreement actually refers to both the visitation schedule and the decisionmaking structure. Visitation is vastly more complicated. Between setting a standard weekly schedule, divvying up holidays, and scheduling vacation time, there are a lot of moving pieces, all of which need to be outlined before the agreement can be filed.

Before any negotiations begin, we ask our clients what parenting time they want, as well as what they think their spouse will want.

Some people may feel that a looser schedule is more appropriate for their families. They may have an amicable co-parenting relationship and believe a visitation agreement will be too constricting from the offset when they are more than capable of working together. However, the court will not accept any agreement that doesn’t clearly outline where the children will be sleeping every single night of the year.

Outlining visitation is a complicated, and usually very long, process. However, once it is outlined, it gives each parent a clear roadmap moving forward.

After the divorce is complete, most parents understand what the agreement is, and put it in a drawer somewhere in their home so that they can easily access it when they need to reference something, like what year they have their kids for Memorial Day.

Aside from visitation, decision making is outlined in the custody agreement. There are four categories for decision making: religion, education, medical decisions, and extracurriculars.

Religious decision making is fairly straightforward. Most parents will agree that the children will continue to be raised in the religion that they were raised in throughout the marriage. When parents are two different religions, this can cause more tension. However, if they were raising their children in one religion over the other, or with traditions from both religions, they tend to continue the same way, outlining what churches, synagogues, or other institutions they can take their kids to.

While the custody agreement outlines what each parent can do, it does not require them to do anything (such as attending weekly religious services) during their parenting time.

Educational decision making only pertains to major decisions—

and unless the child has special needs (such as an IEP), there isn’t much. For most parents, it’s decisions around the children taking AP classes, or what school they will go to, if there is an option. Things like determining how a child studies or does their homework are not covered—each parent is expected to handle that during their visitation.

Educational decisions are usually joint and tend to not cause too much friction.

Medical decisions can be more complicated, especially with contentious divorces. In emergency situations where decisions need to be made quickly, whichever parent has visitation makes the decision on the spot, notifying the other parent as soon as it is possible.

Finally, there are extracurricular decisions, which tend to be joint. Because both parents are responsible for paying for extracurriculars, they both have to agree to it. Most activities that children were involved in at the time of the divorce are automatically approved, while new activities need to be determined together.

In the event that one parent wants the child to do an activity but the other doesn’t, the child can still participate in the activity, as long as it only takes place during one parent’s visitation and they are fully financially responsible.

Once the custody agreement is in place, it doesn’t tend to change much in the years that follow the divorce. If, for some reason, a change needs to be made, the parents need to work together to come to an agreement before involving the court.

If both parents are on the same page, they can simply come to an agreement and file it. If the parents are not in agreement, they are required to see a mediator in an attempt to find a solution before going to court. Going to court to make a change is always the last resort.

The custody agreement is a long, often complicated, and frequently emotionally exhausting process. But it’s usually the hardest part of the divorce, and once it is complete, the next three steps move much more quickly.

Michone J. Riewer, Esq. is a managing partner at Strategic Divorce, 900 N. Shore Drive, Lake Bluff, 847-234-4445, strategicdivorce.com.

Michone Riewer

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LARGER THAN LIFE

As a mother, wife, business owner, philanthropist, community champion, and friend, Lake Forest’s Ellen Stirling left an indelible mark on everything she touched.

THE LAKE FOREST SHOP celebrated its 100th anniversary in dazzling fashion last September. It was an occasion for owner Ellen Stirling to thank her long-time customers, and an opportunity for the community to show its appreciation to the woman who had ushered this iconic institution into its next century.

Sadly, Stirling passed away after a lengthy illness just eight weeks following this magnificent party. She was 73.

“It still doesn’t seem real that she’s gone,” says Zaskia Herrera, a Lake Forest Shop employee who worked with Stirling for more

than 25 years. “Ellen never let anything get her down. She always bounced back.”

It was just this spirit that unexpectedly thrust Stirling to the helm of The Lake Forest Shop nearly 40 years ago.

The Lake Forest Shop was opened by Stirling’s grandmother, socialite Margaret Baxter Foster.

“I never knew my grandmother, but from what I hear she was a real pistol,” Stirling once said. “I wish she was a customer of ours today because she couldn’t stop shopping. She would buy closets of clothes until she finally didn’t have room for anything more. So, my grandfather suggested she open a store.”

The Lake Forest Sports Shop first hung its shingle in 1922.

In many ways, the Lake Forest Sports Shop was ahead of its time. Stirling viewed her grandmother as a visionary, bringing separates to the shop—much like her friend Coco Chanel was doing in France.

The next several decades were an exciting time for this new retailer. A wonderful woman named Millie Duncan was hired to manage the shop. The store was wildly successful, leading Foster to open a second location in Hubbard Woods.

“Condé Nast came into my grandmother’s life at a really critical time,” Stirling said in an interview of the media magnate who published titles like Vogue, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker and who married her aunt. “He was able to introduce my grandmother to designers and clientele that helped the store thrive and connect her to the fashion world in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without him.”

Then, in the 1950s, Stirling’s parents Adair and Volney Foster took the shop over from her grandmother and launched the Lake Forest Sports Shop in Barrington and Hinsdale.

“My parents ran the shops more like a hobby than a business,” Stirling said. “And in the ’80s, the brand really began to struggle, and my father considered closing it. But I knew we had something special with our stores and I told my father that I’d be interested in taking them over.”

With no prior retail experience when she stepped in, Stirling’s first move was to close the satellite locations. She had three little girls and needed to focus her energies on the Market Square store. By 1992, she paid off the store’s debt and set the retailer on the road to success.

Stirling often said if she could go back and change one thing about her early days at the store, she would have dropped the “Sports” from the name of the store sooner. The tales were many about employees getting calls about golf clubs or tennis rackets. But it was one fateful Christmas Eve when a gentleman walked in look-

Owner of The Lake Forest Shop, Ellen Stirling celebrates the iconic store’s 100th anniversary in September 2022

words by Bill McLean and Ann Marie Scheidler photography by James Gustin and Robin Subar

ing for a bowling bowl when Stirling had enough. The store was immediately rebranded to “The Lake Forest Shop.”

One of the keys to the shop’s storied longevity was the autonomy she gave to each of her employees.

“Even though Ellen was the ‘boss,’ she made each of us the boss of what we did,” adds Hererra. “She believed in us before we believed in ourselves.”

Stirling’s relationships with her customers and vendors were the lifeline of the store.

“We teased her about being old school,” says Hererra. “We would tell her that everyone expects emails and texts these days, but Ellen wanted us to call our customers. She knew how powerful it was to have that connection with clients. That’s why so many of her customers—and our vendors too—have been with us for so many years.”

To an outsider, it may have appeared that Stirling ran a pretty tight ship, but her employees often saw a softer side.

“When I first started working for Ellen, my hours lined up with the times my children were in school,” says Stirling’s personal assistant, operations manager, and unofficial keeper of her many, many lists Melissa Zaprzalka. “That first year, as it got close to my children being on summer break, I was so anxious about how to juggle my job and my family responsibilities. When I finally brought this up with Ellen, she told me to stay home for the summer—that the work would still be there when my kids went back to school in the fall. She always put family first.”

“And she always made us feel as if we were her family, too,” adds Dawn Skoien, one of Stirling’s more recent hires who began at the shop in 2018. “When I first started, I was so touched to see the entire staff eat lunch together every day in the sewing room—Ellen too. It was such a nice way for us to all connect personally. Ellen loved sharing stories about her daughters and her grandchildren. Her family meant everything to her.”

Stirling’s sense of community stretched well beyond the four walls of her store and deep into the City of Lake Forest and greater Chicago area.

Every October, the Lake Forest Shop holds a monthlong charity drive called Shop Your Cause that funds local nonprofits that champion education, health care, community centers, and sustainability efforts. In 2021 alone, the store gave funding to Boys & Girls Club of Lake County, Elawa Farm Foundation, Gorton Community Center, Citadel Theatre, Lake Forest Open Lands, Mothers Trust Foundation, and Stirling Hall—the City of Lake Forest’s arts and activities center.

Stirling believed these wonderful nonprofits were the soul of Lake Forest and by highlighting them was signaling to the rest of the community that they needed to support them.

While Stirling grew up in a culture where people didn’t boast of their accomplishments, she had many. Service and philanthropy were part of her makeup.

Her work with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab) and its founder, Henry Betts, M.D., along with architect and accessibility advocate Jack Catlin, formed Access Chicago, a nonprofit that addressed wheelchair accessibility for people with disabilities in 1972.

She was vice president of the Women’s Board of the Lyric Opera of Chicago; a founder and vice president of the Auxiliary Board of the Art Institute of Chicago; a founding director of Lake Forest Bank and Trust, the first of Wintrust’s banks; and chairman of the bank’s Business Development Committee from 1991-2011.

Stirling served on the Advisory Board of Lake Forest College’s Oppenheim Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She was also a board member of Lake Forest Open Lands and Elawa Farm Foundation and a member of The Lake Forest Garden Club.

And finally, the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff named Stirling its Local Legend in 2016. The distinction—all previous individual awardees were men—honors someone who has contributed significantly to the community and the world.

As Stirling’s husband of 52 years, daughters, grandchildren, friends, clients, and colleagues begin to move forward without her, they do so knowing she left the world a better place.

“It’s so hard to describe Ellen,” says Lidia Schiavo, one of the shop’s talented seamstresses whose time at The Lake Forest Shop dates back to when Stirling’s mother still ran it. “Ellen was Ellen and we loved her so.”

Sheridan Road 2021 Power Woman Ellen Stirling

What makes us the workplace in Chicago?

ENTERTAINING Jump into January with this vibrant and versatile, sweet-tart cocktail

DATE NIGHT

Bar Siena brings the homemade flavor of Italy to the North Shore.

THE DISH

Discover the flavor power of Heirloom Squash.

Heirloom squash medley. Photography by Monica Kass Rogers

CRANBERRY APPLE SHRUB WITH GINGER

Jump into January with this vibrant and versatile sweet-tart drink.

words, recipe, and photography by Wendy Franzen of Fletcher & Fork

SHRUBS—DRINKABLE, fruit-infused vinegars— can be traced to 15th century England where they were first prescribed to combat scurvy. During the 17th and 18th centuries, shrubs were combined with rum, brandy, or sparkling wine and served as cordials. English settlers also brought shrubs to colonial America, often mixing them with spirits or still water. Consumption waned with the invention of refrigeration, with vinegar no longer a necessity for fruit preservation. Everything old is new again, as the saying goes. Shrubs have enjoyed a recent resurgence as an endlessly versatile and zippy base for cocktails and alcohol-free drinks.

CRANBERRY APPLE SHRUB WITH GINGER

This shrub utilizes wintry, in-season ingredients readily available at grocery stores. To enjoy alcohol-free, pour two to three tablespoons into an ice-filled glass and top with chilled sparkling water or ginger beer, garnishing with whole fresh or frozen cranberries. For a delightful cocktail, replace alcohol-free bubbles with prosecco. Alternatively, follow alcohol-free instructions, then splash in a shot of spiced rum.

makes about 3 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

• 2 cups granulated sugar

• 2 large-sized sweet apples, unpeeled

• 1 cup f rozen cranberries, thawed

• 2 cups apple cider vinegar, Bragg Organic recommended

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine ginger and sugar in a large glass bowl. 2. Grate apples on a box grater, avoiding then discarding seeds and core. Stir shredded apples and any juices into ginger/sugar mixture. 3. Purée cranberries and vinegar in a blender, then pour into bowl. Stir to combine. 4. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a cool, shaded spot on countertop for 24 to 48 hours. 5. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer placed over another large bowl, pressing on solids to release juices. Discard solids, then funnel shrub into jars or bottles with tight fitting lids.

6. Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.

TASTE OF ITALY

words by Lauren DeMaria photography provided by Bar Siena

THE ORIGINAL SIENA TAVERN located in downtown Chicago was inspired by the legendary restaurant La Taverna in Siena, Italy, which I had the pleasure on dining at several years ago on a multi-week vacation through northern Italy.

Although the city-based “tavern” and now the new location on the North Shore is more polished in aesthetics, the food is as “melt in your mouth” delicious as what I remember from my visit to Siena.

The menu is designed to be shared and features a spin on Italian street food, a delicious pizza bar along with an array of small plates—each one better than the next.

The owners of DineAmic Hospitality were excited to debut the restaurant in the Westfield Old Orchard mall in Skokie.

“A lot of people that live in the suburbs want to have a city dining experience at a city brand they have been to before, but they don’t want to go all the way into the city,” says DineAmic co-owner Lucas Stoioff.

Recently, many groups—including Ballyhoo Hospitality (Sophia Steak, Pomeroy) as well as Le Colonial—have ventured into the suburbs to cater to customers who no longer feel like commuting into the city for dinner.

In most respects, Bar Siena Old Orchard isn’t much different from the original Bar Siena with a menu of pasta, steak, pizza, and bomboloni for dessert.

Our tasting began with three appetizers, Cicchetti; Roasted Meatballs; Tuna Crudo and Grilled Octopus. Each were very different from each other but equally mouthwatering and a perfect start to our feast.

The meatballs were amazing—the perfect texture and sauce incredibly flavorful. Tuna Crudo comes with Castelvetrano olives, salsa verde, lemon garlic ailoi, and Parmesan breadcrumbs. I love grilled octopus and theirs did not disappoint. The aged balsamic, chili, and celery chimichurri was the perfect accompaniment to the grilled texture.

Our next course, “Carne” was the Braised Short Rib with autumn root vegetables, and Brick Chicken Diavolo with sticky parmesan potatoes. I am typically a chicken lover but between the two the short rib won. The chicken has a highlight of lemon flavor and the potatoes were delicious. The short ribs were so tender and so flavorful and reminded me of when my grandmother would make her famous roasts.

We continued (yes, we still had more to taste) onto the pasta course. Squid Ink Lobster Linguine which had beautiful large

chunks of fresh lobster and also a bit of kick with red pepper was very rich and filling. An equally rich and satisfying pasta dish, Bucatini “Cacio E Pepe” came to the table and had all the flavors that we had not experienced previously. The balance between the cheeses and pepper was perfection, evidenced by the empty dish.

It wouldn’t have been right not to try one of their famous “brick oven” pizzas so out came the Truffle Mushroom “ZA”. With the garlic cream, wild mushrooms and white truffle oil, the richness of this combination against the roasted crust melted in our mouths.

Bring on desert! We tried three: Chocolate Budino, Apple Brown Butter Crostata, and of course the Mini Bomboloni. Each was completely different but equally delicious. The warm crostata is a perfect winter night comfort. If you are a chocolate lover then the Budio is what you want and no matter what always order the Bomboloni, Italian donut holes comes with an array of dipping sauces and end the meal leaving your tastebuds completely satisfied and your stomach full.

The restaurant’s design takes advantage of the suburban virtue of space. It sprawls across 8,500 square feet with two entrances, one from the mall itself and one from the parking lot. The mall entrance will lead directly to a wine bar with a patio and lounge seating that Stoioff envisions as a refuge for shoppers who just want a glass of wine and a quick bite. The parking lot side, meanwhile, will feature a 3,000-square-foot pergola with seating for 100, a living wall with flowers and ivy, and a retractable roof and heaters where, Stoioff says, customers can dine outdoors all year round.

The main dining room is, like its downtown counterpart, decorated with exposed brick and hand-painted murals and an enormous sculptural iron tree decorated with LED lights that forms a canopy over the entire restaurant, giving it the feel of a festive garden. At the heart of the space is an open kitchen with a brick pizza oven.

“We’ve been building our business in the city,” Stoioff says, “and now we’re opening a place for people who have been some of our biggest fans. It means something to us.”

Bar Siena brings the homemade flavors of the original La Taverna to the North Shore.

HEIRLOOM SQUASH MEDLEY

recipe by Chef Sarah Stegner, Prairie Grass Café intro and photography by Monica Kass Rogers

OF ALL THE local produce available in the winter, squash is one of the most delicious. Sweet and nutty, rich and warm, squash has a satisfying depth of flavor and silky texture. Nutritionally, it’s high in potassium, has a low glycemic index, and is a guilt-free pleasure with only 45 to 90 calories per cup cooked.

“There are so many varieties to work with!” says Chef Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Café in Northbrook. “Each of the local farms I source squash from seems to have one type that it specializes in: Froggy Meadow grows beautiful Black Futsu and Blue Hubbard. Three Sisters does giant Butternut. And Nichols—while offering some of the more traditional squashes such as Acorn and Delicata, also grows Butterkins with really intense flavor.”

Honoring the Native Americans’ long history of growing squash as a staple of their diet, Stegner featured this beautiful roasted squash medley as the opening course for a special dinner during Native American Heritage Month.

Simply roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper, the squash is very easy to make at home. So is the brilliant green arugula-tahini vinaigrette Stegner created to drizzle over it. And for added texture and flavor pops? Garnish with fresh pomegranate arils, toasted pumpkin seeds and fresh fried sage leaves.

“A lot of home cooks shy away from fresh sage because it has such a powerful flavor,” says Stegner. “But frying it transforms the herb and perfectly mellows it.”

Note: Depending on the size of the squash you purchase, you may have enough to fill two sheet pans. If not all of the squash on the ingredient list are available, try to use at least three varieties.

INGREDIENTS

For the squash medley:

• 1 - 2 small acorn squash

• 1 - 2 small Delicata squash

• 1 - 2 small Butterkin squash

• 1 Butternut squash

• 1 Blue Hubbard squash

• 1 Black Futsu Squash

• 3 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

For the fried sage:

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 2 sprigs fresh sage (about 10 leaves)

For the arugula tahini vinaigrette:

• Oil f rom frying the sage (above)

• 1 cup arugula, loosely packed

• 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves

• 1/4 cup parsley, loosely packed

• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, ends trimmed and discarded

• 2 heaping tablespoons tahini. (Note: stir tahini well to ensure oil and tahini are blended)

• 1 tablespoon honey

• Juice f rom 2 lemons

• 1/2 tsp sea salt

For the garnish

• 1/4 cup toasted, salted pumpkin seeds

• 1/4 cup f resh pomegranate arils

• Fried sage

METHOD

Roast squash

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel squash, discarding seeds and membranes. Slice squash into similarly sized rings and/or small wedges. Toss in olive oil and salt. Lay out in single layer on a sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and tender.

Fry sage leaves

While the squash roasts, fry the sage leaves. Place half cup of olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add sage leaves to hot oil and fry until leaves are crisp. Remove pan from heat. Using a slotted spoon, remove fried sage leaves from the pan and place on a paper towel to blot oil. Sprinkle leaves with salt. Cool the oil and reserve.

Prepare viniagrette

Place the cooled olive oil from frying the sage leaves in a blender. Add all remaining vinaigrette ingredients. Blend well. Taste to adjust seasoning; add salt if desired.

Assemble

Arrange roasted squash on a large serving platter. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds, pomegranate arils and fried sage leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Is there a recipe you’re dying to have? E-mail us at thedish@jwcmedia.com and we’ll start digging.

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BEJEWELED

Make a statement with these geometric go-to pieces.

FRESH FACE

Kick the new year off with at least one thing in place—your beauty routine—no exercise required.

SKI STYLE

Level up this ski season with these inspirational après ski looks.

GO FOR IT WITH GEOMETRICS

edited by Theresa DeMaria photography by Razzaq Lodhia

IT’S EASY TO GET CAUGHT UP in revamping your wardrobe to fit the season’s latest trends. But between the cut-outs, faux fur coats, and low-rise jeans, the fashion trends may begin to seem overwhelming. When you’re standing in the dressing room trying to determine which item to purchase, let me remind you that jewelry is often what makes and completes an outfit. It’s never a mistake to keep your fashion simple, grab your favorite black sweater or white button-down, and shift your energy to focus on a bold piece of jewelry. From these classic sterling silver and 18 karat gold geometric link bracelets to the bold 18 karat white and gold engraved bombe bands, there’s a jewelry trend to add a little extra flair to any look.

The key is to find a balance between trendy and timeless. First and foremost, if you’re looking to invest in your personal jewelry collection, it’s best to prioritize purchasing pieces that will maintain quality and value.

For more information, visit barbaraparkerfinejewelry.com.

FRESH FACE BEAUTY

edited by Lauren DeMaria

ANEW YEAR CALLS FOR new beginnings, and if you haven’t nailed down your New Year’s resolutions quite yet, may we suggest getting your beauty routine in order? 2022 was all about paring back and putting your best face forward. Whether that’s being religious with your skin care routine, or giving your nails a much-needed break, we’ve rounded up the best tips for getting your beauty routine in tip top shape so you can kick the new year off with at least one thing in place.

edited by Lauren DeMaria

1 Fur free shaggy boots by Stella McCartney, neimanmarcus.com 2 Prada Padded Nylon Booties, $1,150, prada.com 3 Thom Browne Stripe Knitted Headband, $230, farfetch. com 4 Perfect Moment Chevron Base Layer Leggings, $292, farfetch.com 5 Illesteva Hamilton Sunglasses, $220, illesteva.com 6 Montelliana 1965 Clara Suede Shearling Hiker Boots, $565, bergdorfgoodman.com 7 Cordova Apres Sport Merino Wool-Blend Wweater, $320, netaporter.com 8 Diana Hooded Belted Recycled Ski Jacket, $1,148, netaporter.com 9 Dior Wildior 54MM Cat Eye Sunglasses, $380, saksfifthavenue.com 10 Gucci Leather Gloves with Horsebit, $730, gucci.com 11 FENDI Jacquard-trimmed stirrup ski pants, $1,150, netaporter.com 12 Serena Pully Sweatshirt by Goldbergh, $179, shopbop.com 13 Goldbergh Parry Down Softshell Ski Suit, $1,119, matchesfashion.com 14 Everlane The Pima Micro-Rib Turtleneck, $40, everlane, Lake Forest 15 Max Mara Ombrato Alpaca, Wool and Silk Mittens, $210, mytheresa.co 16 Lady Cape by Herno, $675, us.herno.com 17 Chloé Chloé Eyewear Injection Ski Goggles, $415, farfetch.com 18 Caption TK 19 Tipi III Ski Pants by Fusalp, $287, mytheresa.com

OPTIMIZING PEAK PERFORMANCE

Using the past to move forward.

words by Elizabeth Lombardo

HAVE YOU EVER MADE a mistake and replayed it over and over and over again in your mind?

I call this “pressing on a bruise.” It doesn’t feel good and is not helpful. It can cause more stress, guilt, and anxiety.

Athletes can often get stuck in the past, berating themselves (or their teammates) for a less-than-stellar play. They focus on the one mistake, getting trapped there and unable to concentrate on the present. The result is not only an increase in distress but also a decline in performance.

For example, a basketball player misses an easy layup. Their shooting is way below their average for the rest of the game. “What is wrong with me?” echoes through their mind.

A hockey player’s stick inadvertently pushes the puck into the other team’s goal. The coach pulls them out of the game. “My coach and team hate me,” reverberates through their head.

A gymnast got injured practicing a new move on the beam. Now, each time they get on the beam, their body tenses up and the technique suffers. “I will never make it to the next level now,” they think.

What we say to ourselves, our thoughts, impacts how we feel and how we function. And this is especially prevalent in sports.

As Yogi Berra infamously stated, “[The game] is 90 percent mental; the other half is physical.”

So how can athletes optimize their thoughts, getting past the past in order to excel in the present and future? They need to take control of their minds instead of letting their minds take control of them.

How can you do that? Encouraging words such as “just get over it” or “let it go” are good in theory. The issue that arises, however, is how actually to execute these pearls of wisdom.

The key is to learn techniques that rewire your brain. When you consider that every thought you have is just nerves firing in a specific pattern within your brain, the goal is to create more helpful pathways, so they become automatic. That is, change your inner dialogue to optimize your outer performance.

At EleVive, we work with athletes to cultivate skills to control their minds better, which boosts their success.

Here are a few examples of ways to help your athlete (and even yourself) move past the past:

1. Get out of the psychological Red Zone

As I wrote in my book Get Out Of The Red Zone: Transform Your Stress to Optimize True Success, the psychological Red Zone happens when we experience high stress levels. And in this psychological Red Zone, we don’t think or act rationally. This is where our inner critic and negative thoughts tend to take over.

When athletes are in the Red Zone, their negative thoughts control them. The key is to get out and stay out of the Red Zone so rational thinking and optimal functioning can prevail.

2. Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want Telling ourselves not to think about something negative has the opposite effect. In fact, your subconscious doesn’t hear the word

“not.” For example, “Do not think about a pink elephant, with its pink ears, pink trunk, or pink body.” What do you continue to think about? Of course, the pink elephant.

There is a saying in racecar driving, “Don’t look at the wall.” Because when people do, their car inevitably goes into the wall. Athletes perform better when they learn to focus on what they want.

3. Create an alter ego

Have you ever heard of Sasha Fierce? Most people have not. And yet you have likely heard of Beyoncé.

When Beyoncé went from singing in the church to being a pop star, she felt uncomfortable performing on stage. She created an alter ego, whom she named Sasha Fierce. Unlike Beyoncé, who was rather shy, Sasha Fierce was very confident on stage, dancing around. In fact, at one point, Beyoncé said she never actually performed; it was Sasha. What does this have to do with your athlete? Help them create an alter ego that is resilient, perseverant, present, and able to get into the zone no matter what happens.

By addressing your athlete’s mindset and teaching them skills to rewire their brain, so their minds work for instead of against them, your athlete can excel to all new levels, reaching the peak of their potential and thriving in their sport.

Contact EleVive today by visiting elevive.com.

Liz Lombardo

LUXE RECESS

Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa redefines what a luxury family holiday in the Caribbean looks like.

words by Theresa DeMaria

UPON ENTERING THE Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa, my first impression was the beautiful modern design, and my second impression was that many families are staying here—families with young children, multi-generational families, and families with friends and their families.

I think this speaks to the fact the Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa is family friendly.

With so many amenities, it’s not hard to see why. This upscale Costa Mujeres resort was officially inaugurated as one of most luxurious and sophisticated all-inclusive hotels in the Caribbean.

Forget any preconceptions you might have about all-inclusive. No tacky plastic wrist bands and no watered-down drinks here.

All-Inclusive Palladium Costa Mujeres

Spa at TRS Grand Palladium

This property offers 5-star services, dining, and accommodation, yet with the convenience of all-inclusive. Dining encompasses Mexican, Italian, Asian, and international favorites—with restaurants and bars for all tastes. You could enjoy a new dining experience every night during a one-week vacation. Your bar choices include a swim-up bar, beach bars, sports bar, lobby bar, a sky bar, and more are all included during your stay.

Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa takes family holidays to the next level. Stunning pools, landscaped gardens, and a white sandy beach makes for a spectacular setting.

It’s a sprawling luxury resort with a little bit of everything for everyone, including those vacationing without families. After all, it is a 5-star beachfront hotel that happens to be in a privileged spot of Mexican Caribbean, Costa Mujeres beach, and is only 30 min away from the town of Cancún and its international airport.

Two messages were clearly delivered during my short stay at Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa. The first was top notch customer service. Every staff member had a smile and was more than eager to make your stay the best experience you can possibly have.

Second, this is a uber Eco-friendly resort—from electric carts to an electric boat water cab, you will find that great effort was taken to respect the local and worldwide environment at the resort. The natural environment is reflected in the resort’s contemporary architecture with innovative use of vertical gardens, as well as a central lagoon that allows guests to shuttled from room to restaurant or from spa to bar aboard skippered electric boats. It’s a fun way to get around if you don’t fancy walking or taking one of the chauffeured buggies.

Guest suites are well designed and elegantly furnished, including many with a large terrace. In addition to the suites, there are fabulous swim-up suites and duplex loft suites. Families can also expect lots of thoughtful touches for their kids from beach kits to their own towels and robes. If you’re looking for VIP service, then opt for the “Family Selec-

tion” for an enhanced premium experience with access to the best sports facilities, fine-dining restaurants, an upgraded all-inclusive offering, and access to select facilities as the adults-only TRS Coral Hotel.

I was impressed with the volume of activities you can enjoy during your stay. The Grand Palladium features seven restaurants and four swimming pools, one of them exclusively for children.

The setting, at the northeast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, is a place of real natural beauty. Make the most of the Caribbean location with activities such as snorkeling and diving. If you’re looking for the Caribbean as it used to be, the pristine protected beaches and the island national park of Isla Contoy are a very short excursion away—all magical.

Are you a tennis-aholic? The Grand Palladium also has the best tennis facilities of any hotel in the world, the new Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre Costa Mujeres with eight clay tennis courts, a football pitch, a paddle court, gym, a Rafa Nadal exhibition and shop, and a bar/cafeteria.

Here is where specialist coaches from the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar in Manacor provide unique tennis programs for all ages, which have been developed by Nadal and his technical team.

In addition, the resort offers impressive spa facilities, luxury water circuit, and extensive treatment list at the world-class Zentropia Palladium Spa & Wellness Centre. It’s a two-story, dedicated space with an immense water-circuit, a sun terrace, infinite pool, juice bar, steam room, ice cave, salt cave, sauna, and weightless floating pool which I had always wanted to try. The rooftop juice bar with private pool was the optimal spot to watch the sunset.

Between the crystal-clear turquoise waters and breathtaking views, the innovative cuisine, modern suites, and a multitude of entertainment options and activities, this made for an epic Mexican Caribbean getaway.

Children’s water park TRS

Adult only pool

Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre Costa Mujeres

Grand Palladium corner suite with ocean views and private pool

COVER GIRL

words by Ann Marie Scheidler photography by Katrina Wittkamp hair and makeup by Frances Tsalas

WHEN Helen Berkun was a young girl growing up in Mariupol, a city in Ukraine, her world was full of color. Her family was comprised of painters, photographers, and designers.

But when Berkun and family emigrated to the United States in 1990 when she was just nine years old, her parents hoped she would choose a more traditional path to the American dream—become a doctor, an attorney, or a high-powered woman in business.

“My Mom and Dad were both so creative,” Berkun says. “It was my Dad who actually taught me how to develop my own photographs from film. When I went to college, I wanted to study photography. My parents were skeptical about how I was going to turn this into a career. But I had this fire in me to make it happen.”

It was a surprise to no one that Berkun took the fashion industry by storm. After receiving a Fine Arts degree with a photography emphasis from Columbia College Chicago, she quickly made a name for herself with her keen eye for composition and lighting and her ability to art direct. Her photos were published worldwide— beautifully capturing subjects with boldness and whimsy.

It wasn’t long before Berkun’s talents were in demand, by brands and celebrities alike.

“It was so exciting,” Berkun says. “I was flying all over the country—all over the world—styling celebrities, building relationships with brands, taking photos, and hosting.” But after giving birth to her third child, Berkun knew something had to change.

“I was spending long days in hotel rooms, and on sets, and flying back and forth between LA and New York,” she explains. “I knew this wasn’t the way I wanted to be a mom and I could also tell that the industry was changing—that print photography and traditional advertising was taking a backseat to social media.”

And then Covid hit and the whole world was forced to pivot— Berkun included.

“I feel so lucky that I was already starting to create some of

my own content and sharing on my Instagram account when the pandemic started,” she says. “I noticed all of these influencers doing things from their homes because that’s all they could do. So, I started sharing what I was cooking, how I was doing school at home with my kids, and I really started to gain a following.”

With her husband’s encouragement, Berkun left the agency who had represented her for years and jumped into influencing full-time.

“It’s so funny to think that ‘influencing’ is even a career,” Berkun says. “But I guess it makes sense that people want to hear about fashion, beauty, travel, and lifestyle from people they trust. I started going ‘live’ on IG [Instagram] and selling items right from my closet and I couldn’t believe how successful these were,” she says. “Then when the world started opening up again and my audience had grown quite a bit, I began reaching out to boutiques to partner with and then ultimately the large brands I’m working with today.”

Today, Berkun has more than 65,000 followers on this platform and works with luxe brands like Neiman Marcus, Cusp, Guess, Decades LA, Coach, Kate Spade, Furla, Thompson Hotel, and many more.

What Berkun loves most about her new life as an “influencer” is how well it melds with her life as a married mom to three busy kids (ages X, X, and X) living in Riverwoods.

“I make my own schedule. I get the kids off to school, workout, and then I work on my brand until the kids’ activities begin after school,” Berkun adds. “I’m such a visual person and I’m still using all those skills I honed when I was a photographer and an art director. I have my own mini publishing company.”

Helen Berkun steps out from behind the camera to create a brand that is beautifully authentic and undeniably her own.

“There is enough room for everyone in this world to create their own brand and that’s just what I’m doing.”

Influencer Helen Berkun in her famous closet wears leather studded jacket by Alice + Olivia with leopard skirt by Dolce & Gabbana, available at Neiman Marcus

Berkun’s platform has also allowed her to help her friends and family who have suffered because of the war in Ukraine through a non-profit fund she founded called “Berkun Aid.”

“We’ve raised more than $20,000 to support families living through this war and to help some refugees with essentials who were able to escape,” she says. “When the war first began, I was glued to the news and almost paralyzed by what I heard. But now, thinking about how we can help those dealing with all the hardship caused by the war is part of my everyday life.”

As Berkun’s success continues to grow, she still finds herself bat-

ting down the assumption that an influencer just takes selfies all day long.

“I tell people that I’m a jack of all trades and a master of all of them,” she says with a laugh. “I know that by being honest and true to myself, I will find my tribe—my people—and I’ll be their jam. There is enough room for everyone in this world to create their own brand and that’s just what I’m doing.”

To learn more about Helen Berkun, visit helenberkun.com or follow her on Instagram @helen_berkun.

Helen, Denis, Natan, Kalista Soleil and Thalia Sky

TEAMING UP

Lake Forest newcomer Compass Financial Partners and the Gorton Center join forces on February 9 to present , a powerful, illuminating documentary about the 1963 NCAA championship Loyola University team.

The Loyola Project

words by Bill McLean photography by Lisa Sciascia

FORMER MILLIKIN University basketball sharpshooter Joe Guin netted nine feathery threepointers—in 10 attempts—in his 35-point game against Wabash College in 1986.

It still stands as a Big Blue program record.

Now a co-founder of Compass Financial Partners (CFP), a Northwestern Mutual private client group that moved from Vernon Hills to Lake Forest in December, Guin—along with CFP co-founder Tim Hender—chose not to rely on finesse to herald the firm’s presence to the community.

CFP opted for a slam-dunk approach instead.

It plans to show The Loyola Project at the Gorton Center in Lake Forest at 7 p.m. on February 9. It’s a highly compelling, straightshooting 2022 documentary about the 1963 NCAA champion Loyola University-Chicago men’s basketball team.

Underwritten by Northwestern Mutual, directed by Patrick Creadon, and narrated/co-written by former Loyola Ramblers guard Lucas Williamson, the 88-minute film revisits the Game of Change—Loyola vs. Mississippi State University, in an NCAA regional semifinal at the height of the civil rights movement—and chronicles how Coach George Ireland’s harassed, resolute Ramblers broke racial barriers and changed basketball forever.

Woven together with archival footage and modern-day interviews, this captivating story—scheduled for more than 200 screenings in 2023—continues to provide inspiration in the fight for equality.

“Presenting the film is just one way our Compass team hopes to make a positive impact in our firm’s new community,” says Guin, who moved from Hawthorn Woods to Hender’s longtime hometown, Lake Forest, in August. “It’ll bring a lot of value to the people of Lake Forest, as well as to our clients.

“Sports bring people together; they’re great platforms for open dialogue,” he adds. “This documentary (seen by more than 1.3 million viewers, through November 2022) has generated important conversations about diversity and inclusion at campuses and other venues all over the United States.”

Guin’s good friend Corey McQuade, a Northwestern Mutual managing partner, served as a co-executive director of The Loyola Project. His father, Dan McQuade, played on a pair of Loyola University men’s basketball teams (1960-1961 and 1961-1962 seasons); the Ramblers’ 1962-1963 squad edged two-time reigning NCAA champion Cincinnati 60-58 in overtime to win the ’63 title.

“All I knew, for years and years, was that my dad played basketball

for Loyola and was good buddies with many of the players on that championship squad,” says Corey, who grew up in tiny Swanton, Ohio. “What I later learned, before I got the opportunity to talk with Patrick Creadon on the phone, was a story that hadn’t been told from the players’ perspective. It needed to be told, because it’s so powerful.

“I was promised 10 minutes with Patrick. We ended up talking on the phone for two hours.”

Loyola coach Ireland had broken an unwritten rule numerous times in the 1962-63 season, deploying more than three Black players on the court at any one time. The unwritten rule in Mississippi prohibited state schools from playing against integrated teams, thereby jeopardizing the Loyola University-Mississippi State University matchup in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The state persuaded a judge to issue a temporary injunction to prevent MSU’s Maroons (the Bulldogs today) from traveling to East Lansing, Michigan, to face Loyola. But MSU President Dean Colvard and MSU coach James “Babe” McCarthy devised a sneaky exit from The Magnolia State.

In Chicago, meanwhile, Loyola’s players opened hate mail in their dorms, including letters from Ku Klux Klan members, according to an espn.com report in 2012.

Loyola defeated Mississippi State 61-51, but the result eventually shrank to footnote status.

Loyola University Basketball Team

“We have to constantly educate and share this story, so people can connect the dots from where we were to where we are today,” former University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith told espn.com.

“It’s a great sports story, but there’s a heck of a lot more to it than that,” Creadon, who also directed the ESPN 30 for 30 Notre Dame-Miami football rivalry documentary (Catholics Vs. Convicts), told WBEZ Chicago. “It’s really the story of these guys off the court.

“That is at the heart of our story.”

It didn’t take Hender long—a nanosecond, maybe—to suggest a venue for the showing of The Loyola Project. The Lake Forest High School graduate knows a thing or 2,000 about Gorton and the center’s John & Nancy Hughes Theater, where viewers will convene for the showing shortly after the start of Black History Month.

“It’s an ideal setting,” says Hender, a Gorton Center board member for nine years, including the two years (2017-2019) he guided it as chairman. “The theater’s cinematic technology is fantastic. Why not show it there?

“It’s a Chicago story and it’s an inspirational story,” he adds. “Those who see it will come away feeling good, realizing how far we’ve come as a nation since the 1960s. But there’s still too much divisiveness in the U.S., too many people pushing for discord. I want to push the other way and celebrate the similarities all of us share.

“I want a world that’s colorblind.”

Hender, a private wealth advisor, and Guin have known each other for 11 years. Guin became Hender’s mentor and family financial advisor when both worked at Northwestern Mutual.

They formed Compass Financial Partners in early 2022, with its mission to help families navigate their journeys to financial security. CFP is recognized by Northwestern Mutual as one of its top wealth management advisory teams in the country and is a founding member of the FORTUNE 500 company’s Private Client Group—an exclusive selection of advisors who provide sophisticated advisory strategies for high-net-worth clients and their families.

“The face of basketball changed in 1963,” McQuade says, alluding to the peaceful and—to many, imperceptible—approach taken by the Loyola and MSU teams to integrate the game and change it forever. “I’m here in Chicago today, with Northwestern Mutual, and we’re trying to change the face of wealth, or at least significantly narrow the wealth gap.

“We want to strengthen the communities we know, and we want

to introduce ourselves in other communities to help them become strong. Northwestern Mutual is all about the ‘and’ in that undertaking.”

The Loyola Project zeroes in on an “un” word—unwritten. Unwritten rules in basketball stymied change.

“Many people who watch this documentary will discuss it with others and likely say, ‘I had no idea such unwritten rules existed back then,’” McQuade says. “You know what? Unwritten rules still exist today in sports, and beyond sports. Our film starts conversations we need to have. The Loyola Project will make viewers cringe a couple of times. But it’s a documentary, and documentaries tell the truth. Sometimes the truth makes people feel uncomfortable.

“Our film documents what really occurred in the 1960s.”

McQuade’s wife, Jenny, deserves an assist for the selection of Williamson—a Chicago Whitney Young High School graduate and a vital freshman player on Loyola’s Final Four squad in 2018— as the documentary’s narrator. She’d heard Williamson speak at a Loyola fundraiser and knew, just knew, that his voice could provide plenty of heft to the project.

Jenny pitched her thought to Corey, who then ran it by Creadon. The suggestion thrilled Creadon.

“Patrick,” Corey McQuade recalls, “believed that the voice of Lucas would serve as the documentary’s ‘secret sauce.’ There was talk about maybe asking a celebrity with Chicago ties to narrate it, men like Common and Chance the Rapper. With his Chicago background and success as a Loyola basketball player, Lucas was the perfect choice.”

How many times have you seen the movie It’s a Wonderful Life? Too many to come up with an accurate number, perhaps?

McQuade wants people of all ages to similarly lose track of the times they’ve seen The Loyola Project

“I want our film to be a must-see every year, just like that Jimmy Stewart Christmas movie is for many,” McQuade says. “It should be watched every Black History Month, every March Madness.

“It’s called The Loyola Project,” he adds, “because a project is ongoing.”

Visit Gorton Center’s site, gortoncenter.org, for more information about the center’s showing of The Loyola Project on February 9. Gorton Center, 847-234-6060, is located at 400 East Illinois Road in Lake Forest. Visit compass-fp.com for more information about Compass Financial Partners, located at 272 East Deerpath Road, Suite 204, Lake Forest.

ALL-TERRAIN WHEELCHAIR ACCESS AT LAKE FOREST OPEN LANDS

photography by Ian McLeod

On Saturday, October 29, Lake Forest Open Lands (LFOLA) celebrated its partnership with Access Ability Wisconsin (AAW) as LFOLA became the first host location in Illinois for All-Terrain Outdoor Wheelchairs (OWC). “We are proud to increase access for all in Lake Forest Open Lands preserves and the local community. Individuals can reserve the chair and explore using the provided AAW trailer,” says Susan Lenz, SVP Community Engagement at LFOLA. “Providing access to these ‘hiking boots’ allows anyone living with a physical disability an opportunity to experience the dignity and freedom to enjoy the great outdoors solo or with family and friends, just like everyone else!” Visit lfola.org to learn more or make a wheelchair reservation.

Julia lunn, Cathy Stott, Mark Ahearn, Gary Stott, Susan Lenz, Heather Decker, Katie Casas

Cathy Stott, Susan Lenz, Gary Stott, Christine Kizawa, Julia Lunn

Julia Lunn, Cindy Housner

Julia Lunn, Alderman Ray Buschmann, Susan Lenz

A MAGICAL NIGHT TO REMEMBER

by Ian McLeod

Women in beautiful gowns and men in their finest were everywhere you looked at Mothers Trust Foundation’s “A Fairytale Ball” fundraiser. It was truly an enchanted evening of making wishes come true for low-income children and families in Lake County.

Nearly 250 guests attended and gave from their hearts during a live auction and paddle raise, exceeding all expectations! The mission of Mothers Trust Foundation is to provide hope, build confidence, and make a lasting difference in the life of a child through grants for basic needs, education, enrichment opportunities, medical expenses, and stable housing.

If you would like to learn more about Mothers Trust Foundation and volunteer opportunities, please visit motherstrustfoundation.org.

photography

Melissa & Steven Esposito

Michael & Jessica Brumm, Loan & Norbert Riedel

Rodney Workman & Heidi Prom

Jack Perno & Diane Tang, Joan & Brian Maxwell

Kristen & David Larson, John & Maggie Falcus

Eric Goetsch, Rebecca Enea

Vic Kirckhoff & Andrea Wright

Michael Karner & Tanya Branch

Rebecca Enea, Eric Goetsch

Joe Blandford & Lori Dann

Josh & Taylor Gantz

MTF Committee

Lisa & Larry Potash

Kailash & Mukta Purohit

Patti Shuma & Craig Fox

HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

On November 2, over 90 guests joined The Allendale Shelter Club to toast Allendale Association’s 125th anniversary at its Hope for the Holidays fundraiser, raising close to $100,000. The evening began with a tasting of 40 different wines and spirits from around the world at Lake Forest’s Courtyard Wines. Taking place in the Arcade on Deerpath, wines and spirits were sampled and sold with a portion of proceeds benefitting the cause. Following the tasting, guests were welcomed by trays of Le Colonial’s signature Lychee martinis and gathered around the room’s bar at high top tables and on the balcony overlooking Bank Lane. Le Colonial’s French Vietnamese cuisine really shined, with passed appetizer favorites.

Allendale has been housing, educating, and serving kids with serious mental, behavioral, and health challenges for 125 years and the women of the Allendale Shelter Club have supported this mission for over 100 years. Through education, emotional, and behavioral treatment, Allendale gives kids the opportunity to restore their lives. Funds raised will support Allendale’s mission of inspiring hope during adversity, by all means possible.

photography by Ian McLeod

Whitley Buona Herbert & David Herbert

Amy Krebs, Colleen Kovas

Lisa Sciascia, Rosa Lydia Vondrok

Jeff & Laura Torosian, Kate & Emmett Fitzpatrick

Sarah Gundlach, Julie Sommers, Victoria Phillips

Isabel & John Fiore

Jen & Cam McKinney

Heather Pateros, Lisa Florjancic

JT & Kate Fitzgerald

Elizabeth Panagoplos, Mary Dana Maggiolino, Marisa Mann Matt & Chrissy Davis

Ester Viti, Sue Gaddy, Kate Kelleher, Jamie Callahan, Jordan Lesniack, Laura Craemer

PLASTIC SURGERY UPDATE

BESPOKE FACELIFT

Aging is inevitable. Looking fabulous takes work. From that first gray hair to the lines around the mouth and laxity of skin around the jaw and neck. At some point we can’t ignore it any longer & either we accept the inevitable or seek the help of a Plastic Surgeon.

A Bespoke Facelift is a customized procedure to fit the individual’s specific needs. Most patient like whom they are. They just want to look refreshed and “not plastic”.

Every Face ages somewhat differently. Factors to be assessed and addressed include 1. Laxity of skin 2. Loss of volume 3. Underlying bone structure 4. Skin texture and wrinkles 5. Position of eyebrows 6. Status of neck, jowls, buccal fat 8. Appearance of eyes.

All of the above should be considered and addressed. A bespoke facelift does not rely just on the skin. What you do beneath the skin is just as important. This includes muscle tightening and repositioning. Fat reduction or addition. Sometimes cheek or jaw augmentation. The surface of the skin might be lasered or addressed with Plasma Pen to soften wrinkles around the mouth or eyes.

As part of a consultation all of these concerns are addressed. Costs have to be considered and risk assessed.

I also recognize that not everyone wants to be operated on. As part of the consultation non-invasive alternatives are discussed. If patients start early we can truly slow the aging process and put off the time before a facelift is needed.

So if you think the “wax is beginning to melt” maybe you owe it to yourself to have a consultation.

BodyByBlochbodybybloch Steven Bloch MDBodybybloch

words by Steven Bloch, M.D.

NUMBER ONE

IN LAKE FOREST & LAKE BLUFF