FIND US ONLINE: DailyNorthShore.com
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 22 | SUNDAY FEBRUARY 23 2020
SUNDAY BREAKFAST
Susie Hultquist on empowering people with food allergies. P18
SPORTS
Nothing routine about New Trier’s path to Elite Eight in girls gymnastics. P16
SOCIAL SCENE
Scenes from The Solti Foundation’s annual award ceremony. P12 FOLLOW US:
NO. 384 | A JWC MEDIA PUBLICATION
NEWS
Two Smart Cookies LAKE FOREST SIBLINGS HOST FEBRUARY 29 TREATS FOR TROOPS EVENT BY DEBBIE LEE THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
It’s Girl Scout Cookie season, and while the magic of the internet gives us year-round access to cookie-themed swag (Samoa keychain, anyone?), those with a sweet tooth must rely on local councils to order their beloved Do-Si-Dos and Tagalongs. But siblings Katie and James Gildersleeve are spreading the love beyond the borders of their community. The Lake Forest High School students, 15 and 17, respectively, run Treats for Troops—a nonprofit organization that provides local military service members with care packages from local families. On Saturday, February 29 at Starbucks on Sheridan Road in Highwood, they will host a special event to collect and send Girl Scout Cookies to soldiers stationed overseas. The goal is to provide a reminder (and taste) of home at a time and place where they most need comfort. Treats for Troops was born as a personal exchange between the siblings and a single female service member. However, their “adoptee” promptly provided the Gildersleeves with the names of fellow soldiers who were also interContinued on PG 10
NEW FOODIE CONNECTIONS NORTH SHORE DINNER CLUB FILLS A COMMUNITY VOID BY MONICA KASS ROGERS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
As a business entrepreneur who has launched numerous ventures in his career, Darin Daniels knows the importance of networking over shared interests. He also knows how hard it can be to find that simpatico in a room, or city, full of strangers. Moving to Winnetka from downtown Chicago with his wife Marcela, Daniels— a mortgage banker with Cherry Creek Mortgage, and a longtime foodie—figured an easy way to meet and connect with others on the North Shore would be to join a dinner club. “But we didn’t just want it to be going to a random restaurant now and then,” says Daniels. “Marcela and I were looking for a group of people who loved food from different cultures, and wanted to socialize, cook, and have fun exploring cuisines through meals cooked by the members. That search came up empty.” So Daniels decided to do something about it. He posted his idea for such a club on the popular social networking website Nextdoor to gauge interest; it garnered enthusiastic responses from dozens of people. “I was surprised,” he says. “First, that something like this didn’t already exist, and secondly, that so many people responded so quickly.” Based on the response, Daniels founded The North Shore Dinner Club. The fledgling club has met twice to hash out guidelines, shape a format, and plan for monthly gatherings. The group’s first official dinner, which will have an Italian theme, will take place on February 29; two more dinners are already planned for March and April. Gathering at Winnetka’s Avli restaurant in January to sip wine, share Greek mezze plates, and get to know each other better, club members were a diverse but like-minded group. “All of us love to talk about food, and love to socialize and entertain,” says Kathy Arthur, a lawyer who moved to Kenilworth from New York this past summer. “And for many of us, the idea of sharing recipes and knowledge around what we’ll be cooking for our gatherings is the added bonus.” “When I read Darin’s first post on Nextdoor,
North Shore Dinner Club: Kathy Arthur, Darin Daniels, Marcela Daniels, Pauline Ignas, Genny Wert, Jean Hughes, Ashley Palm. (not pictured: Helena Ruotsalainen, Meghan Richardson.) PHOTOGRAPHY BY MONICA KASS ROGERS
I was immediately in,” Arthur adds. “I thought, ‘A group of people willing to cook and hang out with strangers over food?’ Now that’s a group of people I can relate to.” Several in attendance at the Avli gathering, such as Genny Wert and Helena Ruotsalainen of Wilmette, and Pauline Ignas of Winnetka, say they love to cook. But with their children heading out of the nest, they no longer have an appreciative group to cook for. “I’m a big foodie with a passion for cooking,” says Wert. “And I’ve always been a believer in family dinners. But my youngest just went to college and it hasn’t made sense since to make big meals. With this club, I’m looking forward to adventuring into different culinary ethnicities. And with such a diverse group, it’s clear
we don’t have to travel far to do that. We can sample world cuisine made by our members, right here on the North Shore.” Ignas, a middle school teacher who operated a short-term micro-business with her son called Pauline’s Tuesday Dinners, is thrilled with the North Shore Dinner Club premise. “Now that I’m the only person home, the idea of being in a dinner club where I can cook for a group of people who are adventurous about food, is really appealing,” she says. “Friendship, companionship, and a beautiful night out connecting with others in my community … I’m really excited about this.” Ruotsalainen, a native of Denmark who Continued on PG 10
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 991 HIGHLAND PK, IL