The North Shore Weekend, March 16th, 2024

Highland Park resident Linda S. had been experiencing the painful side effects of Peripheral Neuropathy, “my feet and legs were extremely painful and my doctor told me there was nothing they could do. That I would have to take Gabapentin for the rest of my life.”

Then she met Dr. Su.

Peripheral Neuropathy is the pain, discomfort and numbness caused by nerve damage of the peripheral nervous system. Linda explained that daily tasks like opening doors and using the bathroom were overwhelminglypainful. “How can you live for the next 30 years when you don’t even want to get out of bed to do simple things?”

Linda hasn’t worn socks in five years and was wearing shoes two sizes too big so that nothing would ‘touch’ her feet. She was experiencing the burning, numbness, tingling,and sharp pains that those suffering from neuropathy often describe.

“The way that I would describe it, it’s equivalent to walking on glass.”

Unfortunately Linda’s story is all too familiar for the over 3 million people suffering from Peripheral Neuropathy.

If you are unfortunate enough to be facing the same disheartening prognosis, you’re not sleeping at night because of the burning in your feet. You have difficulty walking, shopping, or doing any activity for more than 30 minutes because of the pain. You’re struggling with balance and living in fear that you might fall. Your doctor told you to ‘just live with the pain’ and you’re taking medications that aren’t working or have terrible side effects.

Fortunately, four months ago Linda read an article about a new type of clinic in Northfield that works with difficult to treat cases such as Peripheral Neuropathy sufferers, without invasive surgeries and medications.

Dr. Kuan Su, DACM, L.Ac., Dipl.OM founder of Acupuncture North Clinic is using the time-tested science of Acupuncture and technology originally developed by NASA that assists in increasing the blood flow and expediting recovery and healing to treat this debilitating disease.

“Now when I go to bed at night I don’t have those shooting pains. I don’t have that burning sensation. I don’t have pain coming up my legs,” Linda enthusiastically describes life after receiving treatment with Dr. Su. “I can wear socks and shoes!”

Now Linda and her sister operate a successful dog walking business, sometimes covering up to 5 miles a day. “It’s life altering. As far as I’m concerned, Dr. Su saved my life!”

Dr. Su has been helping the senior community for over 10 years using innovative integrative medicine. Specializing in chronic pain cases, specifically those that have been deemed ‘hopeless’ or ‘untreatable’, he consistently generates unparalleled results.

What was once a missing link in senior healthcare is now easily accessible to the residents of Northfield and the surrounding Northshore area. If you missed too many tee times because of pain or you’ve passed on too many games of pickleball because you’re afraid of falling, it is time to call Kuan at Acupuncture North Clinic.

Dr. Su is now accepting a limited number of new patients. In an effort to protect his patients, both current and future, he has made the difficult decision to limit the number of patients seen in his clinic. Only 9 new neuropathy patients will be accepted before the end of March 2024.

It’s time you let your golden years BE GOLDEN!

BY MARGARET ATWOOD

DIRECTED BY SUSAN V. BOOTH

An unexpected remix of Homer’s The Odyssey, told by the celebrated and subversive author Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale). It’s her turn. Penelope has waited 20 years for her husband to return from the Trojan War. Now, as authorial control shifts to Odysseus’ long-suffering wife—and the 12 faithful maids who have long tended to her—we discover a new perspective on the domestic vigil. This ancient tale told anew by “one of the most admired authors in North America” (NPR) gives voice to those left behind.

8 north shore doings

14 pluck of the irish

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, Katie Fitzpatrick of Lake Forest reflects on her love of Ireland and the Irish dance school she founded

16 material pursuits

This weekend's must-haves include a book about Lamborghinis, Versace's new "it" bag, and the quest for morels

16 weekend beauty

Get ready for spring with these new beauty products

18 american dreamer

Shirley MacLaine and Peter Dinklage star in this funny, offbeat film

20 north shore foodie

Try our recipe for Meat(less) Loaf Bourguignon with Mashed Potatoes, Roast Veg & Red Wine Sauce

LAST BUT NOT LEAST

22 sunday breakfast

Pets4Life in Highland Park is the Place2Frequent for caring pet owners, asserts Chief Medical Director Dr. Joseph DeSa

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NORTH SHORE DOINGS

EDITED BY CHEYANNE LENCIONI THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

TODAY

EGGSTRAVAGANZA EGG HUNT

WHERE: Clarkson Park

Enjoy a fun family Easter egg hunt today at Clarkson Park in Northfield. Children ages 2 through 8 can meet the Easter Bunny at the gazebo from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. before the egg hunt begins. This event is free and children are encouraged to bring Easter baskets to collect their eggs. northfieldparks.org

TODAY

VENETIAN NIGHT GALA

EVENT

WHERE: Cuneo Mansion and Gardens

You’re invited to tonight’s Midwest Young Artists Conservatory’s (MYAC)

2024 Gala Event. From 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., enjoy performances from MYAC’s Concert Jazz Band, Vocalpoint, and Symphony Orchestra. The evening will include Italian cuisine, themed

cocktails, and dancing under the elegant architecture at Cuneo Mansion. This year’s take note attendee is choral director Stevi Marks. Tickets are available now. mya.org

NOW THROUGH MARCH 17

SILENT SKY

WHERE: Citadel Theatre

Citadel Theatre’s Silent Sky tells the story of 19thcentury astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, who explores a woman’s place in society during a time of immense scientific and heart-bound discoveries. With music and math bursting forth onstage, Henrietta and her female peers change the way we understand both the heavens and Earth. citadeltheatre.org

NOW THROUGH MARCH 17

FIND LUCKY THE LEPRECHAUN

WHERE: Winnetka

Lucky the Leprechaun will be hiding in different parks throughout Winnetka each week. A new clue will be posted on Winnetka Park District’s (WPD) Facebook

page at noon every weekday. Lucky will travel to a new location weekly and find a hiding place. New clues will be posted to hint at his location. Bring a camera to take photos of Lucky in his hiding spot and share them in a private message to WPD’s Facebook. The first five people to share a photo each week will win a $10 gift card to a local Winnetka business. winpark.org

NOW THROUGH MARCH 17

EVANSTON DANCE

ENSEMBLE “AMERICAN PORTRAIT”

WHERE: Northwestern University

Evanston Dance Ensemble will be performing “American Portrait,” a collection of world premier pieces choreographed by nine artists. This performance is inspired by what it means to be an American and will be held at the Josephine Louis Theater at Northwestern University. Tickets are $15 for children and $25 for adults. evanstondanceensemble.org

NOW THROUGH MARCH 24

ORCHID SHOW OF WONDERS

WHERE: Chicago Botanic Garden

Enjoy a hint of spring with 10,000 blooms from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at the “Orchid Show of Wonders” at Chicago Botanic Garden. Walk under Ferris wheel seats and marvel at unicycles on tightropes under the big top for this carnival-themed event. Tickets range from $10 for members to $21 for non-members. chicagobotanic.org

NOW THROUGH MARCH 31

PICKUP HIGHWOOD

WHERE: Everts Park

Looking for a way to maintain and connect with the community? Join Pickup Highwood’s weekly clean-up event where participants will meet from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoons at Everts Park to collect trash. Please bring gloves, trash bags, and a picker/reacher. All garbage collected will be disposed of in bins at home. This event is free to join and interested parties can sign up at meetup.com

NOW THROUGH MARCH 31

THE PENELOPIAD

WHERE: Goodman Theatre

It’s time for Penelope’s story to be told. For anyone who is not familiar with the ancient Greek poem, “The Odyssey,” Penelope is the queen of Ithaca who awaits her husband’s return from the Trojan War for 20 years. The Penelopiad follows Penelope’s domestic vigil and the 12 handmaidens who accompany her. This play is based on the novel by Margaret Atwood and will star Once Upon A Time actress Jennifer Morrison.

Tickets are on sale on the Goodman Theatre’s website. goodmantheatre.org

NOW THROUGH APRIL 21

TITANIC: THE EXHIBITION

WHERE: Westfield Old Orchard

Experience the Titanic in a new exhibit featured at Westfield Old Orchard Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Guests will be able to traverse the Grand Staircase, see recreations of the ship’s interior, view artifacts from the ship, and more. The Discovery Gallery will give a glimpse at what archaeologists saw when they discovered the wreck of the Titanic. This exhibit also pays homage to the SS Eastland Disaster, which is the largest loss of life in a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes. Tickets are on sale now. thetitanicexhibition.com

NOW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 7

CIRCUSVILLE: PLAY

UNDER THE BIG TOP

WHERE: Chicago Children’s Museum

Bring your kids to the Chicago Children’s Museum to play at the circus! Children can try their hands at all of the vital roles in a circus: star of the show, ticket taker, acrobat, hot dog

vendor, and more. Props and costumes for families will be provided. The circus will be in town until September 7. chicagochildrensmuseum.org

NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 13

“SHTETL IN THE SUN”

WHERE: Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center

In the late 1970s, photographer Andy Sweet took numerous photos of Holocaust survivors living hopeful and joyous lives in South Beach, Florida. Through his images, it provides a poignant display of life after tragedy. The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center’s exhibit, “Shtetl in the Sun: Andy Sweet’s South Beach 1977-1980,” celebrates Sweet’s work as a tribute to those who lived during that time. The exhibit will run through October 13. ilholocaustmuseum.org

MARCH 17

2024 CHICAGO VIOLA FESTIVAL

WHERE: Ravinia’s Bennett Gordon Hall

Enjoy an all-day experience with the Chicago Viola Festival in Highland Park. Chicago area violists from all ages, backgrounds, and experience will perform.

Visual artist Kevin Lahvic

The Black Oak Ensemble

“After a grueling search several years ago for the perfect home that spanned 8 states and took more than 24 months, Cory found us the right house locally! Having worked with 7 other REALTORS® in as many states, not one came close to the level of service that Cory brings to the table. Cory helped us to buy or sell our home three times in the past and we were very satisfied with his level of knowledge, integrity and professionalism every time, so there was no doubt that we would ask him to represent us again, to sell our home this time. As usual, Cory well exceeded our expectations. We had complete confidence in him and he delivered; he handled every aspect of the transaction seamlessly and made the process stress-free. We will definitely hire Cory for any future real estate deals and highly recommend him to all our neighbors!”

- Natalia Tupikow

Continued from PG 8

Participants can play in master classes, perform in technique classes, play in a viola ensemble, and try instruments from local vendors. All guests will receive a viola festival t-shirt and lunch. Registration is required and pricing is $50 for MYAC alumni and students and $75 for all other participants. mya.org

MARCH 18

FLOWERPOT PAINTING

WHERE: Glencoe Public Library

Welcome spring with this engaging Adult and Teen library program. Paint a flowerpot and celebrate the launch of Glencoe Library’s Seed Library. Registration is required and Glencoe residents will have priority if the class fills up. This program will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. glencoelibrary.org

MARCH 19

TAC ART ACTIVITY

WHERE: Highwood Library & Community Center

Enjoy a free evening of creative art activities from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Highwood Library. Participants can create their own island on a 4” flat rock using such materials as oil-based clay or air-dry clay. Space is limited and registration is required. All ages are welcome. highwoodlibrary.org

MARCH 19

TEDXWILMETTE MICHELE

WELDON

WHERE: The Wilmette Theatre

The Wilmette Theatre’s March Salon will feature Michele Weldon from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Her TEDx talk, “Truth Is A Dare: A Power of Claiming Your Story,” will be followed by a conversation and interactive discussion with TEDxWilmette Founder Heather Hehman. Tickets are $30 and available for purchase. tedxwilmette.com

MARCH 20

STORIES IN THE WOODS

WHERE: Heller Nature Center

Spend an interactive story hour with a naturalist at Heller Nature Center. After reading, take a hike through the woods and prairie and enjoy hands-on nature activities. The event is held from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Registration is required and children must be accompanied by an adult. Bring warm clothes and prepare to be outside. This event is for children ages 6 months to 6 years old and the price is $6 per participant. pdhp.org

MARCH 22

THE BLACK OAK ENSEMBLE

WHERE: The Gorton Community Center

At 7 p.m. The Gorton Community Center will welcome The Black Oak Ensemble as they perform music by French composers and works from their new CD Silenced Voices. This new CD features lost music from Hungary composed before and during World War II. It gives a voice to the artists silenced during the War that needed to be heard. In addition to the Ensemble, visual artist, Kevin Lahvic, will feature his work. Single tickets are $35. gortoncenter.org

MARCH 23

DOGGIE EGG HUNT

WHERE: West Elm Park Dogs will hunt for treatfilled eggs and have photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny from 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at West Elm Park. All dogs must be on a non-retractable leash at all times and wear a current rabies tag. Registration is required. winpark.org

MARCH 23

BREAKFAST WITH THE BUNNY

WHERE: Kenilworth Assembly Hall

Celebrate Easter with the Breakfast with the Easter

Bunny event at Kenilworth Assembly Hall. Breakfast will be served from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and participants can take photos with the Easter Bunny during this time. Following breakfast, there will be two Easter Egg hunts: one at 11:30 a.m. at Kenilworth Assembly Hall for children 3 and younger, and one at 12:15 p.m. at Townley Field for children 4 to 9 years old. Tickets are $16 for adults, $13 for children ages 5 to 12, and $7 for children under 5 years old. Please bring your own basket and dress accordingly for the weather. kenilworthparkdistrict.org

MARCH 23

SUPER SILLY EASTER EGG HUNT BEGINS

WHERE: Lake Bluff Public Library

The Lake Bluff Public Library is hosting a children’s egg hunt all day on March 23. Eggs will be hidden throughout the Youth Services Department and will contain jokes within their shells. This event is free and open to the public. lakeblufflibrary.org

MARCH 23

AUTHOR VISIT: DARCY DAY ZOELLS

WHERE: Highwood Public Library

Join award-winning author Darcy Day Zoells for a reading of her new picture book The New Bicycle. Held from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., the event features fun activities that celebrate the spirit of adventure and independence captured in Zoells’ book. This event is free and open to the public with no registration required. hplibrary.org

MARCH 24

PALM SUNDAY WORSHIP

WHERE: Kenilworth Union Church

Begin Holy Week with Palm Sunday worship service from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at Kenilworth Union Church. All are welcome to join for this special worship that will reenact Jesus’ journey into Jerusalem. kuc.org

MARCH 28

RELAXING WATERCOLORS

WHERE: Northfield Library Spend a relaxing evening learning new watercolor

techniques with Audrey Ra of Audrey Ra Design at Northfield Public Library. All materials will be provided and registration is required. This adult program is from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. and registration will close on March 28. wnpld.org

MARCH 29

MARCH SCAVENGER

HUNT: WOMEN IS STEM

WHERE: Evanston Public Library

Celebrate Women’s History Month with a scavenger hunt at Evanston Public Library. Grab a clue sheet at the desk and search for notable female STEM explorers in the Children’s Room at the main library. This is an all-day event. epl.org

MARCH 30

BUNNY BRUNCH & EGG HUNTS

WHERE: Mallinckrodt Center

Enjoy brunch with the Easter Bunny from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. or after the Easter Egg hunt from 11 a.m. to noon. Participants will have a delicious breakfast and photo opportunities with

the Easter Bunny. The children’s Easter Egg hunt will begin at 10 a.m. and a dog Easter Egg hunt will begin at 10:45 a.m. Registration is required for the brunch and the Easter Egg hunt groups. wilmettepark.org

APRIL 6

TWIST OUT CANCER

WHERE: Writers Theatre, Glencoe

Enjoy an evening of art, storytelling, and celebration at Glencoe’s Writers Theatre. This year, 29 artists from 10 states and 5 countries will be featured in Twist Out Cancer’s Spring 2024 artist exhibition, “Brushes with Cancer.” A reception will be held from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and tickets include food, drinks, and an up-close and personal look at the exhibits. One ticket is $75, two tickets are $140, and five tickets are $350. twistoutcancer.org

To submit your event for consideration, please email events@nsweekend.com.

Twist Out Cancer. Photography by Eileen O'Hair

BY MONICA KASS ROGERS THE NORTH SHORE

The black frames of Eleanna Anagnos’ glasses encircle eyes as blue as the Aegean Sea. Eyes repeated in a photo of her daughter, Aria, that she has displayed in her studio. Eyes somehow present in the clear stones ornamenting her latest abstract painting, Oracle

Suspended like a cloud on wires, Oracle hangs in a delicate encircling of wood framing. Nearly sheer blocks of golden handmade paper are pierced through with handmade resin stones that look forward and back—as an oracle might mystically do.

Anagnos paints in the expanded field— abstract, conceptual works that break conventions of what a painting can be. Created with handmade, sculpted, painted, or dyed paper pulp, plus found or handmade objects, Anagnos’ 3D works are painting/sculpture hybrids that hang from the ceiling or float off the wall transmitting a feeling both prehistoric and futuristic at the same time.

“I want to invent something new within the space of painting,” says Anagnos, “with each piece reflecting my interest in the metaphysical and how we are all connected.”

For Anagnos, who spends half of the year in Lake Bluff and the other half in Mexico City, this constitutes a constant thinking and rethinking of place and context. “These inform what the work becomes. There is this impromptu, archaeological excavation into my lived experience that is transferred to the work through me. I’m a conduit. Each work is a collaboration between myself, my body, the paper

Mexico among them), place and context have changed for Anagnos many times. In New York, she worked for famed painters Will Cotton and Stanley Whitney, and, for eight years co-directed and curated for Ortega y Gasset Projects, an artist-run, nonprofit gallery in Brooklyn, supporting artists from marginalized and underrepresented communities. She also traveled widely for many residencies and fellowships.

and the information—air, colors, smells, time, sound, and light—accessed through consciousness. It’s not linear or narrative.”

With degrees in art, and years spent teaching, curating, and painting all over the world (New York City, Rome, Athens, and

Divergences in her art can be attributed to these varied surroundings. Paintings

No Title RR #39, made during her residency at the Rauschenberg Estate in Captiva, Florida, are full of intensely bright colors echoing the epic sunsets and incorporate shells collected from the beaches. Earlier works like Cirque, from the Paper Trails series created while she was a fellow at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colorado, incorporate casts of crumpled paper, very much like snow-covered mountains. More recent works, such as Queen of the Night and Cypher from the Dialect series and Communion from Hugging the Line series, have a muted, earthy tonality reflecting the environs and culture of Mexico where Anagnos moved to study centuriesold paper-making traditions.

for the practical reason that large works would be less weighty, this decision transformed her relationship with her art. Shaping, pigmenting, and sculpting the wet pulp with her hands and tools, and then adapting with the work as it morphs, changes color, hardens, and dries is an artist/ pulp collaboration unique to each work. “With paper pulp, the substrate is the work,” says Anagnos. “Paper has its own set of requirements. I work on its time”

Anagnos is now back on the North Shore to prepare for a solo show running from

While Anagnos initially chose paper pulp

April 7 to May 18 at Devening Projects in Chicago. She is eager to see how the city will affect the new work she is producing. Looking back to her childhood here, Anagnos reflects on the chain of events that led to her first entry into art. She was close to her grandparents, who hosted a bilingual GreekEnglish radio show, The Hellenic Interlude, in Chicago for 32 years. Her grandfather, an Olympic athlete in his youth, inspired Anagnos to pursue gymnastics. She did so and was competing by age 5. But an injury sustained while attending famed coach Béla Károlyi’s gymnastic camp took Anagnos out of competition and into art classes, which she loved.

“I felt a kind of freedom when I was painting that I didn’t get doing anything else,” she says. “I still feel that today.”

For more information, visit eleanna.com.

PAINTING WITH PULP From PG 1

WEEKEND

Blue into You

Where the Spirit Meets the Bone

Art installation. Photography by Jorge Garaiz

Persephone

Coveted ranch in Thorngate Subdivision. This light filled Waterford model offers high ceilings and an open floor plan that allows for easy living. There are three bedrooms, including a primary suite with ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet on the main level. There is an additional full bathroom and powder room. The fully finished basement provides an additional bedroom, full bathroom, and living space along with two large closets, including a cedar closet. Two car attached garage and great brick paver patio to enjoy the outdoors. So much space!

PLUCK OF THE IRISH

Lake Forest resident Katie Fitzpatrick is bringing her love of Ireland to the North Shore through her Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance (FSID). The community is invited to see FSID dancers and celebrate Irish culture at a free St. Patrick’s Day Ceili and party at Gorton Center on March 17.

BY SHERRY THOMAS ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

‘Tis the land of scholars and saints, poets and rebels. And yet one of the mysteries of Ireland is how many find a sense of home in its storied culture and history, even if they have no ancestral connection at all. It’s a sort of magic, you might say. That’s how Katie Fitzpatrick describes this sense of “Irishness” she’s felt all her life and that she sees in the young people she teaches at Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance (FSID). “My Irish roots extend to my greatgreat grandparents, Michael Devine and Mary McCarthy, who immigrated from Ireland to the U.S. during the famine in the 1800s,” says Fitzpatrick, a native of the western suburbs whose passion for her Irish heritage drew her to Cork, Ireland, for graduate school. “I grew up dancing with one of the largest Irish dance schools in the area, and am thankful to my teacher, Barbara McNulty, for instilling in me a deep respect for traditional Irish dance.” She and husband Emmett, a Lake Forest native who she describes as “100 percent Irish,” moved to Lake Forest in 2019, starting a family that now includes 5-year-old Thomas, 3-year-old Rory, and newborn Mary Eilish, who arrived in late January. “Not a day goes by that I don’t consider myself lucky to raise our kids here,” says Fitzpatrick, a certified Irish dance teacher who opened her school two years ago this month. “We are active in our community, our kids just started preschool, and I have the privilege of teaching Irish dance just blocks away. We couldn’t ask for much more. That being said, this town could use an Irish

party once in a while, and that’s what we’re here to bring!” Through her connections

to the Irish community

(in addition to her work at the Irish Consulate in Chicago, she and husband, Emmett, co-write a business column in the Irish American News) Fitzpatrick has enlisted the support of the Irish government’s Emigrant Support Programme to do just that. On March 17, her FSID will host a St. Patrick’s Day Ceili and party at Gorton Center. Admission is free, and that’s part of the overarching mission for her business—to expand opportunities related to Irish music, dance, arts, and sport for the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff community. “Building a strong community of happy and successful dancers and families connected to the Irish tradition—that is my vision,” explains Fitzpatrick, who also draws from her experience as past Executive Director of the nonprofit Ireland Network Chicago. Some of the students at FSID arrive with generational stories of that proud Irish heritage engrained, much as it was for Fitzpatrick. Others are just smitten with Irish culture. “There is something special about this sport. It requires both strength and grace, soft and heavy shoes, solo and team dancing, performance and competition,” says Fitzpatrick. “I always smile when a parent tells me that their son or daughter with no connection to Ireland ‘just loves to Irish dance.’ That is part of the magic.”

MATERIAL PURSUITS

This weekend’s curated luxury trends

LAMBORGHINI: WHERE WHY WHO WHEN WHAT BY ANTONIO GHINI

This lavishly produced volume features the complete collection of all the models produced by Lamborghini from 1963 to the present day. Stunning photography highlights the exquisite lines and lavish details of the vehicles, along with spectacular archival images and technical information celebrating the glamour and excellence of Italian automotive design. The book also includes information about the prominent designers who created some of the company's most iconic models, such as the Miura, Countach, Aventador, Huracán, and the new Urus as well as astonishing prototypes such as the Marzal, Egoista, and the Terzo Millenni. rizzoliusa.com

EDITED BY ALLISON DUNCAN

NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

VERSACE DEBUTS THE NEWEST IT BAG

Versace’s Medusa ’95 House code was revealed as the fashion house’s new bag line for Spring-Summer 2024. Introduced at Versace’s Spring 2024 fashion collection show in Milan, the unique horizontal tote and handbag take inspiration from the Versace handbag carried frequently by Diana, Princess of Wales. Each bag is crafted from calf leather sourced in France for its luxurious powder-like finish and has a soft sensation to the touch. Lined with a rich lamb leather, the interior’s edges are hand-painted in tonal colors for an overall harmonious finish. versace.com

TUSCANY OR BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA?

Always dreamed of truffle hunting in Italy? Why not forgo the passport and hone your foraging skills while hunting for prized morel mushrooms in nearby Bloomington, Indiana? Morels are only found from late March to May in certain parts of the country. Fortunately for fungi fans, Bloomington has become known for its hidden foraging spots, prized morel mushroom menus, and restaurants featuring the delicacy. The hunt is so beloved that some locals prefer to keep their sourcing spots secret. While it’s all “hush-hush” and no roadmap for foraging is provided, consider this your first step to truffle hunting success. Insider tip: morel hunting is fair game in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest. visitbloomington.com

SPRING PREVIEW

AMERICAN DREAMER

Shirley MacLaine plays a cantankerous old lady who falls in love with an underpaid teacher played by Peter Dinklage in this funny, offbeat film.

BY REX REED ILLUSTRATION BY TOM BACHTELL

RUNNING TIME:

98 MINUTES

RATING: 3 stars

It’s always a treat to welcome the fiery, versatile and almost always surprising Shirley MacLaine back to the screen, although now, in happy retirement at age 89, the roles are smaller and she seems less ubiquitous than she used to. Still, there’s no one like her and she always makes a unique and memorable impression in every role, regardless of size. She no longer counts the number of lines to determine the importance of a film. She just hits her mark, the camera rolls, and she steals the show.

In American Dreamer, the trademark red hair is a wig that covers the snowy silver of impending age, in the role of a cantankerous old lady who falls in love with a dwarf. In today’s ridiculously woke environs, it’s annoying to keep up with the politically acceptable terms for the human condition, but both “dwarf” and “one of the Little People” are allowable, even though both terms seem woefully inadequate when the Little Person in question is the doubly talented Peter Dinklage, whose size may have limited his work possibilities but he’s had remarkable luck at avoiding cliches.

This is as it should be, because he’s a fine

actor worthy of important roles of dignity and stature. In American Dreamer, he essays one of his best as Dr. Philip Loder—adopted as a child by Mormon missionaries, disowned by the faith for having sex with one of the elders, now graduated to the level of struggling, underpaid teacher working as an adjunct professor in a small Massachusetts college. The one thing he dreams of owning is a home of his own, so he devotes most of his time answering real estate ads.

When at last he finds one he can afford, it is owned by a cynical, sarcastic old eccentric in a wheelchair named Astrid Fuknelli, who offers the mansion for an absurdly low price, with the provision that the buyer remains in a guest section of the house until she dies.

Miraculously, his dream begins. So does his nightmare.

After depleting his finances, the old lady’s adopted daughter, a probate attorney, initiates a plan to cancel his contract. In the ensuing legal and social chaos, the accident-prone Astrid falls on her head. Dead for 12 minutes, she sees Jesus. He sounds like Jimmy Stewart but looks like the pop

singer Prince.

Dr. Loder suddenly finds himself in charge of his landlady’s recovery, but by the time she miraculously recovers, they fall in love. Not all of it is plausible, but it’s continually agreeable and full of surprises.

Directed by Paul Dektor from a disarmingly offbeat screenplay by Theodore Melfi, American Dreamer is fresh, original, unpredictable, and unexpectedly funny. The laughs are organic, so it's not a conventional comedy, but the understated jokes and sudden plot twists will keep you on your toes.

Mr. Dinklage and Ms. MacLaine are a perfect pair of co-stars, playing off each other and never using their screen time as anything less than generous. Matt Dillon and Danny Glover contribute offbeat and understated support.

There are rare moments when Ms. MacLaine looks like the old Shirley, but mostly she does what’s right for the role and fits beautifully and unobtrusively into the fabric of the film without a wrinkle. Correction: there are many wrinkles in American Dreamer, but the wrinkles are all her own.

MEAT(LESS)LOAF BOURGUIGNON WITH MASHED POTATOES, ROAST VEG & RED WINE SAUCE

BY MONICA KASS ROGERS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

When CD Young opened the doors to her Winnetka restaurant Spirit Elephant in January 2020, she and her team were focused on making vegan food that was delicious and approachable for every kind of eater. “We knew we would have the hearts of vegans,” she says, “but we wanted omnivores to taste and see that eating plant-based was not a sacrifice in any way.” Even when the pandemic threw a wrench in the works, Young and her team held tight, never straying from the “approachable, delicious, plant-based” theme. Using what they learned from Spirit Elephant’s necessary pivot to take-out service during the crisis, Young and her team opened two fastcasual restaurants dubbed Elephant + Vine in Lincoln Park and Evanston in 2022.

Their hard work paid off with a big win in the Chicago Tribune 2023 Readers’ Choice Food Awards for “Best Plant-Based Menu.” But no one is resting on their laurels. Expansion is planned, as are new plant-based dishes.

Executive Chef Jorge Esparza is constantly

at work on items with menu potential. He loves working with mushrooms of all sorts, trimming king oysters into calamari-ring lookalikes, and featuring lion’s mane as a main course in Spirit Elephant’s Thanksgiving feast. But for approachability, dishes made with plant-based beef products, like the Impossible™ Beef brand used here, are always favorites.

Esparza’s recipe for Meat(less)loaf Bourguignon (adapted here for the home cook) makes for a satisfyingly savory meal stacked over mashed potatoes and served with roasted vegetables and a rich red wine sauce.

To bake the loaf, Esparza portions it into mini loaf pans. Or, for more guests, double the loaf recipe using three 12-ounce packages of Impossible™ Beef, which—when mixed with the other loaf ingredients, fits perfectly into four 6 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2-inch-deep disposable pans.

Esparza likes to sprinkle a little flour into the onion and mushroom base for the red wine sauce to thicken it, but, since you’ll be reducing the liquid quite a bit, the sauce will still have good body should you choose not to use flour.

RECIPE BY SPIRIT ELEPHANT CHEF JORGE ESPARZA

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

For the meatless loaf

• 1/2 medium carrot, peeled, cut into thin sticks, and diced fine

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• 1/2 yellow onion chopped to make 1/2 cup

• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped to make 1/4 cup

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 pound Impossible™ Beef

• 1/4 cup green peas

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorn

• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard powder

For the mashed potatoes

• 6 to 8 new potatoes, peeled to make 2 cups

• 2 teaspoons salt, divided

• 2 tablespoons plant-based butter

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

For the roasted vegetables

• 1 small bunch (six thick spears) asparagus, stem ends trimmed

• 1 small bunch thin tri-colored carrots, washed and peeled

• 2 teaspoons olive oil

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black peppercorns

For the red wine sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 tablespoon butter

• 1 cup button mushrooms, chopped

• 1 shallot, peeled and chopped

• 1 1/2 teaspoon aged red wine vinegar

• 1/2 cup red wine

• 1 teaspoon tamari sauce

• 1 teaspoon finely ground pepper

• 2 tablespoons canned or bottled lingonberries (sauce or preserves are fine)

• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary

• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 cup water

METHOD

For the meatless loaf: Preheat oven to 350 degrees with oven rack at center position. Place carrots and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwaveable dish and microwave for 3 minutes. In a sauté pan over low heat, add olive oil, chopped onion, and celery. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally until soft and translucent. Stir in cooked carrot and garlic and cook until garlic softens. Stir in tomato paste until well incorporated and increase heat to medium. Cook another 3 minutes until the flavor of the tomato paste deepens. Scoop mixture into a bowl and add Impossible™ Beef, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and peas. Sift dried mustard over the ingredients. Using a large wooden spoon or your hands, mix well. Portion into mini loaf pans. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes.

For the roasted vegetables: A few minutes after you begin baking the loaves, place peeled carrots and thick asparagus stalks on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and a few grinds of black peppercorn. Place on the second rack in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes until tender. Note: if asparagus finishes more

quickly than the carrots, remove spears and set aside, keeping warm, until carrots finish roasting.

For the mashed potatoes: While the loaves and vegetables roast, prepare potatoes. In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat, add peeled potatoes and cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt. Simmer potatoes, always keeping water to just below a boil, until easily pierced with a fork. Drain. Add olive oil, plant-based butter, and salt. Mash until fluffy.

For the red wine sauce: In a sauté pan over medium-low heat, add butter, olive oil, and chopped shallot. When shallot begins to become translucent, add mushrooms and continue cooking until they have released their liquid. Stir in garlic and continue cooking until softened. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half. Pour all through a fine mesh strainer. Discard solids. Place sauce in a small pitcher.

To assemble: Place a mound of mashed potatoes on the plate. Top with slices of the meatless loaf. Artfully arrange roasted asparagus spears and carrots next to the potatoes. Serve the red wine sauce on the side.

Photography by Monica Kass Rogers

ALL 4 PETS

Chief Medical Director Dr. Joseph DeSa and his dedicated colleagues at newly opened Pets4Life unleash full service at the unique pet care center in Highland Park.

BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

He’s all agog about being a girl dad to an 18-month-old. In January, as a veterinarian and the first chief medical director at Pets4Life in Highland Park, he enthusiastically greeted the first cat and the first dog to enter the full-service pet care center.

Right around the same time, he’d heard Billy Corgan, the frontman of The Smashing Pumpkins, owns Madame Zuzu’s Tea House, located only two-tenths of a mile from Pets4Life.

Go ahead, try to knock the smile off Dr. Joseph DeSa’s face. But prepare yourself for failure.

It’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

“That geeked me out, knowing I work so close to a place run by Billy Corgan,” says the 38-year-old DeSa, who once played rhythm guitar for the band A Room Full of Echoes. “I love The Smashing Pumpkins. It’s one of my all-time favorite bands.”

Music to his ears these days? The happy yips and meows of his four-legged patients and clients at Pets4Life, along with the singsong praises he often hears from the twolegged owners of the jubilant animals.

You’ve heard of a battle of the bands.

Pets4Life is home to a battle of the feel-good echoes of animals’ delightful hollers each day it’s open (Monday to Saturday).

“Pets are our first priority, and we are not just a clinic; we’re also your partners in ensuring a lifetime of health and happiness for your beloved companions,” DeSa says of the hospitable, one-stop center that houses a first-class veterinary practice, grooming and pet-spa services, vet-recommended health and retail products, and training and other pet education events, like the six-hour Iditarod Sled Race gathering Pets4Life hosted on March 9.

It also offers euthanasia at the homes of pets.

Co-founders Meg Gibson Revord (also CEO) and Greg Gibson (president and COO) launched Pets4Life, LLC, in midJanuary. DeSa, the medical director at VCA Schaumburg Animal Hospital from 20192023, had answered an ad for the CMD position in December 2022. Other staffers at Pets4Life include Dr. Gabrielle Saguil Federle (associate veterinarian), Amanda Scott (veterinarian tech/practice manager), Kate Revord (retail and marketing manager),

and Nicole Thorsen (grooming manager and pet stylist).

DeSa is as well-rounded a vet as they come, with extensive experience in anesthesia and pain management, dermatology, and internal medicine. Or, “Things that get my blood flowing,” in his words.

“I consider it a big victory at Pets4Life when a pet owner sees us, after having visited three or four other veterinarians, and finally finds out exactly what’s ailing their pet,” DeSa says. “What they also appreciate is the number of relation ships we have with several specialists; we have many, meaning pets and their owners often don’t have to visit another center or another veterinarian. We provide urgent care here. We do surgeries here. Convenience is a big thing here, one of our most significant draws.”

DeSa grew up in the Dominican Republic and lived there

through the seventh grade. Sadly and tragically, his Hawaiian-born father, Joseph DeSa III—a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox—died in a car accident at the age of 27 in 1986. Joseph IV was only 18 months old.

The future veterinarian moved to Puerto Rico with his mother, Margarita, and resided there until

animals,” says DeSa, whose first family Chow named Coco. law because my grandmother was a lawyer and she

DeSa benched that quest while volunteering at a small animal hospital as a senior in high school. His enthusiasm on the job was impossible to miss. He got promoted to a full-time post and held it for three years.

“That was where I learned a lot about medicine from my first mentor in the field, Dr. Armando Guardia,” the amiable DeSa says. “He was intelligent, a great vet with good business sense. He was also casual and funny, but he knew when it was time to be serious.”

DeSa later enrolled in PAVE, the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence, which is a pathway for vets, who are graduates of international, non-accredited veterinary programs, to practice in the United States and Canada. He completed his clinical year—among fourth-year students—at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and became a licensed Illinois veterinarian in 2015.

You don’t emerge from PAVE without boatloads of perseverance and heaps of passion for the field.

“I don’t kiss and cuddle animals all day,” DeSa says. “But that’s what most people picture what it must be like to be a vet. That’s why I’m all for the shadowing of veterinarians for those who are thinking about a career in veterinary medicine. I love the teaching and mentoring sides of what I do because they’re fulfilling, rewarding sides. Vet students in the U.S. need more practical, world experiences— opportunities to see what goes on in surgeries, for example—before becoming vets.”

DeSa first met his future wife, Jessica, while vacationing in Puerto Rico, and fell for her “beauty and contagious smile” faster than a blink of the eye. She bumped and spiked varsity volleyballs at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights and became a nurse practitioner. They got married nine years ago and live in Buffalo Grove.

Daughter Ava arrived 18 months ago.

“I love being a girl dad,” DeSa says. “The full days I get to look after her are the hardest days of my week—and my favorite days. They’re exhausting and fulfilling at the same time.”

His days at Pets4Life?

Also meaningful.

Joseph DeSa, DVM

Pets are our first priority, and we are not just a clinic; we’re also your partners in ensuring a lifetime of health and happiness for your beloved companions.

“I will always consider it a blessing to do what I do now,” DeSa says. “This is a career I wanted to pursue at a young age. I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had, especially here in Highland Park, and I get to work in such a friendly community that’s filled with highly educated and professional people.”

Pets4Life is located at 661 Central Avenue in Highland Park. For more information, call 847434-2745 or visit pets4.com.

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