Make It Better - Jan/Feb 2018

P O W E R F U L. P O S I T I V E. C O N N E C T I O N S.

CH I C AG O A N D B E YO N D

FEEL THE LOVE Chicago’s Chicest Weddings

A Graceful

Exit The Man Behind All Those Michelin Stars

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU Maximizing Mind and Body Health

#THE LIFE WE SHARE B E AU T Y S P E AKS TO US I N M O M E N TS

is

Winter

Coming

Art lovers return for the most amazing event of the year in Lake Geneva’s lakefront downtown for the U.S. Snow Sculpting Competition and 9 day celebration of winter with over 20 events for everybody to enjoy!

The art of snow sculpting is just the beginning. Lake Geneva is full of winter activities to enjoy like ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, and sledding.

Afterwards, cozy up by the fire with a signature cocktail or delicious food!

Start a new tradition this year with family or friends and venture to the Lake Geneva Region for your winter escape.

JANUARY 27 - FEBRUARY 4, 2018

U.S. NATIONAL SNOW SCULPTING COMPETITION STARTS JANUARY 31 - FEBRUARY 4, 2018

Winterfestlg.com

Contents

JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018

54

Features 36 Written in the Stars The rise of Curtis Duffy, Chicago’s hottest chef.

42 Wine Country Calling Five incredible California vineyards.

54 Love, Chicago Style The most breathtaking weddings in town.

6 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

ELENA BAZINI

48 Healing Naturally Making the most of the mind-body connection.

“We’re surrounded by top-notch hospitals. I

found the kind of timely, expert cancer care I

”

wanted at CTCA®.

Liv Arnold Breast Cancer Patient Grayslake, IL

Proud to be the only Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence in Illinois* TM

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I wanted a team of experts who focused on my specific cancer. And there had to be a sense of urgency. The specialists at the Breast Center at Cancer Treatment Centers of America® moved fast, explained all my options and took care of every aspect of my treatment. I let the team focus on my cancer because they knew I had other things to focus on—like my family and getting back to my life.

To schedule an appointment, call 800.950.2822 or visit cancercenter.com/chicago Located in Suburban Chicago No case is typical. You should not expect to experience these results. *Source: NQMBC, 2017 © 2017 Rising Tide

Contents Your Chicago

26 Conversation A Skokie couple reflect on 74 great years.

28 Fashion A recap of the 62nd Annual Gold Coast Fashion Award Show.

30 Reading List Voices from Syria.

32 Finance Ace advice from seven investment gurus.

Destinations 62 Honeymoons Four romantic escapes.

73 Go Warm winter getaways.

IN EVERY ISSUE 12 Editor’s Letter 14 POV 18 Make a Difference 19 Connect 20 New in Town 118 Reflections

Out & About

111

26

81 Calendar Things to see and do in Chicago and beyond.

87 Theater Editor’s picks: the hottest shows in town.

88 Flavor Top spots for fresher-thanfresh pasta.

94 Dining Guide The very best restaurants around.

102 Better Makers Our community champions and their incredible impact.

81

Chicago Home

Disney on Ice

111 Backstory A Winnetka family of six reveals their stunning renovation.

114 Style The season’s hottest interiors trend.

ABOUT THOSE SLEEVES… Cover star Curtis Duffy (photographed by Todd Rosenberg) got his first tattoo at age 15 from his dad, a tattoo artist.

Today, he has 26. Read more about Grace’s former chef-owner on page 36.

8 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

73

ANDREW MILLER (TOP LEFT AND RIGHT)

23 Currents Yoga trips, thermal pools, and cocoa.

JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018

ENJOY YOUR

WINTER WONDERLAND AND ALL THE

FAMILY FUN & MEMORIES YOU’LL MAKE.

LET

AUTOHAUS ON EDENS

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MAKEITBETTER.COM

FOUNDER & CHIEF VISIONARY OFFICER Susan B. Noyes PUBLISHER Michelle O’ Rourke Morris

Editorial EDITOR IN CHIEF Brooke McDonald EXECUTIVE EDITOR Cara Sullivan DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Anna Carlson DINING EDITOR Julie Chernoff EDITORIAL ASSISTANT EDITORIAL INTERN Avery Hansen Alexis Miller

Art ART DIRECTOR Rachel Griffiths

SIDLEY IS PROUD TO SUPPORT

Meals on Wheels Chicago in its mission to provide nourishment and maximize independence for Chicago seniors and people with disabilities.

DESIGNERS Agnieszka Hansen Brian Von Kaenel

Sales INTEGRATED SPONSORSHIP MANAGER Lindsay Stout SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Barbara Baisley Murray ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Susan Becker

Operations GROUP PUBLISHER Nikki Wood CHIEF OPERATING AND PHILANTHROPY MARKETING OFFICER Sharon Krone CONTROLLER Sandy Tsuchida TECHNICAL ADVISOR Jennifer Speaker

Connect With Us GOT FEEDBACK? susan@makeitbetter.net WANT TO ADVERTISE? michellemorris@makeitbetter.net HAVE AN EVENT? anna@makeitbetter.net MAKE IT BETTER MEDIA GROUP INCLUDES

S A N F R A N C I S C O | M A R I N | N A PA | S O N O M A

AMERICA • ASIA PACIFIC • EUROPE

sidley.com Attorney Advertising - Sidley Austin LLP, One South Dearborn, Chicago, IL 60603. +1 312 853 7000. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. MN-7284

10 J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8 M A K E I T B E T T E R

Make It Better North Shore (ISSN No. 2151-0431) is published 6 times per year by Make It Better LLC, 1150 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette, IL 60091 Phone: 847.256.4642. Copyright 2018 by Make It Better LLC. All rights reserved.

A ppl ic at ion to Ma i l at Per iod ic a ls R ates is pend i ng at W i l met te, I L a nd add it ion a l m a i l i ng of f ic e s . P O ST M A ST E R : S end add r e s s changes to: Make It Better, 1150 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette, IL 60091.

M a k e It B e t t er i s r e g i s t er e d i n t h e U. S . P at ent a n d T r a d em a r k Of fice. Copy right 2018 by Ma ke It Better LLC. A ll rights reser ved.

Your brother paying his share before February.

That’s the BMO Effect.

When the gift is from everyone, the paying should be too.

BMO Harris Bank makes it easy to get into the spirit of sharing the bill with People Pay. It’s a simple way to send money right from your phone. Learn more at bmoharris.com/mobile

Message and data rates may apply. Contact your wireless carrier for details. Banking products and services are subject to bank and credit approval. People Pay is available for BMO Harris Mobile Banking smartphone apps only. For details, see the BMO Harris Mobile Banking End User Terms found at bmoharris.com/legal. BMO Harris Bank Member FDIC

Editor’s Letter

the perfect time for a fresh start.

We embrace the clean slate we’re given and seize the opportunity to make positive changes in our lives.

You’ve probably already noticed that at Make It Better we’ve been doing some reinventing of our own. We made the exciting announcement last October that we acquired two gorgeous San Francisco Bay Area magazines, Marin Magazine and SPACES, and felt it was the perfect time to give our magazine a fresh new look that reflects how much we’ve grown. You’ll quickly see that these pages are packed with more original photography and in-depth editorial about the people, places and causes that make Chicago great.

Wishing you a rewarding year ahead,

Brooke McDonald, Editor in Chief

BEHIND THE SCENES It’s not every day you get to join a three-star Michelin chef in his kitchen. During our cover shoot, Curtis Duffy gave MIB photographer Todd Rosenberg and me a taste of all that goes into a night of showstopping service at Grace. (We can still smell those truffles!)

12 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

TOP LEFT: COLIN LYONS; BOTTOM LEFT: TODD ROSENBERG; BOTTOM RIGHT: SOPHIE PAOLINO

H

A PPY 2018! A new year signifies

You’ve told us time and again that you can’t get enough of our dining content, deliciously curated by our inimitable dining editor, Julie Chernoff. With that in mind, we think there’s no better way to kick off this newly redesigned issue than with a fascinating look inside the kitchen — and mind — of Chicago’s leading chef, Curtis Duffy, formerly of Grace (p. 36). Then, on page 88, don’t miss Julie’s roundup of some of the city’s best spots for fresh pasta, followed by the first installment of our comprehensive dining guide — aka, your Chicago restaurant cheat sheet (p. 94). Trust us, you’ll never go hungry again.

Speaking of food and wine, we know that many of you have probably spent time enjoying the restaurants and wineries of the West Coast, and that your hearts break with ours over the devastation the beautiful state of California and its residents are experiencing in the wake of the wildfires. If you’re wondering what you can do to help, start by booking a trip to wine country, which is still very much open for business and desperately needs your tourism dollars. Read about some of the most stunning under-the-radar spots to visit on page 42.

As always, we strive to provide you with the powerful, positive connections and insights that help enrich your life while encouraging you to support those in need.

From a special opportunity to join a powerful giving circle (p. 18) to a touching conversation with a 94-year-old couple on how they’ve kept their marriage thriving for nearly 74 years (p. 26) to a compelling investigation into the power of the mind to keep the body healthy (p. 48), we hope our fresh-start issue inspires you to greet 2018 with a renewed sense of excitement and optimism.

your home & happily ever after

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#1 Team on the North Shore Top 1% of Real Estate Professionals* KATHRYN BADER MANGEL, CRS

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Buying • Selling • Investing • Relocation • Renting *#1 Winnetka, Kenilworth, New Trier team represents MRED top sales volume as a team in North Shore from 1/1/2017-12/11/17.

POV

Your Letters Join the Northwestern University Community!

Students age 4 - Grade 12 discover their academic pathways at Center for Talent Development (CTD).

UNICEF USA

We just wanted to take a moment to say thank you for your partnership at our UNICEF Chicago Humanitarian Awards luncheon on November 3. We’re thrilled that our collaboration is also resulting in bringing UNICEF Kid Power to even more Chicago students next spring. ELIZABETH MCCOSTLIN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, MIDWEST REGION, UNICEF USA

Dearborn Partners

Thank you for putting on such a wonderful anniversary party and for letting Dearborn be a part of it. Congratulations on the first 10 years of hard work and good luck with what the next 10 will bring, including Marin! It was both humbling and inspiring to hear the initiatives and stories of the other attendees.

Thanks again for the opportunity! JACK FINKS, CFA, DEARBORN PARTNERS

Chicago Chess Center

I’m writing to encourage members of our Chicagoland community to support the Chicago Chess Center (CCC) and play in its events. Chess teaches life skills including goal-setting, coping with defeat, respect for others, building friendships, and belonging to a community. To learn more, visit our event calendar: chichess.org/events. ANI EMRIKIAN, CHICAGO CHESS CENTER

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab

On-Campus Weekend and Summer Programs Learn more about CTD programs and resources for academically advanced students and their families at ctd.northwestern.edu

Thank you for hosting a wonderful anniversary party last night. What a thoughtful presentation by you and William Blair, and in such a beautiful space! I sincerely thank you for the invitation and for Make It Better’s support of the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. ANNIE MINOGUE, MANAGER, CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION RELATIONS, SHIRLEY RYAN ABILITYLAB

Goodman Theatre

Congratulations on a beautiful event and on this landmark anniversary. We’re pleased to have our 40th anniversary production of A Christmas Carol featured in your holiday and 10th anniversary issue and look forward to our partnership around the Education 14 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Luncheon. Wishing you and your colleagues all the best in this exciting new chapter at MIB. AMY SZERLONG, MANAGER OF INSTITUTIONAL GIVING, GOODMAN THEATRE

Rebuilding Together

I shared your wonderful article again today and wanted to circle back to you all. Our board continues to be grateful for this outstanding article. You beautifully captured the mission and spirit of RT North Suburban, expressed the impact of our generous supporters and conveyed the dignity of those we serve.

As of this writing, we are set to replace two roofs in terrible shape that have serious active leaks in Evanston and Northbrook and to tackle a major sewer repair and rehab a bathroom in Evanston. This is all for seniors — some of them raising grandchildren — who have nowhere else to turn.

SHARON RILEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, REBUILDING TOGETHER NORTH SUBURBAN CHICAGO

From Stephanie Fisher (@Thecuratedtraveler) On Instagram: Perspective ... in a town not far from YOURS there are families who are in need of simple items to feed their families. Yesterday I spent the morning at AJ Katzenmaier Academy in North Chicago with Lake Forest Academy, and we participated in a pancake breakfast and mobile grocery store. During this Festive Season and beyond don’t forget to SHARE THE LOVE. Thank you North Chicago Community Partners and Jennifer Kahl Grumhaus for seeing a need and working to assist! If you are in Chicago’s North Shore and looking to share time or a donation, this organization truly makes a difference. Are there 5 people who might pass this on? @makeitbetterns and @susanbnoyes

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Your comments may be edited for clarity and brevity. Send letters to info@makeitbetter.net. Please include the town where you live and a daytime phone number.

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 15

the LOOK P RO M OTI O N

LOOK FABULOUS ANYWHERE!

THE REAL YOU Rev up your inner mojo this winter with a lingerie

makeover at the new, ultra-adorable Chantilly Lace in Plaza del Lago. With a selection of French imports and boutique brands such as Marie Jo & Empreinte, these ladies know how to make you look and feel GREAT. You will also find a unique selection of swim, sleepwear and shapewear.

Don’t leave your style at home, come browse our 2018 swim and resortwear collection. You will find flattering and unique one pieces, tankinis, cover ups, and more. Let our professional staff expertly fit you in the best styles for your figure.

LONDO MONDO

558 Green Bay Road Winnetka, IL 224.255.6466 londomondo.com

CHANTILLY LACE

Plaza del Lago, Shop # 8 1515 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, IL 847.256.8077 l c-lace.com

SEMI-ANNUAL D. PORTHAULT SALE

Maze Home’s Semi-Annual D. Porthault Sale January 15-31

MATTIE M LAFAYETTE 148 TRUNK SHOW

LaFayette 148 “Spring 2018” Trunk Show at Mattie M Feb 15-17 M-F 10-5:30 Sat 10-5 The collection is inspired by 3 female American Artists.

Georgia O’Keefe, Helen Frankenthaler & Joan Mitchell.

Soft pastel shades with fluid silhouettes, laser cut linens and specialty prints will please your fashion senses.

Bring in this ad for 15% off any reg priced item.

MATTIE M

990 Green Bay Rd Winnetka, IL 847.784.8701 mattiem.com

16 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Save 20% on hand-screened Egyptian cotton luxury bed linens, terry, lingerie and accessories from this legendary Parisian design house. Coveted by style icons Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Jackie O, Tory Burch and more, D. Porthault is synonymous with the artful mixing of prints and couture dressmaker details. Drop by their charming boutique at 735 Elm Street in Winnetka or shop online at mazehome.com.

MAZE

735 Elm Street Winnetka, IL 847.441.1115 mazehome.com

Annual Winter Sale N O T T O BE M ISSE D

I N PRO G RE SS NO W

1346 SHERMER ROAD | 224.326.2412 | WWW.JUNIPERBOUTIQUE.COM

Impact, Amplified

Join Our Better Giving Circle H

ERE AT M A KE IT BETTER , we believe that magnifying the

basic human urge to come together, network and support those around us is the key to a better world. Giving circles — a form of participatory philanthropy where groups of individuals donate their own money and/or time to a shared cause — are one way to do just that, and connecting these ever-growing circles through media sponsorships of nonprofit fundraisers has been core to our publishing business model since we started 10 years ago.

Today, we’re proud to introduce our Better Giving Circle. Should you choose to join — by donating $1,000 to your favorite nonprofit — you’ll be able to underwrite a media sponsorship that allows your chosen organization to use our impactful connections, online content and significant support for at least one fundraising event to its advantage. Nonprofits that earn a Better Giving Circle media sponsorship will receive a free platform for any matching grant opportunities that exceed $10,000, and it’s fun, too: Next fall, you’ll be invited to a celebratory dinner, curated by Make It Better’s dining editor, Julie Chernoff, at which your cause will be championed while you mix and mingle.

There are 100 spots available in the 2018 Better Giving Circle, and we do hope you’ll join us. It’s a win for you, your favorite cause, and the world.

Susan B. Noyes, Founder & Chief Visionary Officer

This circle of images represents just a sampling of the fun, impactful fundraising gatherings that take place year-round in Chicago and the Bay Area, including Whistlestock in Sausalito; Halleck Creek Ranch’s annual dinner and auction in Nicasio; Hot Bed in Tiburon; Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Chicago Voices Gala Benefit Concert; Chicago’s Tiffany Circle and the Alzheimer’s Association Chicago Walk to End Alzheimer’s.

18 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

CONNECT WITH US TOP GRAM In September, the American Red Cross of Chicago and Northern Illinois shared a photo on Instagram of 3-year-old Daynaria and her father, Walter, who donated to Hurricane Harvey recovery. We were proud to join them in supporting the organization’s efforts to provide relief after storms in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Thanks to donations from the Edwardson Family Foundation and another donor; a partnership with CBS 2 Chicago and their #CBSCaresChicago telethon; and YOU, we were able to raise more than $159,000 for hurricane recovery. Thank you!

Connections & Impact

PHOTO CREDIT TOP: AMERICAN RED CROSS, BOTTOM RIGHT: BRIAN VON KAENEL

Top 5 Online Stories Right Now 1 “What You Need to Know About Your Teen’s Brain on Marijuana” As Shannan Younger writes, “Raising a child in a time when marijuana is legal in some places means parents are in new territory.” And while 60 percent of high school seniors don’t view regular marijuana use as harmful, that’s a big misconception. Learn more at makeitbetter .net/marijuana.

2 “12 Simple Diet Swaps to Make You Healthier” If you’ve made a resolution to change your eating

habits this year, we’ve got good news: You don’t need to completely overhaul your diet. Easy tweaks can have major health benefits, like trading pasta for zucchini noodles or mashing cauliflower instead of potatoes (seriously, you’d never know the difference). Visit makeitbetter.net/swap for more ideas.

3 ”How to Protect Aging Parents from Identity Theft and Financial Fraud” For those of us with aging parents, taking a proactive approach is

important to help ensure mom and dad stay insulated from different forms of financial fraud,” writes Barbara Finder of Morgan Stanley.

Find three tips for helping aging parents at makeitbetter.net/fraud.

4 “10 Ethnic Restaurants Around Chicago” Writer David Hammond says, “It’s never been more important to connect with those who are not us — and, of course, it’s always fun to experience new tastes.”

From Kyrgyz cuisine (intriguing, right?) to

home-style Thai, there’s a lot to discover at makeitbetter .net/restaurants.

Our challenge to you: Try all 10 before the first day of spring.

5 “8 Modern Casserole Recipes You’ll Make All Winter Long” There’s nothing better than a bowlful of something warm on a chilly Chicago night. Enter these contemporary casseroles (we promise, they’re not midcentury mush!), which will win over the whole family. Get the recipes at makeitbetter .net/casserole.

On Nov. 7, we celebrated our 10th anniversary and launch in the San Francisco Bay Area at William Blair’s global headquarters in Chicago.

We had so much fun mixing, mingling, and making plans for the future with our valued partners — and the view from our incredible venue was jaw-dropping. Flip through photos from the evening at facebook.com/makeitbetter.net.

M A K E I T B E T T E R J A N U A R Y/ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8 19

New in Town Midwest outpost has opened in the lobby of Fulton Market’s Ace Hotel. The café features a range of drinks and pastries, and vegan and gluten-free items are coming soon. acehotel.com/chicago

B E AUT Y

› Deka Lash Studio Following the success of its Glenview locale, Deka Lash Studio is opening a second spot in Lake Forest this January. dekalash.com

Bellemore

E ATS

› Bellemore Located in the West Loop, Bellemore is the latest restaurant from Boka Group and former Bohemian House chef Jimmy Papadopoulos, who’s crafted a menu of French classics with an American twist. bellemore.com

› The Draft Room A riff

› The Esquire

› Lowcountry This

on the traditional sports bar, The Draft Room has 40 beers on tap and a 75-foot-long bar. Taking over the restaurant section of Kings Dining & Entertainment in Rosemont, it’s the ultimate game-day location. draftbar chicago.com

Champagne Room Tucked inside Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse, The Esquire Champagne Room — which made its big debut on New Year’s Eve — ­­ boasts an extensive list of 50 champagnes and over 1,700 wines. delfriscos.com

January, the restaurant will open its second location in the South Loop. With a seafoodfocused menu (think boil-in-a-bag crawfish) and backyard-like environment, it’s a hangout spot like no other. lowcountrychicago.com

the perfect spot for an out-of-the-box date night. chicago magiclounge.com

SHOPPING

› The North Face Just in time for winter, the popular outdoor apparel company The North Face has opened a new location on Damen Avenue in the Bucktown neighborhood.

stores.thenorthface.com

› Simply Luxe No. 2 Simply Luxe Bridal

Chicago Magic Lounge

Gillanders left his position as Executive Chef at Intro Chicago (now closed) to open S.K.Y., his first restaurant. Located in Pilsen, it dishes out American cuisine with global influences. skyrestaurantchicago.com

› Stumptown Coffee Roasters Stumptown Coffee Roasters’ first

E XPE RIE NCES

› Chicago Magic Lounge This February, The Chicago Magic Lounge is moving from its Uptown Underground location to a new space in Andersonville. Known for tableside magic, it’s

recognizes the significance of finding “the one.” Operating by appointment only, the new Highland Park boutique provides an intimate, personalized experience. simplyluxe bridal.com

New in Town is an ongoing bulletin on new businesses in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. To be considered for future listings, email anna@makeitbetter.net.

20 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

TOP LEFT PHOTO BY ANTHONY TAHLIER,

› S.K.Y. Stephan The Draft Room

A. PERRY HOMES ARCHITECTS

BEFORE RENOVATION

BUILDERS

REMODELERS

AFTER RENOVATION

NEW CONSTRUCTION A. Perry Homes are the architects, builders, and remodelers of choice for families who believe that making their dream home should be worry free and designed for their needs in mind. Whether your project consists of updating a condo in the city, a new gourmet kitchen, whole house remodel, or a custom home, our team is ready to design and build something special for you. With over 30 years of award winning experience and a reputation that is unmatched in the industry, we are uniquely qualified to serve you best. Allow us to demonstrate the value that design build can offer.

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CHICAGO’S BANK SUPPORTS CHICAGO’S TEAM The weather might be cold, but some of the greatest competition athletes in the world are ready to turn up the heat this winter.

Chicago’s Team is made of skiers, skaters, bobsledders and hockey players with one thing in common: their journeys all began here. The road to the top comes with

bumps along the way, but these athletes find their strength from the city that taught them to give it their all. Whether they’re competing this winter, training for next time, or working hard to stay active in the sport they’re so passionate about, they’re ready to bring the heat!

CHICAGO’S BANK

H e a r t h e i r s t o r i e s a t w i n t r u s t . co m /C h i c a go s Te a m Banking products provided by Wintrust Financial Corp. Banks.

TM

Your Chicago T H E P E O P L E . T H E P L AC E S . T H E C AU S E S .

“At the end of each day, I have some sparkling wine and remind myself of how lucky I am to be working for myself.

And I try to get as much sleep as I can!”

Amy Lafontant, owner of The Bottle Shop in Wilmette

“I travel to places that have nothing to do with my business.

Whether it’s for a long weekend or several weeks, it rejuvenates me to experience other cultures and languages and try different foods.”

Karen Rose, owner of City Olive in Andersonville

“I always take a little trip to Wisconsin for a hike and a stay at The Abbey in Lake Geneva. There’s nothing better than sitting in a hot tub and watching the snow fall outside after a long day in the woods.”

Kelly Marie Thompson, owner of Fleur in Logan Square

PRESS PAUSE

With the holidays behind us, it’s officially time to take a deep, long breath. To celebrate this blissful season of R&R, we asked local small business owners to share how they slow their roll. BY NICOLE SCHNITZLER

“I like to take care of myself while still supporting other local businesses: a relaxing massage at Asha, a fabulous facial at Penny Kraft & Co., a mani-pedi at ZaZaZoo, and a cocktail — the Oaxaca or a glass of Rack & Riddle — at Presidio’s cozy lounge.

Emily McKenney, owner of Havlan & West in Bucktown

MIKE KILLION

“I wake up when I wake up — no alarms allowed — and spend as much time on the couch as possible with my wife and 65-pound lapdog, Mikey.”

Scott Friedland, shopkeeper at Timeless Toys in Lincoln Square

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 23

Your Chicago / CURRENTS

GIRL POWER Gather a

24 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Soul Vacation Anyone looking to meld the benefits of yoga with the thrill of travel and the bounty of charity work can find it all with Souljourn Yoga, a nonprofit committed to raising awareness and funds for girls’ education in developing countries. The global getaways provide participants with opportunities to explore, practice, and educate through yoga both on and off of the mat and to promote female empowerment to communities in need. Join them on a trek to Nicaragua this month (co-led by Chicago yoga instructor Alison Riazi), or to Morocco (March), Tibet (May), Peru (May), Rwanda (June), or Cambodia (September).

Cuisine for a Cause WHO Chicago’s restaurant elite WHAT The Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence, the only Chicago-based awards ceremony that recognizes culinary originality and talent throughout the region.

WHEN Sunday, January 14 WHERE Venue SIX10, Chicago WHY To celebrate our food scene while benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to discovering a cure.

HOW Kick things off with a champagne reception before host and Grace general manager Michael Muser takes the stage with other Chicago restaurant heavy hitters to announce this year’s nominees, including Sixteen, Oriole, and Monteverde, in 14 categories. (Pictured left is Constance Sims Kincaid of Chicago’s 5 Loaves Eatery, recipient of the 2017 Best Ethnic Restaurant Award.) Then head upstairs to the post-awards party to celebrate with food, music, open bars and a gorgeous view of Michigan Avenue. For tickets, visit banchetawards.com. Make It Better is proud to be a media sponsor of the event.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: KATHLEEN VIRGINIA; JORDAN ASHLEY; CAITLIN LISA

group, snag some signage, and hit the streets Jan. 20 for Women’s March Chicago, when attendees will come together in downtown Chicago to celebrate the spirit of the resistance efforts this past year and focus on the fight for women’s rights and social justice. While organizers are hoping for an even bigger turnout than last year’s (which drew 250,000 people to Grant Park), co-chair Jessica Scheller confirms that the true measure of success will not be numbers, but votes on Election Day. “Last year’s march was meant to give women a voice; this year’s march is meant to encourage women and allies to support women’s rights by showing up at the polls to vote for candidates who support us.”

ALL ABLOOM It may be blustery and overcast outside, but at this year’s Asia in Bloom Orchid Show at Chicago Botanic Garden, it’s all about the tropics, baby. From Feb. 10 through March 25, guests can encounter more than 10,000 vibrant orchid displays inspired by various countries in Asia and featuring elements like bamboo, water, and hanging silk lanterns and parasols.

Bathing Beauty

With holiday chaos behind us and midwinter temperatures upon us, the Chicago arrival of AIRE Ancient Baths couldn’t have come at a better time. Dim lights, thousands of candles, and floral aromas are just a few of the ways guests are greeted at the River West relaxation haven, where a handful of thermal pools and menu of specialty massages and body treatments await. It’s the second U.S. location from the Spain-based company, which ensures that each property is created within a restored historic building (including this one, a former factory from the late 19th century complete with original exposed brick, beams, and columns).

Top Chocolate

There’s no better way to cozy up with the kiddos these next few months (and no faster way to fight the cold) than with a big, steaming mug of cocoa. Here, the three hottest spots for sipping in the city.

FOR THE ULTIMATE CLASSIC There are more than 10 variations on offer at Bucktown’s Mindy’s Hot Chocolate, but it boils down to the Old-Fashioned — a serving of highquality hot chocolate, milk chocolate cocoa nib whipped ganache, and a fluffy, housemade marshmallow.

FOR A TWIST ON TRADITION Thanks to hits like the Mayan Magic (with chilies and cinnamon) and the Rock the Casbah (with savory-sweet Moroccan spice), sampling the treats at Cocoa + Co. in Old Town will never get old.

FOR A SERIOUS SUGAR HIGH Logan Square’s Katherine Anne Confections specializes in nearly a dozen drinking chocolates, from classics like bittersweet and hazelnut to seasonal favorites like Pumpkin Spice and Dreamsicle. The best part? Their enormous, handmade marshmallows, available in six artisanal flavors.

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 25

Your Chicago / CONVERSATION

Relationship Goals In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we sat down with Skokie couple Lil and Jack Sklar.

Both 94 years young, they’re just months away from their 74th wedding anniversary.

Their secret? One word: family. BY MARJIE KILLEEN • PHOTOS BY ANDREW MILLER

W

HEN JACK SKL A R moved to

Lillian Wallach’s block in Brooklyn almost 80 years ago, he made quite a first impression. “I said, ‘Oh my God, that guy is for me,’” Lil recalls, and she told her mother she’d found the boy she would marry. Her mom didn’t take it too seriously — they were both 14 years old at the time, after all — but Lil knew what she was talking about. On April 16th, the Sklars will celebrate their 74th anniversary.

26 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Growing up in the Depression was tough.

“Nobody had jobs, my brothers were in the service, and my father couldn’t work,” says Lil. But there were bright spots. Jack was a grocery delivery boy, and Lil would insist that her mother tip him a dime instead of the usual nickel, even though that meant she wouldn’t have milk money at school the next day. “I didn’t want him to think we were poor,” she says. Soon after they met, Lil and Jack became boyfriend and girlfriend.

After they graduated from high school, Jack started college, but he couldn’t ignore the terrible situation in Europe. He started working in a shipyard in Baltimore to support the war effort, and soon he was soon called up in the draft. The shipyard offered him a deferment, but Jack said, “No, I want to go.” He was 19 years old.

As the war raged on, Jack, now an army combat medic, knew that his division would be sent overseas. So he got a furlough, traveled to Chicago where Lil was living with relatives,

and married his love in her sister’s apartment.

A few days later, he shipped out from Boston, assigned to the 106th Infantry Division.

There is much written about the 106th Infantry Division, which suffered devastating losses in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium.

When Lil began to learn about it in the newspapers and on the radio, her father and sister reassured her, telling her that she’d have heard if anything had happened to him. What they didn’t tell her was they’d been hiding telegrams from the U.S. Army notifying her that Jack had been captured and taken as a prisoner-of-war by the Germans.

The story of Jack’s harrowing capture, brutal imprisonment and eventual release is movie material and too long to adequately capture here. When he came home in 1945, he was malnourished and jaundiced and received three Purple Heart medals. Despite his weakened condition, Lil was overjoyed to see her husband.

The couple lived with Lil’s family in Chicago before settling in Skokie. Jack began a long successful career with Sears as a store manager and Lil worked selling fur coats for Evans Fur Company. We sat down with the youthful couple (unbelievably both 94) in their Skokie condominium, surrounded by photos of their extensive family that includes three children, six grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren.

Family is a theme the couple returns to often.

When you were reunited after the war, you’d barely lived together. What was it like when Jack came home? Lil: Jack and I got to know each other before we married, but we never did anything — I wouldn’t even know what to do.

I knew nothing until my older sister started explaining things to me. So many things I should know! Jack: When two people marry, you’re living with someone who has a completely different idea of what it is to live with someone. You really don’t know until you do it. No matter how much you love each other, you’re still strangers. Lil: But when Jack came home from the army, it was like New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July and all the big holidays at once.

Wherever we go, everybody knows us. In every store we go to, they know us by name: Lil and Jack. Jack: We’re not looking for new experiences like younger people are; they divorce or whatever. We’ve always said this is our life, and we live it.

Is there any advice you’d give to younger couples who are perhaps facing difficulty?

Lil: Be truthful and tolerant with each other.

Take the good with the bad.

After over 70 years of marriage, what is it that you appreciate most about each other today? Lil: That I still love him, and that he’s a wonderful husband and father. He would do anything for me and I would do anything for him. I appreciate everything we have, and without him there would be nothing.Jack: That she’s been very faithful and we get along very well — though of course we have our moments — and we understand each other.

What have been some of your happiest times together and what do you enjoy doing now?

Jack: When we were younger, we traveled a lot.

We had winter homes in different parts of the country. We went on cruises, we flew to San Francisco and took a luxury bus all the way down to San Diego. Now, the energy isn’t the way it was, but we can’t let it stand in our way.

We go to everything that our granddaughter and her kids invite us to. We don’t miss anything. Lil: The happiest time was when Jack came home from service. Now, it’s family, we’re always with family. My daughter calls us every single night at 10 p.m. My son is coming here tonight, and we’re all going out to supper.

You two seem so close. How have you had such a successful marriage? Lil: We are always together. We have friends [who are married] and they never got along like Jack and I did.

Is family more precious to you because of what you went through in the war? Lil: No, family is precious to us because that’s the way we’ve always been. That’s the way we are.

The happy couple invited us into their Skokie home, where Jack showed us his medals from the war.

We were humbled and honored to be with them.

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 27

Your Chicago / FASHION

Style with Substance

Highlights from the Gold Coast Fashion Award Show ANNA CARLSON

O

N OCT. 12, the Children’s Service Board hosted its 62nd Annual Gold Coast Fashion Award

Show at Revel Fulton Market in Chicago. The incredible fête raised more than $1.2 million for the Molecular Oncology and Bioinformatics Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago.

Designer Pamella Roland, a longtime supporter of Lurie Children’s Hospital, was presented with the Children’s Service Board Award of Excellence, and guests were treated to drinks and food from Almighty Spirits, Bar Siena, Gibson’s, Lou Malnati’s and Sunda. A dessert bar featured treats from Glazed and Infused, Sweet Mandy B’s and more, and guests participated in a paddle raise and live auction.

The highlight of the evening? A fashion show from Neiman Marcus Michigan Avenue. We posted a selection of the looks on our website in October and asked you to vote for your favorite. The response was incredible, and the results were unanimous. Here, the top three (drumroll, please…).

Pamella Roland

WINNING LOOK 2 Jacket Christian Dior; Fur Scarf Escada; Booties Manolo Blahnik

Shannon Buth, Kristina Nicolas (GCFAS co-chair), Cara Appleby, Bonnie Knobloch and Alison Bigane

Deanna Ryan, Melissa Kinzler, Margaret Yeager, Aileen Belizario and Nicole Legere

WINNING LOOK 1 Dress Pamella Roland; Jacket Cinq a Sept; Shoes Stuart Weitzman; Clutch Judith Leiber

28 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

SEAN SU

WINNING LOOK 3 Dress and Shoes Christian Dior

Stewart Goldman, MD (Division Head, Hematology, Oncology, Neuro-Oncology & Stem Cell Transplantation) and Jose (patient of Dr. Goldman’s at Lurie Children’s Hospital)

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Your Chicago / READING LIST

Northwestern University professor Wendy Pearlman discusses her new book, We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled, a collection of firsthand testimonials from Syrian refugees.

MIB: You spent four years interviewing more than 300 refugees. Which voices did you select for the book, and why?

WP: I selected testimonials with a few criteria in mind. First, I chose passages and put them in a sequence that I believed could help best explain the conflict to readers who don’t have much background on Syria. Second, I chose voices that discussed issues and events that I knew were widely shared among a much larger part of the Syrian population. Finally, I selected stories filled with human detail. That is what helps us identify with the speakers as real people and encourages us to try to put ourselves in their shoes.

MIB: What is the significance of the title?

WP: It comes from the testimonial of a man named Annas, who remembers how, in the early months of the uprising, a huge crowd marched over a bridge and it literally shook under the weight of so many people. But the title is also a metaphor, as Syrians have crossed many bridges — psychological, social, political, territorial. They crossed from authoritarianism to revolution to war to exile. They are still trembling under the reverberations of these transformations.

MIB: What do you think Americans need to understand about the refugee crisis?

WP: That it is the outgrowth of a brutal war, which is in turn the result of an authoritarian regime’s violent repression of an overwhelmingly nonviolent, popular uprising. It’s important to resist the misconception that the choice in Syria is between President Bashar al-Assad and Islamic extremism, and that Assad is the lesser evil.

Similarly, I hope that Americans resist the misconception that sectarianism is driving violence in Syria. It’s more accurate to say that violence drives sectarianism.

MIB: What can we do to help?

WP: We can call for the U.S. to engage in meaningful action to protect civilian lives, to end the war that is ravaging the country, to push for a political transition to a free system and to extend opportunities for dignified futures for the millions who have become refugees. We can also make charitable contributions to organizations doing work inside Syria and with Syrian refugees, such as the Karam Foundation, NuDay Syria, Jusoor Syria and the Syrian American Medical Society. DANIELLE MCLIMORE

30 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

The Book Stall, one of Winnetka’s most beloved small businesses, shares a winter reading list worth cozying up to.

The World of Tomorrow by Brendan Matthews; Little, Brown and Company; $28 This book is so wise and so ambitious in scope, with characters so complex, sympathetic and real, that you will be hard-pressed to set it aside at a reasonable hour. Matthews succeeds at rendering the physicality of New York City just before World War II, the complexities of the Irish-American experience and the first awful rumblings of the Holocaust. Combine this with all the details of class, race, family, tragedy, comedy, heroics, and jazz, and you have a truly immersive reading experience.

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne, Hogarth, $28 Reminiscent of John Irving, The Heart’s Invisible Furies is a carnival ride of a novel. Moving through comedy and tragedy with equal force, Boyne tells the story of Cyril Avery, and in the process she tells the story of the 20th century. Smart, sad and funny.

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz, Harper, $28 Two whodunits in one! A mystery writer submits the final installment of his series with the final chapter missing and dies two days later. It’s up to his editor to solve two murders — the one in the manuscript, and that of its author — and the plot that follows makes for a smart (and fun!) British page turner.

A Legacy of Spies by John le Carré, Viking, $28 The Cold War is over, but the echoes of that earlier time have come into the present, and an old spymaster is called to account.

Once again, John le Carré shows that he is the master of the spy thriller.

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson, Simon & Schuster, $35 If curiosity kills the cat, then Leonardo da Vinci would have died young.

More than just a passionate observer of the world around him, he sought the underlying reasons for the way things were and the way things worked. In Isaacson’s hands, da Vinci comes alive and sweeps us along as his discovery and analysis become invention and art.

MAIA ROSENFELD

Author Talk

New and Noteworthy

Your Chicago / FINANCE

RAJIV JAI GQG Partners Investment Recommendation (Long): Sberbank of Russia Why: Sberbank is benefiting from investments in their own technology, industry consolidation, and provides excellent upside if commodity inflation occurs. Dividend could grow to 7-8 percent.

JIMMY LEVIN Oz Management Investment Recommendation (Long): Big 4 Chinese Banks (CCB, BOC, ICBC, ABC) Why: Chinese banks are currently trading at low valuations, have high RoE, concerns are overstated, and improving conditions will drive growth.

MATHEW KLODY MCN Capital Management Investment Recommendation (Short): Domino’s Pizza Why: Domino’s Pizza was the first mover in the delivery space, leveraging technology to entice consumers to order Domino’s versus competitors. The first mover advantage has been dwindling as other food delivery services, both prepared and grocery, “disrupt the disrupter.”

Money Sense This fall, the country’s top asset managers shared their financial savvy at Invest for Kids, a conference benefiting underprivileged children in Chicago. Read on for their invaluable recommendations. JOSHUA STRECKERT

For the city’s financial gurus, there was only one place to be on Nov. 2: Chicago’s Harris Theater, the site of the annual Invest for Kids conference. The event, which brings renowned investors together to present their investable ideas and broad macro trends, draws an audience of investment professionals and student guests from Chicagoland, and, increasingly, the nation.

Through ticket sales and sponsorships, the conference raises funds for children’s charities throughout Chicago, with focus on directing donations to organizations that support childhood and young adult learning and development in underserved and neglected communities. Now in its ninth year, Invest for Kids has collected donations exceeding $11.5 million — including the $1.6 million raised this year. Even better, 100 percent of the proceeds are given as grants to selected community organizations that support its mission. Here, the conference’s nine powerhouse speakers share their investment recommendations.

(Hint: You’ll want to write these down.)

32 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

DMITRY BALYASNY Balyasny Asset Management Investment Recommendation (Long): Hertz Global Holdings Inc. Why: Impact of ride-sharing services is overstated. As Hertz has right-sized its fleet and increases margins and FCF balance sheet, restructuring and stock buybacks should be forthcoming.

Rental volumes are rising. Forty-four percent short interest could also be a momentum catalyst if stock continues upward trend.

SETH SINGERMAN Singerman Real Estate Investment Recommendation (Long): Washington Prime Group Why: WPG is not well covered by Wall Street analysts and there’s a general perception that its properties are significantly worse than reality. As the name becomes more understood, stock should rally.

RICK RIEDER BlackRock Investment Recommendation (Long): EM Debt Why: Demand for fixed income massively outstrips supply and EM debt is rising as inflation is tempering. EM demographics are also supportive of EM debt rally.

AMOS MERON Empyrean Capital Partners Investment Recommendation (Long): Seritage Growth Properties Why: Seritage is too closely associated with Sears, as Seritage properties were spun out of Sears. The properties are undervalued due to this association — they’re actually premier properties in premier locations. Leases are being diversified from Sears stores to higher-rent, higher-quality tenants. Due to market misperception as a result of the Sears association, the stock is currently undervalued.

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P ROMOT I ON

EXPERT CARDIAC CARE, CLOSE TO HOME.

DID YOU KNOW TAKING CARE OF YOUR HEART CAN SAVE YOUR LIFE?

Jorge Saucedo, MD, Division Chief of Cardiology, collaborating with fellows Drs. Iftikhar and Saeed

Whether you have a family history of heart disease or experiencing irregular heartbeat, chest pain or heart failure, you need an expert cardiovascular team that leads the way not only in prevention but treatment. You also want physicians who are actively involved in research and offer the latest clinical trials and technology available.

Patients in Chicago’s northern suburbs have access to exactly that at NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) Cardiovascular Institute.

NorthShore’s Cardiovascular team includes internationally recognized cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons. Two of NorthShore’s specialists were first to use novel aortic and

mitral valve replacement techniques, and now teach them at the nation’s top academic medical centers. The Cardiovascular Institute (CVI) team also pioneers other procedures for highrisk patients who require mitral valve repair or replacement, A-Fib Ablation, leak closures, lead extraction and more.

The best part for patients is, this expertise is available locally.

“Prevention and intervention are key,” says Interventional Cardiologist Ted Feldman, MD. “We work as a team to determine the best treatment plan for each patient, and we pull from research and the latest technology.

For some patients, that may mean minimally invasive surgery, while for others it could be medication, lifestyle changes or catheter therapy.”

Minimally invasive specialists Mayra Guerrero, MD and Dr. Feldman pave the way with innovative interventional techniques and nationally lead the latest clinical research trials.

And when surgery is necessary, NorthShore cardiovascular surgeons are performing

virtually every advanced heart procedure available.

Regardless of condition or prognosis, NorthShore’s CVI treats a variety of patients and has a specialist that can provide the appropriate level of care for you. For one seeking to improve heart health after chemotherapy, treatment is provided through the Cardio-Oncology program. For those trying to lose weight after a heart attack scare, NorthShore offers a physician-led Weight Management program.

The Cardiovascular Institute offers a variety of programs that provide support and cardiac expertise, no matter the condition.

Dr. Russell, division chief of Cardiovascular Surgery and co-director of the Cardiovascular Institute, says, “We’re here to offer that expert support, tailored to each patient. We learn something new from each patient, and we hope they’re learning from us too.”

If you’re facing a heart condition or interested in preventive care, contact NorthShore Cardiovascular Institute. Call (847) 86- HEART or visit northshore.org/ cardio today.

Jorge Saucedo, MD, Division Chief, Cardiology and Hyde Russell, MD, Division Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery, Co-Directors of Cardiovascular Institute

We’re helping patients with

AB N ORM A L H EA RT R H Y TH M S get back to normal.

Cardiovascular care for what’s next.

At NorthShore Cardiovascular Institute, we know that sometimes hearts don’t perform as they should. They race, flutter, skip beats. Our team of leading electrophysiologists is pioneering the latest care for abnormal heart rhythms.

From implanting the world’s smallest pacemaker to performing radiation-free ablation for AFib and using DNA to identify patients at risk for arrhythmia. All to get your heart back to normal.

At NorthShore, we’re working to keep your heart strong for what’s next.

northshore.org/cardio (847) 86-HEART

PHOTO CREDIT

36 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

WRIT TEN IN THE

BY NICOLE SCHNITZLER • PHOTOGRAPHY BY TODD ROSENBERG

PHOTO CREDIT

A lifelong passion for cooking catapulted Curtis Duffy to the highest echelons of culinary society, landing him three of the industry’s most coveted celestial bodies along the way. We sat down with the former chef-owner of Grace to talk food, family and free time, and we discovered, not surprisingly, that he embodies all the elegance and class of the aptly named restaurant — with a dash of that delicious bad boy thing on top.

EDITOR’S NOTE As we were going to press in late December 2017, Curtis Duffy and partner Michael Muser announced they have stepped away from Grace, after a reported disagreement with their major investor. This interview provides a window into what makes Duffy a great chef and an introspective and compassionate person. You’ll learn, as we did, that he is guided by an absolute passion for cooking, and we have no doubt that he will triumph once again — hopefully in Chicago.

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 37

hen he’s not traveling the globe on motorcycle trips with Keanu Reeves or attending food festivals in Hawaii, Bangkok, and Hong Kong, chef Curtis Duffy is a master of routine. He wakes up every morning at 6:30, makes himself oatmeal, brings his two daughters (Ava, 12, Eden, 8) to school, and hits the gym. At 11 a.m., he arrives at Grace, the fine-dining restaurant he and business partner Michael Muser opened in the city’s West Loop in December 2012. It took more than 18 months to build the establishment, and if its walls could talk, they would have much to say about its fiveyear life span — one that includes a consistent Michelin three-star standing, a Best Chef Great Lakes award from the James Beard Foundation, and For Grace, a Netflix documentary by Kevin Pang and Mark Helenowski that chronicles the restaurant’s highly anticipated creation.

Still, getting there wasn’t always easy. Duffy’s Colorado and Ohio upbringing came with financial struggles and marital strife, and when he was just 18 years old, he lost both of his parents in a murder-suicide. What followed — a culinary calling and posts at top Chicago dining ventures like Charlie Trotter’s, Alinea, and Avenues at the Peninsula — was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Here, Duffy shares what it takes to overcome all odds, the only hard-and-fast rule under his roof, and why it pays to give back.

You’ve hit the ultimate restaurant goal — three Michelin stars — four years in a row now. What’s the next big target? We’re continuing to work on a cookbook, which is a huge goal for us this 38 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Previous page: Duffy in Grace’s stunning dining room. These pages: Duffy preps thousands of dollars’ worth of fresh truffles. The Grace team celebrates another Michelin award announcement. The iconic spice rack serves as the focal point in the sparkling Grace kitchen.

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 39

year, and we’d love to start a second project soon.

We’ve built a foundation for ourselves with a solid team that has been with us for a number of years, so we’re now at a point where we can start to focus on other ambitions.

Clockwise from top: Chef Duffy presents a new course during pre-shift. Every dish plated is a work of art. Duffy and Muser host aspiring chef Evie Murphy, who suffers from cystic fibrosis, in the Grace kitchen.

40 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

For Grace is a deeply personal and honest account of your journey to opening the restaurant — and so much more. How has participating in it shaped your own understanding of your story?

The interesting thing is, we never set out for it to be a Netflix documentary. It started as a way for us to capture the moment of opening the restaurant because we knew it was going to happen so quickly. But about eight months

How do you find work-life balance these days?

I’m not any closer to having balance today than I was when I opened the restaurant, but I’m closer to the acceptance of not having balance.

My love of food and wine is very personal to me, so I almost see it as a very beautiful marriage.

There are choices you make, and you can either live with those choices or change them, and I choose to live with them because they make me very happy.

And yet, you have some scheduling boundaries. How do you ensure time together with your daughters on a weekly basis? Regardless of the day, I pick them up and take them to school at 7:45 every morning. It’s an important part of my life because if I didn’t do that, I wouldn’t see them until my days off on Sunday and Monday.

PREVIOUS PAGE: GRACE TEAM PHOTO BY MICHAEL MUSER. THIS PAGE: TOP LEFT AND RIGHT PHOTOS BY MICHAEL MUSER; BOTTOM LEFT BY SARAH EVANS

into filming, Kevin [Pang] came to my house and started asking me more personal questions about how I became a chef and why. That’s when more of my story came out — it was a really therapeutic process for me.

Everybody needs something at some point along the way — I personally have in the past, and I’m sure I will in the future. You pay it forward because there’s no reason you shouldn’t.

What’s a typical day like with them? This past weekend we spent three hours at Dave & Buster’s. They get wild and crazy with video games, and so do I. We a lso just ta lk. My daughter Ava is 12 now, and the conversations we’re having have been a little more intellectual than when she was younger. Before it was me always asking her questions, and now she has her own thoughts and questions for me, like “How was your trip, Dad? What’d you cook? How’d they respond to it?” Those conversations are now a two-way street.

What, above all else, do you hope to instill in them? Honesty and humility. I also someday hope they understand that the dedication to my craft is ultimately for them, as well — so that they can go on to achieve great things in their lives. I want them to know that they can do anything, as long as they’re willing to put in the work for it. You have to outwork everyone around you — if someone is willing to work 18 hours, you have to be the one to put in the 19th.

That’s what’s going to make you the best. I hope they see my work ethic as I did my parents’, and I hope it transfers to them.

Is that what your parents most instilled in you?

Yes. They both had to work two or three jobs throughout my life just to survive. They weren’t around a lot, but they were working to maintain a family life financially. It could have been very easy for them to not work and depend on government funding, but instead they chose to take on extremely long hours.

What does leadership look like for you? Leading for me is leading by example. If there’s a piece of paper on the floor, I’m not going to point a finger and say, “pick it up” — I want to be the first one to pick it up. I do all the things I expect any of my other team members to do, from sweeping the floors to doing the dishes — I don’t want to ask them to do something I wouldn’t do. There’s not a job in this restaurant that’s more important than the next. Whether it’s picking up that piece of

paper, washing a pot, or serving a guest, they’re all the same — you have to do each one with the same amount of passion and detail.

What’s something you always say to your team? That they have a responsibility to themselves for greatness — everybody does. And that you owe it to nobody else but yourself to go discover what that is and do it.

Are there any rules in your house? We do have a very strict one — there are no lies and no secrets. It’s all out there, real, and honest.

I think we gain a lot by being able to have our opinions and voices heard.

What’s a recent proud father moment? My daughter Ava is in sixth grade now, and she beats herself up about trying to get perfect grades — even though I tell her it’s OK to not be perfect and to make mistakes because that’s how we grow and improve. She came home the other day and was super excited because she got straight As this quarter. The smile on her face was pretty amazing. I’m very proud of her.

You and your team are dedicated to several causes, from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and PAWS, to Meals on Wheels and Share Our Strength. Why do you feel it’s important to give back? Chefs are already giving, hospitable people, but I feel that as a restaurant, we have a responsibility to give back to the community. Everybody needs something at some point along the way — I personally have in the past, and I’m sure I will in the future.

You pay it forward because there’s no reason you shouldn’t.

On Jan. 14, Duffy’s business partner and former Grace general manager Michael Muser will host the 2018 Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence presented by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, where Duffy will present an award.

Make It Better is proud to be a media sponsor of the event; read more about it on page 24.

QUICK-FIRE ROUND Get to know Chicago’s top chef in 12 fast and furious questions.

1

Favorite takeout? Tiparo’s Thai. I’ve been getting takeout from here for 18 years now.

It’s usualy the chicken satay with peanut sauce, and I love their tom kha soup and any of their noodle dishes.

2 Best meal you’ve ever had? It was at Michel Bras in Southern France in 2004. It was the meal of a lifetime for me — it always has been and always will be.

3 What three famous people would you invite to dinner? Marilyn Manson, Jim Morrison, and Freddie Mercury.

4 If you could eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pizza.

5 Deep dish or thin crust? Thin crust from

Pequod’s. I’ve never actually ordered deep dish.

I tried it one time and I was just like, “I don’t get it — what’s the point of this?”

6 Sweet or salty? Sweet. I’m the candy guy.

I love Whoppers, Twizzlers, and Reese’s Pieces.

7 Cubs or Sox? Cubs.

8 Favorite way to unwind? In the summer, it’s

a night ride on my motorcycle. It’s a 20-minute ride home, but if I feel like I need more time on the road, I’ll take a different route. It resets me and clears my head.

9

Favorite thing about Chicago? The people are great, and the city is amazing when it’s warm out. I love the music scene, and there’s always something to do at any hour of the day.

10 Where would you live if you weren’t here?

Possibly Key West or Miami — somewhere warm where I could enjoy riding my motorcycle for more than four months out of the year.

11 What’s the last thing you splurged on?

A new bike — a BMW S 1000 RR. It’s crazy fast with amazing technology, and every detail is meticulous. I love the craftsmanship behind it.

12 Do you have names for your bikes?

My Harley is Black Beauty, and the BMW is Nosferatu, after the original Dracula.

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 41

W INE COUNTRY

CA LLING

42 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

In the wake of Northern California’s devastating fires, tourists have been canceling their trips to the wine country en masse. The irony, however, is that most Napa Valley and Sonoma County wineries were back up and running within a few weeks.

Our advice? Go now, before the crowds wise up. Uncrowded tasting rooms, grateful vintners, and glass after glass of the good stuff will greet you at every turn, starting with these five under-the-radar gems. BY DANIEL MANGIN

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 43

ack in the 1960s, winemaker Tom Eddy’s high school buds in the Northern California town of Davis took their girlfriends to dances or drive-ins, but he preferred escorting dates to the Napa Valley’s then dozen-or-so wine-tasting rooms. “Robert Mondavi, Louis Martini, Beringer, Heitz,” Eddy reminisced recently. “With a crowd around the bar you put your head down, held up your glass and they filled it.

They didn’t know you weren’t 21.”

TOM EDDY WINERY In addition to impressing companions with his savoir faire, the teenage Eddy, already planning to enroll in UC Davis’s enology program — where his classmates included Robert’s son Tim and Louis Martini’s grandson Mike — refined his palate. His excursions also reinforced his resolve to establish his own winery.

“It took a long time to have a place in Napa Valley,” concedes Eddy, who made everything from cold duck to collector-quality cabernet before establishing Tom Eddy Winery in 1991. (He still consults for other wineries and is the president of the Calistoga WineGrowers.) It wasn’t until 1999 that he and his wife, Kerry, a sommelier and artist, purchased a 22-acre hillside hideaway in Calistoga. Their winery facility, which Tom designed, didn’t open until 2014.

“I want guests to experience our journey to reach our goal, to taste it in the wines,” says Eddy. “People like to hear stories from the people who lived them, and that’s why I do most of the tastings here, to make that connection.”

Though the October fires cost the winery a building, infrastructure, and several wine lots, its namesake owner is now a few friends richer. “Huddling in a truck with 80 mph winds and a firestorm around you, you get to know your neighbors really well,” he says. tomeddywinery.com

TRES SABORES WINERY Seventeen miles south of Eddy’s operation, South Whitehall Lane zigzags southwest from Highway 29 to this secluded spot in St. Helena. Abutting part of Francis Ford Coppola’s Inglenook, owner-winemaker Julie Johnson’s 12-acre “little piece of paradise,” as she describes it, backs into the wooded foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains, which separate Napa and Sonoma counties.

Johnson entered the wine world in 1981 when she, thenhusband John Williams and Larry Turley started Frog’s Leap Winery — Johnson was the first paid employee. Organic farming was an early priority at Frog’s Leap; the southern St. Helena land Tres Sabores occupies, purchased in the mid-1980s, has been certified organic for more than a quarter-century.

One pleasure of visiting the dry-farmed property at Tres Sabores, is discovering how fully integrated its ecosystem has become. Sheep mow the hillside, diverse plants attract beneficial insects and bluebirds gobble up predator bugs 44 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

and ward off grape-loving avian species. Come harvesttime, Johnson’s heaping compost pile oozes with deep-purple pomace. Miraculously spared by the fires thanks to incessant bombardments of water and flame retardant, the vineyards are as beautiful as ever as the 2018 growing season begins.

Most tastings at Tres Sabores (Spanish for “three flavors”) take place outdoors at vineyard’s-edge patio tables with views east across the Napa Valley. The winery lies within the Rutherford appellation, world-famous for cabernet sauvignon. Johnson crafts an earthier, less fruit-forward version than some of her neighbors do, along with zinfandel, a Rutherford rarity. The other red highlight is a dry-farmed Calistoga petite sirah. tressabores.com

ZIALENA WINERY Respect for their family’s legacy motivated Lisa Mazzoni and her brother, winemaker Mark Mazzoni, to establish Geyserville’s Zialena. The siblings’ great-grandfather Giuseppe Mazzoni emigrated from Italy to grow grapes and make wine at Italian Swiss Colony, then California’s largest wine producer, before starting his own winery in the early 1900s.

The Mazzoni clan survived Prohibition selling grapes to Italian families in San Francisco and Marin, who used them to make the 200 gallons of wine then permitted yearly for home consumption. Third-generation member Mike Mazzoni, 73, confesses that his late older brother, a lawyer who “could guilt you with a smile,” wheedled him into carrying on the family business, by the late 1970s focused solely on grape-growing. These days most of the cabernet sauvignon from Mike’s 120-acre vineyard goes to Healdsburg’s Jordan winery for its flagship Alexander Valley blend.

“My uncle’s sense of family legacy impacted all of us,” says Mark. The proof is inside Zialena’s new metal-and-glass tasting room, where a green gallon jug that in the 1960s held a dollar’s worth of Giuseppe Mazzoni burgundy is displayed alongside 100 percent cabernet from the winery’s debut 2012 vintage, crafted from grapes Mike grew steps away.

“For Lisa and me, Zialena represents both a continuation and updating of family tradition,” Mark says, emphasizing that the inexpensive burgundy made possible the silkysmooth cabernet we’re enjoying. Lisa, who has an MBA and runs the business, says they named the winery after their great-aunt Lena (zia means “aunt” in Italian) to honor the hard work of previous generations and to acknowledge the women, who “perhaps weren’t appreciated as much as they should have been.” Mazzoni Vineyard and Aunt Lena’s namesake winery came through the fires unscathed. And though “business is definitely down, we’re optimistic that traffic will be back to normal soon,” says Lisa. zialena.com

LASSETER FAMILY WINERY In 2002, when Nancy Lasseter and her husband, John, of Pixar fame, purchased the first of three parcels that evolved into Lasseter Family Winery, they found the Glen Ellen property’s history intriguing yet unsettling. French

ROBERT HOLMES (OPENER, ZIALENA); CHICK HARRITY (TOM EDDY)

Clockwise from top left: Julie Johnson in the Tres Sabores vineyard; more Tres Sabores vines; pouring a 2012 Zialena zin; Tom Eddy established his winery in 1991; a cave on the Tom Eddy property.

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 45

immigrants made wine on this site a century ago but, says Nancy, “super-bad juju” from a 1989 murder here permeated the place. And the vines suffered from severe neglect.

To reverse the juju, Lasseter solicited a spirit cleanser and a medium, but even before their ministrations she began visualizing the property’s transformation into a healthier environment. As with Tres Sabores, 15 years later the ecosystem of vineyard and supporting flora and fauna feels fully integrated, albeit more pristinely manicured than Tres Sabores.

After observing thriving grapevines just after last year’s harvest, it didn’t surprise me to learn that Phil Coturri, Sonoma County’s preeminent organic vineyardist, manages them. (Coincidentally, he’d planted most of them for a previous corporate owner.) One lure for Coturri, a fan of grenache, was the property’s five different clones of that Rhône varietal, which winemaker Julia Iantosca uses to great effect in the Chemin de Fer blend, which also includes estate-grown syrah and mourvèdre.

Iantosca, a 30-year Napa and Sonoma veteran, says the Lasseters are willing to learn but are specific about their preferences. To illustrate the latter point, the winemaker recalls balking a decade ago when John proposed making rosé, at the time out of vogue. “John jokingly told me, ‘I think I have a good feeling for what the American public likes,’ and sure enough a year and a half later Wine Spectator has rosé on the cover talking about a renaissance.”

The “reverse juju” efforts appear to have worked, as the fires burned to within inches of Lasseter’s large stone gate but spared the vineyards and winery. lasseterfamilywinery.com Left to right: Westwood Estate’s Ben Cane; Lasseter Family Winery

WESTWOOD ESTATE A wine-biz pal encouraged me last year to check out this small Sonoma winery, which was just releasing its 2014 reds, the first vintage by Australian-born Ben Cane (formerly of

46 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Silver Oak’s Twomey label, and in consultation with David Ramey, a titan among California winemakers). My mission at Westwood’s tasting salon off Sonoma Plaza was only to sample pinot noirs, but I was so blown away that I arranged to explore the nearly equal number of Rhône-varietal offerings.

What impressed me about all the wines was how thoughtfully conceived they were: “serene but not demure, old-world in style yet Californian in spirit,” read my notes. The wines truly felt of the same place, in this case Westwood’s Annadel Gap Vineyard, sandwiched on 37 acres (23 planted) north of Kenwood between Hood Mountain and hilly Annadel State Park.

As I walked the vineyard (which isn’t open to the public) earlier this year with Cane, I noticed that air funnels through the titular gap in a singular way, with foggy Pacific coast morning winds giving way to afternoon San Pablo Bay breezes. The wind makes it possible to grow pinot well despite higher temperatures than, for instance, the Sonoma Coast, but also Rhône grapes and even heat-loving cabernet.

Because firefighters evacuated several miles surrounding the vineyard, Cane didn’t know for a week that it had survived. The same heavy winds that spread the fires may have protected the remaining unharvested grapes, coating them with a layer of heavy dust that prevented smoke damage.

When I ask Cane if he and Ramey ever disagree over final blends, he deflects the question with a laugh but answers two I’ve been puzzling over. One is how Cane and Ramey pulled off such marvelously balanced wines; the other is what’s a consultant’s contribution when the house winemaker has stature as well. “He’s more about texture and mouthfeel, while I’m about aromatics and fruit,” Cane says, naming four key components that in harmony make for a satisfying wine.

With such complementary emphases, two pros really would be better than one. westwoodwine.com

From top: A deck at Archer Hotel; Ink House in St. Helena; Acumen Wine Gallery.

Open for Business

The Napa Valley may be known for its grapes, but vineyard-hopping is just a sip of the full experience.

Here, the hottest places to eat, drink, and sleep.

BY DANIEL MANGIN

• COMPLINE Two sommeliers with impeccable cred cooked up this combo wine bar, shop and restaurant in downtown Napa, where gourmet comfort food is on the menu and master sommelier Matt Stamp’s globally oriented wine classes draw beginners, collectors and professionals. complinewine.com

• THE SAINT Sommelier Toby DeVore and wife Lisa opened The Saint wine bar inside the stone-walled 1890 Bank of St. Helena building. Comparative tastings might include a Napa cab or dolcetto alongside its French or Italian equivalent. thesaintnapavalley.com

• ACUMEN WINE GALLERY Cabernet sauvignons poured at this downtown Napa spot come from Atlas Peak appellation grapes. These beautifully crafted old-fashioned Napa Valley wines more than live up to the swank gallery/lounge setting. acumenwine.com

• INK HOUSE The Castellucci family strives to provide the ultimate luxury experience — at $1,000-plus per night — at this lavishly renovated 1885 Italianate in St. Helena. Elvis slept here in 1960, but Graceland this definitely isn’t. inkhousenapavalley.com

• ARCHER HOTEL NAPA The entryway at this haute boutique hotel mimics a grape arbor, one among many Napacentric flourishes throughout the five-story structure. Views of the valley itself unfold from the rooftop restaurant and bar.

Chef Charlie Palmer does the food. archerhotel.com/napa

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PHOTO CREDIT

48 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY Y 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

The

Science of Healing Naturally The country’s leading experts on integrative medicine reveal how what we eat and how we think can alleviate many common ailments, prevent chronic disease — and even alter our DNA.

BY NAN FOSTER • ILLUSTRATIONS BY STEPHANIE DALTON COWAN

ood swings, pants that no longer button, pain, embarra ssing digestive woes, spaciness — while these symptoms may seem like minor disturbances, they can also be your body’s way of telling you that something is up, perhaps even indicating more serious trouble to come. These issues may be varied, but the root cause is often the same: inflammation, which, if ignored, can lead to obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, depression, cancer and heart disease. And while inflammation can be caused by many of life’s strains — toxins, environmental pollution, hormone imbalances, viruses, and certain medications such as antibiotics and NSAIDs — two of the biggest offenders are mood and food.

“The way you live your life, the relationships you maintain, and the things you eat and drink all contribute to the body’s natural ability to heal,” says Melinda Ring, MD, executive medical director at Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern University. The good news: You can reverse inflammation — and the damage it can cause — with smart lifestyle choices.

Keep reading to better understand the connections between what you eat, how you think, and your well-being — and learn the

research-driven strategies that turn back the clock on chronic symptoms and prevent disease, dramatically improving your health.

MOOD

“Calming the mind is as important to our overall health as healthy food is to managing inflammation,” says Sonia Oyola, MD, director family medicine clerkship at the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago and founder of Be Alright, a nonprofit organization that supports survivors of domestic violence and Chicago-area domestic violence shelters.

Stress reduction is a huge part of that, but “research has uncovered that it’s not simply an event that causes stress,” says Elson Haas, M.D., founder and director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin, a 32-year-old integrative medicine facility in San Rafael, California.

“It’s the way you interpret the event that affects your stress response, your sense of control, resilience, attitude, behaviors, and, ultimately, your health.”

While we’ve evolved to recover from the short bouts of agitation and fear needed to dodge a saber-toothed tiger or face a looming M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 49

deadline, the body is not so good at dealing with unresolved conflict. As stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline are released over an extended time, inflammation ensues. The aphorism “never go to bed angry” directly applies to good health: A recent study at Ohio State University’s Institute for Behavior Medicine Research found that a stressful day today obstructs the bodily benefits of a healthful meal tomorrow.

Here, smart strategies that promise to keep life’s daily pressures from sabotaging our most healthful pursuits.

Practice Positivity

Recent major-university research in neuroscience and positive psychology has examined how emotions impact our physiology. As one might expect, toxic thoughts and emotions such as chronic anger, loneliness, stress, shame and

While we’ve evolved to recover from the short bouts of agitation and fear needed to dodge a saber-toothed tiger or face a looming deadline, the body is not so good at dealing with unresolved conflict. sadness cause inflammation, hormone imbalances, impaired immunity, blood pressure elevation, high cholesterol and illnesses ranging from heart disease and cancer to depression.

Conversely, states of calmness, mindfulness and happiness have profound positive benefits, from improved sleep and energy to better cancer survival rates, longer telomeres (the end pieces of DNA that shorten as we age) and even a reversal of the damage wrought by negative thoughts and emotions.

Contentment literally works at the cellular level, balancing the immune system and safeguarding us against stress.

In one study at the University of Pittsburgh, 350 adults rated their experience with nine positive emotions including feeling energetic, pleased and calm, before being exposed to the common cold. Those with the highest positive scores were least likely to become sick after infection. In another study, 81 graduate students undergoing the same type of assessment received a hepatitis B vaccine. Again, those with the most positive experiences were two times likelier to have a high antibody response to the vaccine, a sign of a hardy immune system. Other studies found that positivity lowered the incidence of long-term health conditions and extended life by seven to 10 years.

For another mind-body example, consider the placebo effect. Sometimes when study subjects believe they are receiving medicine, but are actually administered dummy 50 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

pills, they recover from an illness any way. The simple belief in a positive outcome produced an immune recharge.

Think about it: when was the last time you got sick just before a vacation?

Cultivate Calm

Our current culture keeps us extremely busy and just a few minutes a day of calming practices can improve mood and immunity. “From a peaceful center, we can respond instead of react,” says Jack Kornfield, Ph.D., meditation teacher, author, Buddhist elder and founder of the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. “Unconscious reactions and fear create problems. Considered and compassionate responses bring peace. With a peaceful and kind heart, whatever happens can be met with wisdom.”

Meditation allows us to calm the body and eavesdrop on our ever-present mind chatter, improving our ability to stay focused on the present and freeing us from attachments to past and future worries, to-do lists and other anxietyprovoking ideas. Yoga, a moving form of meditation, offers similar calming benefits plus improved muscle tone, balance and lymphatic circulation to aid the immune system.

Such practices also produce physiological changes in the brain. A recent study at Harvard University found that just 27 minutes per day of mindfulness meditation significantly increased the gray matter of the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with compassion and introspection, and decreased gray matter in the amygdala, the brain’s anxiety and stress center.

According to the National Institutes of Health, this increase in gray matter can also reduce chronic pain and depression. As if that wasn’t enough, both meditation and yoga flood the brain and body with feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones, such as serotonin, melatonin, DHEA and endorphins, and the practices lower the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, thereby improving mood and energy, decreasing inflammation and enabling the immune system and organs to do their best. If you aren’t a yogi or a meditator, physical exercise, laughter, dance and singing are effective alternatives.

Embrace Your Emotions

As I write in my book Gutsy, so much of what we think and feel comes from habit — a set of behaviors, emotional reactions, beliefs and perceptions that are on autopilot. It takes continual prioritization in even a small part of your daily activities to turn new mood-boosting practices into healthy habits. The rewards are well worth the effort. “It’s like building an anti-stress muscle — the more you practice,

Happiness Boosters

the more fit and prepared you become in managing stressful moments,” says Oyola. She also recommends that we slow down, rest and sleep seven to nine hours for similar benefits.

With all this talk about happiness, though, it is important to note that well-being is not about being cheerful all the time. Studies show maintaining a range of emotions helps us actually experience happiness and keeps us from becoming manic. The aim is not to erase negative feelings, but rather to add more peace, awareness and joy to life for a shift in perspective and health.

FOOD

Dairy and meat served with a dose of antibiotics and hormones? Veggies soaked in pesticides? Packaged foods rich in chemicals and hydrogenated fats? No thanks.

Unfortunately, for the sake of price, taste, texture, and shelf stability, the food industry has adulterated much of our food with inflammation-causing fats, sugar, chemicals, herbicides and pesticides.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the average American now eats 50 pounds of chemicals and 150 pounds of sugar annually. Though Americans are overfed, we are actually undernourished. How do you explain away those excess pounds, frequent headaches, afternoon energy crashes, acne, sluggish thyroid, bouts of anxiety, depression and other problems? Do you chalk them up to aging? What is actually going on inside the body to cause these disturbances?

So often when troublesome symptoms arise, a diagnosis is made and medication prescribed without any investigation into the root cause. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently discovered that 80 percent of cancers can be traced to toxins, in both our environment and our food. Fortunately, the power to reverse symptoms and prevent disease is in your hands and on your plate.

Regularly engaging in stress-reducing mental exercises is like an emotional detox, disrupting habitual negative thought patterns, promoting joy and enabling the body to thrive. Regardless of your disposition, you can develop more positivity, nudging your emotional state in order to improve your health, by fostering “learned optimism” — a positive psychology concept — to bring about more joy. Here, 10 ways to do just that.

1. MAKE CONNECTIONS Relationships with other creatures (animal or human) are one of the primary ways we find happiness. Connection elicits positive emotions and releases the feel-good hormones serotonin, oxytocin and endorphins. To connect with an animal, volunteer or visit a local shelter. Three great ones: Felines and Canines in Edgewater (felinescanines.org), PAWS Chicago in Lincoln Park (pawschicago.org), and Wright-Way Rescue in Morton Grove (wright-wayrescue.org).

2. SERVE OTHERS Like connection, philanthropic pursuits build feelings of happiness as well as purpose and meaning. My top pick for volunteering: Culinary Care, located in Chicago, where volunteers can help bring joy, care, and the nourishment of a free meal to cancer patients and their families.

Visit culinarycare.org for information.

3. MOVE IT Physical exercise relieves stress, raises endorphins that boost mood, helps flush toxins through increased circulation and sweat and reduces inflammation, provided we don’t overdo it. Also, studies show that the sense of accomplishment in achieving an exercise goal gives us a feeling of happiness.

4. BREATHE DEEPLY Deep diaphragmatic breathing, allowing the belly to expand, calms the mind and the sympathetic nervous system involved in the fight-or-flight response and can lower blood pressure and heart rate.

5. HUG IT OUT Research shows that giving and/or receiving four hugs daily increases the happiness hormones serotonin and oxytocin. Extra points for genuine embraces, not shoulder squeezes.

6. LAUGH Giving yourself over to comedy provides great brain “workouts” that can improve everything from happiness hormone levels to heart health.

7. STOP COMPLAINING Try going an hour without grumbling and grousing, and focus on the positive things in your life. Next, try a day, a week, and so on.

Eat Clean

The food we eat literally becomes our blood, our cells and our tissues, and what you choose to consume is critical to feeling well both physiologically and emotionally. Like smoking, eating inflammatory foods (e.g., nonorganic foods, GMO foods, processed foods, sugar, and for some people, gluten and dairy products) can brew trouble, including overproduction of free radicals, hormone imbalances and changes in gene expression, all of which can lead to inflammation. Food can also impact the microbiome — the 100 trillion microbes living in the gut that serve as the epicenter of immunity and emotional wellness — allowing harmful bacteria to flourish.

Fortunately, nature provides us w ith many foods filled with natural agents that calm the genes coding for

8. CHALLENGE NEGATIVE THINKING For example, think back to times when you were sure disaster would prevail, only to find that nothing bad happened. This is important for those of us who think in black/white and always/never terms.

9. REPLACE, DON’T ERASE It is important to note that squelching thoughts doesn’t work. The mind does not understand not thinking about something. For example, when we think, “I am not going to think about having that vanilla latte,” that’s then exactly what we do think about. Rather than try to ignore certain thoughts, focus on substituting new thoughts; think of finding a great healthy smoothie, for instance, versus banishing the vanilla latte.

10. SHARE GOOD NEWS Studies show that simply telling someone about a happy event brings — you guessed it — even more happiness.

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Lasting Impact Over the past decade, groundbreaking research in the field of epigenetics — the study of the on/off switches in our DNA — has revealed that our diet, emotions and lifestyle choices play a significant role in the expression of our genes, influencing almost every aspect of our health. Toxins can switch on “bad genes” that code for inflammation and diseases, causing those genes to become expressed. Conversely, healthful compounds such as plant phytonutrients can turn those genes off.

As described by Deepak Chopra, MD, and Rudy Tanzi, PhD, in their latest book, Super Genes: Unlock the Astonishing Power of Your DNA for Optimum Health and Well-Being, up to 95 percent of threatening gene mutations are influenced by our lifestyle choices. Healthy habits can literally change the course of our health.

For example, the emotional stresses of road rage, a frustrating job or loneliness can negatively impact our gene expression much like that of processed foods high in chemicals, pesticides and sugar. On the other hand, healthy relationships, exercise, gratitude and a calm, positive outlook can mimic the protective genetic influence of green leafy vegetables. We are not stuck in a particular genetic destiny as was once thought to be the case. And because genetic expression is hereditary, our choices affect generations to come.

Nan Foster is an integrative health coach living in Marin county, California, and author of Gutsy: The Food-Mood Method to Revitalize Your Health Beyond Conventional Medicine. For more information, visit nanfosterhealth.com.

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inflammation, such as leafy greens, berries, herbs, spices, garlic and green tea, to name a few. “We know, and research confirms, that good food is good medicine,” says Melinda Ring, MD, executive medical director at Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern University. “Break out of your food funk by shopping at your local farmers’ market or trying a new vegetable in the produce section. Focus on how your food makes you feel.”

“Food solutions can dramatically reduce your risk of disease as well as help heal existing conditions and discomforts,” says Rebecca Katz, nutritionist and cookbook author.

“So many common foods — everything from broccoli to blueberries — have multiple disease-fighting properties [that range] from controlling inflammation to preventing cancer,” adds Katz, whose recipes are abundant in health-supportive vegetables, herbs and spices with benefits confirmed by thousands of published studies.

Rich in vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber, plant foods also help fill you up, stabilize blood sugar and curb unhealthy cravings. Aim for 2.5 to 5 cups or more of colorful veggies and some fruit daily. Eating organic is preferable, as it eliminates harmful pesticides and herbicides while maximizing nutrients from healthier soils. See how your food stacks up by visiting ewg.org/foodscores.

Choose Good Fats

Recent studies reveal that healthful fats actually douse inflammation and are essential for healthy brain and nerve function, cholesterol and hormone production and blood sugar stability. And when we consume good fats and limit simple carbs, the body naturally burns fat rather than craving sugar for energy. Beneficial fats are in food sources such as avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, and fish high in omega-3 fatty acid, including wild salmon, sardines and anchovies. Limit your intake of saturated animal fat.

And by all means, avoid artery-clogging hydrogenated “trans” fats used in processed foods and yellow vegetable oils (e.g., corn and soy) and spreads.

Ditch Sugar

By now most of us know we should avoid the sweet stuff.

Devoid of nutrients and a big cause of inflammation, sugar raises insulin levels and can lead to obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Every time you raise your blood glucose, you tell your body to store fat. And blood sugar highs and lows can increase anxiety and hormone imbalances that cause unhealthy food cravings, fatigue and acne. Accordingly, the American Heart Association now

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the average American now eats 50 pounds of chemicals and 150 pounds of sugar annually.

recommends limiting added sugar to 6 teaspoons (24 grams) daily for women and 9 teaspoons (36 grams) for men.

But we’re not just talking about table sugar. Simple carbs that are quickly digested into sugar also put us at risk, including soda, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, alcohol, and refined flours in bread, bagels, pizza, pasta, pretzels and baked desserts. Instead, choose complex carbs such as whole grains, vegetables, and legumes high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and protective phytonutrients. To satisfy a sweet tooth, try fruit, sweet potatoes, caramelized onions and a square of dark chocolate (70 percent or higher).

Prioritize Protein

Critical to every cell in the body, protein helps build muscles, supports brain function and digestion and balances hormones and mood; it also helps stabilize blood sugar and boosts metabolism and immunity. Eating protein at every meal can help increase satiety and curb sugar cravings. As for how many grams of protein per day you should aim to be eating, figure .36 per pound of your body weight. Be sure to choose high-quality protein sources: grass-fed meats, organic eggs or poultry, organic dairy and wild-caught fish contain more trace minerals, vitamins and healthy fatty acids and fewer pollutants, heavy metals, hormones and antibiotics than their conventionally farmed counterparts.

Plant foods such as beans, rice, quinoa and kale also provide some protein.

Eliminate Intolerances

Food intolerances, detrimental inflammatory reactions to certain foods, now plague 75 percent of us. Like chemicals, food containing dairy, gluten, soy, corn and yeast as well as eggs and nightshade vegetables can cause the microbiome to become imbalanced and the digestive lining to become

inf lamed and leaky. Way ward food particles can then migrate to the bloodstream, where immune cells mount attacks on the food and, inadvertently, on certain tissues and organs. The result: joint pain, muscle aches, constipation, diarrhea, rashes, autoimmune diseases, asthma and hyperactivity. Even cancer risk may increase as determined

by Alessio Fasano, chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at MassGeneral Hospital for Children. Since we are each bio-individuals, determining the root cause of your particular food-symptom connection is essential, which you can do by conducting an elimination diet. In my book Gutsy, I discuss my own challenges with lupus and arthritis and complete recovery after discovering a gluten intolerance, as well as similar stories shared by others. A food elimination plan (included in the book) or specialized testing can help you pinpoint any offending foods. “In general, a hypoallergenic diet (one free of your known triggers) that doesn’t cause inflammation gives your immune system the best support,” states Haas.

Learn Your Metabolic Type

Many struggles with weight loss can also be attributed to inflammation with its link to insulin and leptin, hormones that control blood sugar, appetite and metabolism.

“Metabolic type is the characteristic way in which a person responds to and metabolizes food,” says James Haig, nutrition consultant, health educator, and owner of Metabolic Balance in San Rafael, California. Certain foods like whole grains, fruit and even protein may help control inflammation in some but actually exacerbate inflammation in others, which may explain why there is so much conflicting information about diet and weight loss.

Haig determines metabolic type by simple, in-office testing revolving around a modified glucose challenge. “Once [a person’s type is] known, I can recommend appropriate foods to minimize an inflammatory response and maximize an anti-inflammatory defense,” he says. “When this occurs, energy and weight tend to stabilize; cravings are minimized; there’s more resilience in the face of stress; and health challenges are handled more effectively.” Ultimately, along with the adage “you are what you eat,” it’s important to remember that everybody is different. The bottom line?

Understanding the way you respond to the foods you consume is key to improving your well-being.

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Love, Chicago

Four sets of newlyweds share the stories of their unions, adding to the patchwork of personal, beautiful, and truly unforgettable ways our city’s sweethearts say I do. BY CARA SULLIVAN 54 JJAN A N UARY/ U A R Y F2EB 0 1 RUARY 6 M A R 2018 I N M A K E IT B E T T E R

We’ll revisit [the Botanic Garden] for the rest of our lives.

VENUE Chicago Botanic Garden PHOTOGRAPHY Elena Bazini EVENT PLANNING AND DESIGN Jaci Weber of Clementine Custom Events CATERING Chicago Botanic Garden FLORALS Edwards Florist ENTERTAINMENT TVK Orchestra INVITATIONS Wedding Paper Divas HAIR AND MAKEUP Sonia Roselli Beauty DRESS Alvina Valenta ATTENDANTS Brideside

Natalie Stone + Caleb Pearson

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Chicago Botanic Garden, August 26, 2017 sends you a sign, you take note — and if you don’t? No worries, it’ll just send you another. Such is the case of Natalie and Caleb, who worked together in New York City, but didn’t realize they had a romantic connection until the universe stepped in and moved Caleb right across the street from his future bride. “We kept our relationship a secret from our coworkers for an entire year, until we had to announce that we were leaving the company and moving to Chicago together,” says Natalie, a former Make it Better intern. “To this day, we have no idea how we dated — and even lived together — for so long without anyone finding out about us.” Once the lovebirds came clean to their colleagues and moved to Chicago, Natalie’s hometown, they wasted no time making their intentions clear.

“Caleb moved to Chicago a month before me, and the night I flew in, he proposed,” she remembers. A little over a year later, the wedding festivities began with a rehearsal dinner at the Deerpath Inn in Lake Forest. The following evening, surrounded by 175 guests, the pair tied the knot in a ceremony officiated by a mutual friend at the Chicago Botanic Garden. “We fell in love with the venue because we will be able to revisit it and have that memory for the rest of our lives, which isn’t possible at a lot of other places,” says Natalie. Cocktails, dinner and dancing soon followed, punctuated by memorable speeches and late-night ice cream cones. The highlight of the night? A photo booth, which the couple ordered on a whim at the very last moment (surely, another sign from the universe). “We weren’t planning on having one, but looking through all the pictures on the day after the wedding ended up being one of our favorite moments,” says Natalie. “It was so surreal to see people who didn’t previously know each other having so much fun together.”

H EN TH E U N I V ER SE

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VENUE Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum PHOTOGRAPHY Husar Photography VIDEOGRAPHY Key Moments Film EVENT PLANNING AND DESIGN Heather Vickery of Greatest Expectations CATERING Limelight Catering FLORALS HMR Designs RENTALS HMR Designs / Tablescapes ENTERTAINMENT The Union INVITATIONS Magnificent Milestones HAIR M: Fridah Shirazi; C: Maggie Murphy MAKEUP M: Debra Petrielli; C: Amy Spagnoli FORMALWEAR Bespoke suits by Sam Koi

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Melissa Parker + Caitlin Robinson

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Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, June 18, 2016 F SURPRISES A RE the spice of life, then Melissa and Caitlin are

doing something right. Hitting it off — ­ and knowing they had something special — within minutes of meeting was the first unexpected delight of their relationship. A year later, along came the second surprise: “Caitlin asked me to marry her on a Friday night along the Chicago riverwalk,” says Melissa. “The next morning, I asked her to marry me by blindfolding her and taking her to her favorite place in the whole world, Wrigley Field.” Number three showed up in the form of their wedding venue. “We visited a number of locations with our planner, Heather, before deciding on the Nature Museum,” says Melissa. “She’d suggested it right away and we said no, but she was right!” With a location booked, the couple wasted no time planning the rest of their details, including a rehearsal dinner at Dinosaur BBQ in Lincoln Park. And then, a year after getting engaged, Caitlin and Melissa exchanged self-penned vows in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in front of 225 of their friends and family. Cocktails, dinner, and dancing soon followed, and then it was time for surprise number four, this time to the delight of their guests: a choreographed dance to the song “Now That We Found Love” by Heavy D & the Boyz.

“The looks on everyone’s faces as we danced said it all — no one would have ever guessed that Caitlin would do that,” says Melissa. Number five was the wedding cake, a gluten-free confection with a rainbow pattern hidden inside. Number six? The accompanying ice cream sundaes, served ballpark-style in little Cubs hats, a curveball from Melissa to Caitlin. And finally, to round out the evening, lucky number seven: “A recap video of the day produced by the videographers on site and shown to guests at the end of the reception,” says Melissa. As for surprise number eight? We’ll let you know when we do!

Our wedding cake had a rainbow hidden inside — such a fun surprise for our guests.

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Young Moon + Matthew Saretsky

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Chicago Cultural Center, October 29, 2016 F YOU’VE EVER needed proof that opposites attract, here it is: When Young

and Matthew first met, in a 65-student section during their first year at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, “Young was an ostensibly serious student, sitting in the front row of each class and furiously typing notes on her laptop, whereas I sat quietly in the back of the class with a pen and pad of paper,” says Matthew. And yet, three-and-a-half years later, during a weekend trip to Sedona, Matthew found himself down on one knee asking Young to marry him. After a heartfelt YES, the Midwest natives agreed that a fall wedding in an iconic Windy City location best reflected their vision and aesthetic, and plans for a celebration at the Chicago Cultural Center were soon underway. Thirteen months later, on a Friday night in late October, guests from near and far came together for a rehearsal dinner at Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! in Lincoln Park. The next day, with 265 of their loved ones looking on, Young walked down the aisle to her favorite piece by Debussy, and the couple sealed the deal in a ceremony that blended both Catholic and Jewish traditions. “We also lit a candle in memory of my mother, who passed away just three months before the wedding,” says Young. Guests were treated to a paebek, or ancient Korean wedding ceremony, during cocktail hour, and then it was time for dinner and dancing to everything from Motown to Top 40 hits. “My favorite part of the night was seeing so many friends and family from different geographies and time periods in our lives,” says Matthew. “It was so humbling to know that everyone made the effort to celebrate with us.” As the night wound down, guests were treated to Chicago-style hot dogs and Detroit Coney dogs, late-night snacks as opposite — and yet perfectly complementary — as the happy couple themselves.

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It was so humbling to know that everyone there had made the effort to come celebrate with us.

VENUE Chicago Cultural Center PHOTOGRAPHY Riverbend Studio VIDEOGRAPHY Wholehearted Wedding Films EVENT PLANNING Kayla Mousser of Big City Bride CATERING Limelight Catering DECOR K.LA Designs LIGHTING VLS Lighting ENTERTAINMENT TVK Orchestra HAIR Tamara Makeup + Hair Artistry MAKEUP Juli Valdez DRESS Carolina Herrera

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Honeymoon Specs

To celebrate their just-married status, each set of newlyweds took off on a journey as unique as their love. (Warning: Wanderlust ahead!)

Natural Wonder

Epicurean Delight

WHO Caitlin and Melissa WHEN June

WHO Natalie and Timothy WHEN

2016; one month after their wedding

September 2017; two days after their wedding WHERE France (Paris, Provence and Eze) and Italy (Positano, Capri and Rome) WHY “We’ve traveled a lot together and learned that what we really care most about is food and wine — so it only made sense to visit these two countries,“ says Natalie. HOW LONG Three weeks THE HIGHLIGHT “Two of the hotels we stayed at — Château de Berne in Provence, and Chèvre d’or in Eze — were heaven on earth,” she says.

“The Château de Berne had everything you could possibly want in one place, and there was a view of the entire Riviera from Chèvre d’or.”

WHERE San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and

Yosemite National Park WHY “We wanted to be able to relax while also being active outdoors, and California was the perfect place for that,” says Caitlin. HOW LONG One week THE HIGHLIGHT “Our spontaneous decision to go to Yosemite,“ she says. “Hiking the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls was absolutely beautiful — while somewhat scary — and the view from above was spectacular.”

Ancestral Adventure WHO Natalie and Caleb WHEN August

2017; two days after their wedding WHERE Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome and Praiano) and France (Paris) WHY “Natalie recently became an Italian citizen through her dad, but neither of us had been to Italy before,” says Caleb. “We wanted a mix of great food, culture, and beautiful scenery, and Italy provided that. On our way home, we stopped in Paris for a romantic — yet rain-filled — weekend.” HOW LONG Two weeks THE HIGHLIGHT “In Praiano, we had a Jacuzzi on our balcony overlooking the Amalfi Coast,” says Natalie. “It was amazing to come home to after a day of hiking.”

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Escape to Shangri-La WHO Young and Matthew WHEN October 2016; two days after their wedding WHERE The Maldives and Sri Lanka WHY “We wanted to travel as far as we could to spend time together at a beach away from the hustle-bustle of everyday life, so we chose the Maldives,” says Young.

“We stopped in Sri Lanka for the culture — and of course the delicious curries.” HOW LONG 11 days THE HIGHLIGHT “The sunrises and sunsets in the Maldives were incredible,” she says. “We’ve traveled extensively, and it was still one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever been.”

L E A D I N G L A D Y. F I R S T L A D Y. Y O U R L A D Y.

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The Wedding Planner Make your day special with the experts on the following pages.

BRIDAL WEAR Mira Couture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 CATERING Kaufman’s Delicatessen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 FLORAL DESIGN FlowersFlowers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 TRAVEL Kathryn Theodore Travel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 VENUES Lacuna Lofts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Stone Terrace B&B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

WEDDING GUIDE

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Mira Couture BRIDAL BOUTIQUE AND HOUSE OF CUSTOM COUTURE 1E Delaware Pl Mezzanine Floor Chicago, IL 312.255.1699 miracouture.com

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ocated on the corner of State & Delaware in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast District, Mira Couture is renowned for its in house custom design in womens clothing and bridal as well as impeccable tailoring, fine fabrics and personalized customer service.

Founded by Mira Horoszowski in 1970, the salon started in Glenview in the North Shore.

As time passed and the business grew, Mira moved the business downtown. Mira Couture expanded and began carrying a careful selection of bridal collections from the top designers in addition to continuing to do custom design in house.

In 2014, after many years of designing and managing the boutique, Julie Mersine became the current owner. A graduate of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a passion for all things bridal, Mira Couture was a natural fit. The culmination of Mira’s wisdom and expertise combined with Julie’s fresh perspective and new designs are a match made in heaven.

Mira Couture carries collections such as Atelier Pronovias, Martina Liana, Paloma Blanca, Netta Benshabu, Stephen Yearick and more. The boutique also offers in house alterations by a team of highly skilled dressmakers, personalizing in custom design services and a spectacular collection of formal wear, cocktail dresses and custom suits—truly a one-stopshop for brides, mothers-of-the-bride and groom and fashionistas alike.

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FlowersFlowers

PHOTO BY: JACLYN SIMPSON

EXCEPTIONAL AWARD WINNING FLORIST FlowersFlowers is one of the most highly respected wedding florists in Chicago’s North Shore. Our stunning designs often include unique, novelty blooms alongside classics. With glowing client reviews, we consistently win Make it Better’s “Best Of ” recognition along with awards from The Knot.

Providing exquisite designs and flowers of the highest quality, your wedding flowers, and memories, will be enchanting.

1110 Davis Street • Evanston, IL 60201 847.328.7110 • flowers-flowers.com

Lacuna Lofts

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BEAUTIFUL, RUSTIC AND ONE OF A KIND

acuna Lofts, located just 10mins from the loop, is the ideal destination for events but when it comes to a well executed wedding in a unique venue - there is no competition. Whether Reverie Gallery, Blank Canvas Gallery, or The Skydeck rooftop with unobstructed views of the Chicago skyline, Lacuna’s overall aesthetic and artistic foundation is one-of-a-kind with no parallels to draw from. In-house catering and event coordination by LM enures seasoned professionals ready at the helm from site visit to wedding day, no detail too small or request too big. Driven by passion and purpose, we make dreams come true with seamless execution.”

Photo by Ed & Aileen Photography

2150 S Canalport Ave • Chicago, IL 773.609.5638 • lacuna2150.com

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WEDDING GUIDE

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WEDDING GUIDE

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KAUFMAN’S NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER’S DELI 4905 West Dempster St Skokie, IL 847.677.9880 kaufmansdeli.com

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ooking for a unique, intimate venue for your rehearsal dinner – inviting and comfortable where you can design your own menu? Perhaps an exquisite wedding cake? Welcome to Kaufman’s. Nationally recognized for its deli and bakery counters, Kaufman’s is now available for events.

With great excitement we are introducing new additions to our team. Leading our kitchen is Jesse Williams, whose specialty is Jewish comfort food with refreshing new spins - salads, hearty soups - even a mini potato pancake bar, Jessie’s got it covered; she’s innovative and creative. Jessie comes to us after time spent at Pastoral, Appellation, Floriole, Birchwood Kitchen, and LEYE. Leading our sweet shop is Pedro Gomez – Pastry Chef Extraordinaire.

Trained at the French Pastry School, Pedro has honed his skills at places like Va Pensiero, Bittersweet, Callahan Catering and LEYE. Trained in the European style, Pedro’s pastry is exquisite. He has won Silver twice in national competitions for chocolate sculpture, pulled sugar, cakes, design and presentation. Rounding out the group is Daniel Michaels - a Pastry Chef from the hotel industry. Originally from Indiana, he has traveled extensively learning his craft. Passionate about both pastry and bread, Daniel is Cordon Bleu trained in Culinary Arts and most recently comes from stints at the W Hotel on Vieques Island, the Fairmont Hotel and Marche.

Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it at Kaufman’s.

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Stone Porch and Stone Terrace

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THE BEST IS YET TO COME

ay “I do” in one of two historically elegant mansions in Evanston that overlook Lake Michigan, and have been fully renovated with numerous modern upgrades and historic details. Stone Terrace B&B and Stone Porch B&B each feature five luxurious guest suites, the finest amenities, and exceptional personalized service. Enjoy an intimate wedding, bridal shower, or cocktail party on Stone Terrace’s magnificent outdoor terrace and garden, or on Stone Porch’s inviting bluestone patio with a 15-foot stone fireplace, outdoor eating area and garden. Both offer distinctive year-round experiences that cannot be obtained anywhere else.

Stone Terrace • 1622 Forest Place • Evanston, IL 847.859.2198 • stoneterracebb.com

Stone Porch • 300 Church Street • Evanston, IL 847.905.0133 • stoneporchbb.com

Kathryn Theodore Travel HONEYMOONS AND DESTINATION WEDDINGS Your destination wedding, honeymoon or babymoon will most likely be the most important trip of your life. We create bespoke journeys, provide perks and VIP status, and act as your advocate. We are paid by suppliers so there is no charge to you! Planning the momentous occasions are stressful enough - let us handle everything and make it fun for you.

600 N Kingsbury Street, Suite 509 • Chicago, IL 203.805.4509 • kathryntheodoretravel.com

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WEDDING GUIDE

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H A P P I LY E V E R A F T E R B E G I N S W I T H

BreathtakingViews Discover more options — from skylines to cityscapes — to bring your wedding to life on the water.

Coming

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Destinations T H E L AT E ST LO C A L T R AV E L H OT S P OT S PLU S J O U R N E YS A RO U N D T H E G LO B E

The pool area at Four Seasons Resort Oahu.

ESCAPE AND EXPLORE

Warm winter wellness is just a flight away.

BY MIMI TOWLE, KASIA PAWLOWSKA AND ANN WYCOFF

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 73

PHOTO CREDIT

Destinations / GO BEACHES

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Hawaii

Four Seasons Resort Oahu at Ko Olina

It took the Four Seasons nearly two decades to find the best location for its Oahu property and the search was worth the wait. With a $250 million resort transformation that took 18 months, the hotel now occupies the location of the erstwhile classic Ihilani, designed by famed architect Edward A. Killingsworth in 1993. Killingsworth’s other buildings include Kahala Hilton (1964), Kapalua Bay Hotel (1977), Mauna Lani Bay Hotel and Bungalows (1983) and Halekulani (1990). Situated on one of the four pristine lagoons of the Ko Olina Resort, this new high-end Four Seasons shares a crescent-shaped white sand beach with Disney’s Aulani resort.

• EAT Mornings start with the famous over-the-top Four

Seasons buffet breakfast, offering fresh island fruit, dim sum, miso soup and other treats. Sunday’s more opulent Brunch for All Seasons includes lobster and prime rib along with a mimosa and bloody mary bar. In December, Michael Mina will be taking over Fish House, the signature open-air restaurant with views of the Pacific from every table. Diners can expect Mina’s usual culinary magic, incorporating the freshest ingredients from local organic farms, ranches and fisherman.

• FIT Besides the fitness center and beach path fronting the property, Four Seasons Oahu’s #FSWayfinder program offers many unique opportunities for guests, including hula lessons and a signature guided hike with Kumu Hula Laakea Perry to the remote Kaena Point, which features tidepools large enough to float in as well as significant cultural points historically rich enough to give you chicken skin, as the locals say.

• SPA Given the proximity to the spiritual and deeprooted Hawaiian culture of Oahu’s West Side, Naupaka Spa employs a team of authentic lomilomi practitioners who will introduce you to the true essence of this ancient healing art form. A series of treatments during your stay is highly recommended.

• DON’T MISS The Yamaguchi Salon, with visits by celebrity stylist Billy Yamaguchi, is famous for his feng shui approach to beauty. Yamaguchi, who teaches around the planet and runs one of the top salons in Southern California, is on property every month and available to Four Seasons guests.

• PROPERTY DETAILS The resort features 370 rooms (most with full ocean views), three pools with private cabanas available, five restaurants and bars and an elegant spa with yet another pool. Beach activities and gear rentals

are offered on site as well as sun-shaded lounges with amenities on the beach. Guests can also enjoy tennis courts and the Ko Olina Golf Club and Ko Olina Marina.

Ocean view rooms start at $775. fourseasons.com/oahu

Wailea Beach Resort

The newly refreshed Wailea Beach Resort has quickly become a favorite with families, groups, and couples. For years this Marriott property was known as the value spot in Wailea, surrounded by uberluxe neighbors, and with a $519 starting rate, it can still be considered priced competitively for the location. Because it is on the site of the area’s first hotel — built in 1973, before setback laws — its restaurant and guest rooms are closer to the ocean than any other lodgings on this side of the island. And since it’s in the middle of the famed Wailea Beach Path, guests can easily stroll to surrounding properties.

• EAT A pioneer of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine

movement, chef Roy Yamaguchi created Humble Market Kitchin, an open-air luxe eatery, as an ode to his grandfather Henry, who immigrated to the islands, pulling inspiration from various local cuisines — Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, native Hawaiian — to create an internationally influenced, Hawaiian-inspired menu.

• FIT On the 2.1-mile beachfront path, guests can walk, jog, jump in the water and swog (swim jog) on Wailea Beach. For more focused workouts, the gym is packed with state-of-the-art equipment.

• SPA For anyone seeking wellness in Wailea, it would be a crime not to partake in the Wailea Spa Crawl. All the participating spas are world-famous award-winning stress busters. At Fairmont Kea Lani, the signature experience is enhanced with the three Hawaiian Rain Experience Showers and the Pālolo (mud) Bar and a heated stone mud bench and foot bed. The Four Seasons spa is known for excellent therapists, and the Aquacranial treatment, which happens in the ocean, is a standout.

Spa Grande at The Grand Wailea is the largest spa in the state, with 40 treatment rooms in a 50,000-square-foot facility, and features the exclusive Healing Waters of Maui treatment, plus such aquatic offerings as a Roman tub, saunas, Swiss jet showers, a Japanese furo and five specialty baths. The Wailea Beach Resort has the MandAra Spa, inspired by the island traditions of Bali.

And the award-winning Awili Spa and Salon at Andaz Maui at Wailea is famous for its apothecary-style spin on the traditional Japanese spa experience.

• DON’T MISS Family fun here includes the longest slide on the island (325 feet); the Kolohe (translates as rascal)

Opposite, clockwise from top: A private cabana at the Four Seasons Resort Oahu; an ocean view cabana at Wailea; paddleboarding near the Four Seasons.

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Destinations / GO BEACHES

Keiki Club for little ones; GameSpace, a teen (and up) venue with foosball, billiards, shuffleboard, and vintage arcade and Xbox games; and Movie House, with a 90-foot screen, thunderous surround sound, beanbag seating for 60 and cinema snacks.

• PROPERTY DETAILS Set on 22 beachfront acres, the resort has 47 guest rooms and 56 suites, four restaurants, a Starbucks, four pools with optional private cabanas, and a fitness center. Rooms start at $519. waileabeachresort.com

Mexico

Chileno Bay Resorts and Residences

Opened in 2016, Auberge’s newest Baja California property, Chileno Bay Resorts and Residences, provides all the luxuries guests have come to expect from the Mill Valley, California–based group, plus a distinctly warm-yet-modern Mexican flair. A quick 20-minute drive from its sister hotel Esperanza, the resort boasts fine dining, loads of on-site activities and rejuvenating spa treatments, all next to one of Cabo’s most swimmable beaches.

• EAT Whether you choose to indulge on vacation or are

Opposite, clockwise from top left: Comal at Chileno Bay; rooftop view at Thompson Playa del Carmen; beach villa at Hotel del Coronado.

committed to preserving a gym-wrought body, Comal’s menu satisfies a range of cravings and desires. Helmed by chef Yvan Mucharraz, formerly of the French Laundry, the restaurant highlights innovative Latin American cuisine, from duck carnitas to the lighter cauliflower “steak” romesco, with panoramic views of the Sea of Cortez as backdrop. Designed by Los Angeles firm Gulla Jonsdottir Architecture + Design, the three-level indooroutdoor space also includes an oceanfront bar serving artisan cocktails plus a raw bar with fresh local seafood.

• FIT Chileno Bay’s tranquil waters are a great setting for first-time paddleboarders regardless of season; more adventurous types can ride one of the resort’s sea bikes.

Both boards and bikes are available at the property’s equipment center. ClassPass holders will appreciate the many fitness center group activities — TRX, yoga, Pilates and spinning, it has them all. Golfers aren’t left out either: The Tom Fazio–designed Chileno Bay course is exclusive to members and resort guests only.

• SPA The Spa in Los Cabos draws inspiration from the healing traditions of the Baja region, including handcrafted treatments infused with natural elements. Lifelong sun worshippers are invited to turn back the clock with a Blue Agave Sun Renewal massage; the head-to-toe signature service combats the harmful effects of overexposure.

Meanwhile, the Spa Journey beckons to those looking to totally zen out. Starting with a mist alcove and ending

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in a reflexology pool, the experience includes time in the aromatherapy steam room, ice fountain and salt inhalation room. Spa guests can also make use of amenities like outdoor sanctuary gardens, a hydrotherapy pool or openair treatment rooms for true Baja bliss.

• DON’T MISS Lounge poolside in one of the resort’s five private pool bungalows. Located alongside the adult pool, the bungalows feature views of the three-tiered infinityedge pool and Chileno Bay. But here’s the real draw: Bungalow reservations also get you foot massages, oxygen shots, sunscreen and lotions, a mini bar and bottle service along with an array of games.

• PROPERTY DETAILS All 60 guest rooms and 32 villas have private terraces with ocean, pool or garden views, as well as spacious bathrooms with deep freestanding bathtubs and private outdoor showers. Villas also have plunge pools.

Rooms start at $675. chilenobay.aubergeresorts.com

Thompson Playa del Carmen

Situated in the middle of buzzworthy Riviera Maya, the Thompson Playa del Carmen’s Fifth Avenue Building is a chameleon — it’s both party central and a sanctuary on the city’s main drag, La Quinta Avenida. A favorite with bachelor and bachelorette crowds drawn to the vibrant nightlife scene, the hotel also has a more demure side, evidenced by half-submerged pool loungers and an intimate spa. A more low-key vibe prevails in the Thompson’s cozier Beach House down the street.

• EAT For a taste of Manhattan sophistication there’s no

better bet in town than Catch. Much like its Meatpacking District location, the restaurant features globally influenced, locally sourced fare served family style. Dishes here include bourbon-miso black cod lettuce wraps, crispy whole red snapper for two, and grilled and raw items. As of this past summer, Catch also offers brunch — waffle towers and cinnamon roll pancakes — plus made-to-order bloody marys, Aperol spritzes and micheladas. Over at the Beach House’s C Grill, diners will find wood-oven-fired seafood, ceviche and other regional favorites.

• FIT There are myriad ways for the active traveler to stay on track with fitness goals. Guests have access to stand-up paddleboards, diving equipment, a 24-hour fitness center, bikes and beach yoga classes. Off-property and just outside the city, you can get physical by exploring Tulum’s ruins and snorkeling in the cenotes.

• SPA Ever dreamed of getting pampered without having to leave the bed? The Thompson is here to fulfill that dream.

Guests seeking utter relaxation can book a series of massages and spa treatments in-room, on-terrace or in-cabana.

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Destinations / GO BEACHES

• DON’T MISS The Fifth Avenue building’s rooftop

deck provides 30,000 square feet of resort-quality pool features. In addition to cabanas, submerged daybeds and an in-water living room, an infinity pool stretches the length of the property for an entire city block.

• PROPERTY DETAILS The building, including its 92 guest rooms, was designed by Mexico City–based team Niz+Chauvet. Modern touches like whitewashed panels mix with indigenous stone; room numbers are accompanied by the corresponding Mayan number. All 27 Beach House suites have a private balcony, midcentury furnishings and hand-pressed Guadalajara tiles and stone. The Fifth Avenue Building rates start at $229; Beach House’s rates start at $309. thompsonhotels.com

San Diego Rancho Valencia

Tucked into the lush greenery and rolling hills of Rancho Santa Fe, this hacienda-style retreat feels like a Garden of Eden, dotted with casitas and bungalow suites, whispering fountains, hand-painted tiles and terra-cotta, olive and citrus groves, bird-of-paradise, eucalyptus copses, and reflecting pools, with hot air balloons floating above at dusk. A $30 million renovation completed five years ago and five-star service ensure luxury at every turn.

• EAT Farm-to-table reigns here with healthy, delicious eats, whether it’s a spa lunch of sashimi or kale salad by the pool, slow-pressed green juice post-yoga, rustic American cuisine and craft tequilas in the Pony Room bar or elegant Mediterranean-inspired plates in the restaurant Veladora, further enhanced by Damien Hirst’s butterfly artwork.

• FIT With 95 classes to choose from per week, RV is a fitness haven. Top-notch trainers, TRX classes, spin, reformer and mat Pilates, barre, power sculpt, meditation and Qi Gong are all on offer here, and the open-air Yoga Pavilion with its reflecting pool and surrounding gardens is the most exquisite place to do downward dogs in all of San Diego.

• SPA This spa wows with tiled plunge pools, hidden hot tubs, fountains and thickets of greenery, offering everything from honey-and-goji-berry facials, citrus body polishes, and sexy firelit couples’ massages to divine Natura Bisse products from Barcelona.

• DON’T MISS The Wellness Collective: three, five- and seven-day preventive programs based on the cuttingedge science of epigenetics. Intimate workshops and enlightening lectures, designed by the LifeWellness 78 J AN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Institute of San Diego, focus on fitness, attitude, nutrition, toxicity, sleep, stress, connection, meditation and more.

• PROPERTY DETAILS Southern Cal’s only Relais & Château property sprawls over 45 acres with 49 guest casitas, a private three-bedroom hacienda with its own pool, and 12 villas. Guests enjoy a world-class spa and tennis program, a cabana-lined pool, alfresco and fireside dining, and a private wine cave. Rooms start at $639. ranchovalencia.com

Beach Village At the Del

Coronado’s iconic Hotel del Coronado has been a seaside wellness retreat since opening back in 1888, and its swanky Beach Village ushers in the modern with a private enclave of villas and cottages just steps from the sand. Peppermintstriped cabanas speckle the exclusive beach club; private chefs, personal shoppers and concierge hosts stand ready to indulge every whim; and a 1905 beach bungalow, once home to the Duchess of Windsor, welcomes Beach Village guests as the private social and dining hub.

• EAT Grab a fresh smoothie, latte or hot breakfast at the charming Windsor Cottage, or dine there by the fire pits at sunset enjoying a seafood tower of lobster, shrimp, oysters and snow crab. Savor gourmet Baja-style eats by the pool or champagne-laced afternoons in your cabana. For whitetablecloth dining, head to 1500 Ocean, where chef Patrick Pontsay whips up memorable coastal cuisine.

• FIT Start the day with Beach Spin on the Paseo Lawn and keep an eye out for dolphins frolicking in the surf. Don a mermaid’s tail for an aquatic aerobics class, or salute the sun during a beach yoga session. Explore the island on a bike, stand-up paddle in the marina, or charge some waves out your front door. Burn some serious calories during a beach boot camp workout with a personal trainer.

• SPA Lounge by the infinity pool at the Del’s main spa after your “Some Like It Hot” Stone Massage — a nod to the Marilyn Monroe classic film shot at the hotel. Or indulge in an ocean pedicure or Swedish massage in the privacy of your Beach Village cabana.

• DON’T MISS A private chef experience for a romantic dinner on the sand with a custom menu, wine pairings and crafted cocktails; a family clambake followed by s’mores and spirits under the stars with crashing waves as the soundtrack.

• PROPERTY DETAILS The 78 airy, bright cottages (one, two and three bedrooms) have ocean views, lavish comforts and thoughtful design echoing the seaside vibe. Guests can enjoy three private pools, hot tubs and high-tech cabanas.

Some cottages have private plunge pools and state-of-theart full kitchens. Rooms start at $799. beach-village.com

Think Outside the Glass Al fresco eating and drinking is always on the agenda in northern Sonoma County, a vine-carpeted, mountainous corner of The Golden State, anchored by the hip town of Healdsburg. Here are five ways culinary hospitality pioneer Jordan Vineyard & Winery is pairing delicious food and wine tasting experiences with the great outdoors.

A significant portion of Jordan Winery proceeds fund John Jordan Foundation programs, focusing on childhood education, income stability and health services for the poor.

ESTATE TOU R & TASTI N G

VI N EYARD H I KES

H I LLTO P D I N N ER

TERRACE D I N I N G

O LIVE HARVEST

Get a sense of place in Sonoma with a three-hour epicurean excursion across Jordan’s 1,200-acre estate, visiting the garden, lake, vineyards and a majestic hilltop, with food and wine pairing at multiple destinations.

It’s truly a unique wine tour experience with breathtaking views. $125

Get outside with a threehour hiking adventure across Jordan Estate during spring, summer and fall. You’ll explore the 1,200-acre ranch’s back roads, vineyards, olive orchards and chef’s garden with the backdrop of nature and breathtaking views before a charcuterie picnic on the terrace with wine tasting. $95

Feel like you’re on top of the world with an unforgettable dinner party that brings fine dining to Jordan Estate’s highest hilltop. Served in an open-air pavilion, Sunset Supper at Vista Point in June pairs Jordan’s wines and the chef’s garden-inspired cuisine with panoramic vistas of three wine valleys at sunset. $225

Enjoy the quintessential Sonoma wine country experience—dinner served under towering oak trees with a winery as the backdrop. Jordan hosts two multi-course meals each summer: a French-inspired Bastille Day fête with Champagne in July and a Bounty of Sonoma County dinner with a farm-focused menu in August. $200

Savor fall in Sonoma County wine country with an olive harvest experience at Jordan Estate. Hosted on the winery terrace, this al fresco luncheon features an interactive olive oil component tasting and a sumptuous three-course lunch by the winery’s chef. Adventurous guests can opt for olive harvesting after lunch. $125

For dates and details, visit jordanwinery.com/events Please enjoy responsibly · ©2018 Jordan Vineyard & Winery, Healdsburg, CA · jordanwinery.com · @jordanwinery

LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO’S FAMED WINE AUCTION RETURNS APRIL 14, 2018 Join the best wineries, collectors, and sommeliers as Lyric Opera celebrates 30 years of wine, women, and song.

A project of the Women’s Board, this marquee fundraiser auctions some of the world’s greatest wines, luxury trips to exotic locales, and one-of-akind experiences.

Wine Auction Co-Chairs: Keith Kiley Goldstein and Nancy S. Searle Catalogue Sponsor: Liz Stiffel Dinner Wine Sponsor: Anonymous Reception Sponsor: Karen Z. Gray-Krehbiel and John H. Krehbiel, Jr. 2018 Honored Guest Winery: Château Margaux

2018 Honoree: Shirley Welsh Ryan Official Airline: American Airlines Auctioneers: Hart Davis Hart PRESENTING SPONSOR

To reserve your spot or for more information, please contact the Lyric Opera Women’s Board office at 312-827-5682 or visit us at www.lyricopera.org/wineauction2018.

Out & About C A L E N DA R / T H E AT E R / D I N E / B E T T E R M A K E R S

DANCE EAT THIS NOW

Modern Masters

CARLA KÖRBES & BATKHUREL BOLD/PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET, ANGELA STERLING

LISTING ON PAGE 86

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 81

Calendar

T H E AT E R / CO M E DY / F I L M / M U S I C / G A L L E R I E S / M U S E U M S / E V E N T S

BY ANNA CARLSON

THROUGH JAN. 21 Sammy: The Story of Sammy Davis Jr. Get to know this legendary entertainer with Black Ensemble Theater’s latest production. Black Ensemble Theater, 4450 N. Clark St., Chicago, 773-769-4451, blackensembletheater.org OPENS JAN. 25 Skeleton Crew Dominique Morisseau’s play about auto-plant workers in Detroit at the beginning of the Great Recession will make its Midwest premiere at Northlight. Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, 847-6736300, northlight.org

EVENTS JAN. 14 TO FEB. 21 A Subtle Beauty: The Landscape of Lake County, Illinois This photography exhibit will showcase the beauty of the Midwest, specifically Lake County’s prairies, lakes and more. Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, 21850 N. Riverwoods Road, Riverwoods, 224-633-2424, brushwoodcenter.org

OPENS JAN. 11 Last of the Red Hot Lovers Barney Cashman looks to join the sexual revolution by arranging three seductions with three women, but discovers he knows one — she’s married to his best friend. Oil Lamp Theater, 1723 Glenview Road, Glenview, 847-834-0738, oillamptheater.org THROUGH JAN. 14 Hard Times This adaptation of a Charles Dickens novel, directed by Heidi Stillman, kicked off Lookingglass’ 30th season. Lookingglass Theatre Company, 821 N. Michigan Ave.,

Chicago, 312-337-0665, lookingglasstheatre.org

Terrace, 630-530-0111, drurylanetheatre.com

JAN. 16 TO FEB. 18 My Wonderful Birthday Suit! This exploration of kindness and generosity through a magical birthday party is recommended for kids ages 4-7. Chicago Children’s Theatre: The Station, 100 S. Racine Ave., Chicago, 872-222-9555, chicagochildrens theatre.org

THROUGH JAN. 21 WICKED Don’t miss your chance to defy gravity as Wicked returns to Chicago.

Oriental Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., Chicago, 312-977-1700, broadwayinchicago.com

OPENS JAN. 18 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Drury Lane Theatre ends its season with this Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice classic. Drury Lane Theatre, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook

82 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

THROUGH JAN. 21 Red Velvet This award-winning play brings audiences back to the Theatre Royal in 1833, where actor Edmund Kean, playing Othello, collapses onstage and is replaced by black actor Ira Aldridge. Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, 312-595-5600, chicagoshakes.com

H IG H LIG HT S

Editor’s Favorites Make It Better is a proud media sponsor of these events: JAN. 14 Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence presented by Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Venue SIX10, 610 S. Michigan Ave., banchetawards.com JAN. 20 The McGaw YMCA Gala McGaw YMCA, 1000 Grove St., Evanston, 847-475-7400, mcgawymca.org/gala JAN. 22 Steppenwolf’s 2018 Women in the Arts Luncheon honoring Sarah Paulson Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel, 221 N. Columbus

Drive, Chicago, 312-335-1650, steppenwolf.org JAN. 27 A. Perry Homes’ Winterfest: Top Hats & Tiaras A. Perry Homes, 1220 Washington Ave., Wilmette, 847-549-0668, aperryhomes.com JAN. 27 TO FEB. 4 Lake Geneva Winterfest Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, 800-345-1020, visitlakegeneva.com FEB. 2 Grand Chefs Experience presented

by Cystic Fibrosis

Foundation Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, cffgrandchefs.com FEB. 17 Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation’s Mingle for Myeloma Savage Smyth, 920 N. Franklin, Chicago, themmrf.org FEB. 18 Kohl Children’s Museum’s Everyone at Play Kohl Children’s Museum, 2100 Patriot Blvd., Glenview, 847-832-6600, kohlchildrens museum.org

JOHN WYLIE

THEATER

OPENS JAN. 25 We’re Gonna Be Okay American Theater Company presents the

OPENS FEB. 9 Breach Playwright Antoinette Nwandu looks at race, class, and motherhood through a young woman dealing with selfhate. Victory Gardens Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, victorygardens.org

Lee Ann Womack at City Winery

Chicago premiere of this play, set during the Cuban Missile Crisis,

by Basil Kreimendahl.

American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron St., Chicago, 773-4094125, atcweb.org THROUGH JAN. 28 BLKS “Three friends.

One f**ked up night.

A whole lot of growing pains,” reads the summary of this play by poet Aziza Barnes. Steppenwolf Theatre Company, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago, 312-335-1650, steppenwolf.org

COURTESY OF SHORE FIRE MEDIA

THROUGH JAN. 28 Beautiful — The Carole King Musical Back in Chicago by popular demand, this show about music icon Carole King will have you dancing in your seat.

Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago, 312-977-1700, broadwayinchicago.com OPENS FEB. 2 Sex with Strangers Written

by Evanston’s Laura Eason, this play explores love in the age of social media and is one of the top 10 most produced plays in the country.

Citadel Theatre, 300 S.

Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, 847-735-8554 x 1, citadeltheatre.org OPENS FEB. 7 A Moon for the Misbegotten Writers begins 2018 with this play by fourtime Pulitzer Prize winner and Nobel laureate Eugene O’Neill. The theater has also partnered with Wilmette Theatre on a film series to complement each play.

Watch Long Day’s Journey Into Night, the film for this play, on Feb. 25. Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, 847-242-6000, writerstheatre.org OPENS FEB. 7 Cabaret This hit Broadway show set in 1930s Berlin makes its way to Aurora this winter. The Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, 630-896-6666, paramountaurora.com OPENS FEB. 9 The Wolves This play about a girls’ soccer team was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., 312-443-3800, goodmantheatre.org

FEB. 12-17 I Am My Neighborhood Piven’s Performance Project students will present original stories about “belonging and finding our home.” Piven Theatre, 927 Noyes St., Evanston, 847-8668049, piventheatre.org OPENS FEB. 14 Love Never Dies If you love The Phantom of the Opera, don’t miss this sequel. Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph St., Chicago, 312-977-1700, broadwayinchicago.com FEB. 16-25 Twelfth Night, or What You Will Northwestern presents this classic Shakespeare tale of deception and disguise. Ethel M. Barber Theater, 30 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, 847-491-7282, wirtz .northwestern.edu/ twelfth-night OPENS FEB. 17 Così fan tutte This comedy by Mozart, subtitled “The School for Lovers,” will be sung in Italian with English subtitles. Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, 312-827-5600, lyricopera.org OPENS FEB. 23 The Emperor’s New Clothes Keep kiddos entertained all winter long with this family -friendly fairytale from Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, the creators of Seussical. Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott

Drive, Lincolnshire, 847-634-0200, marriott-theatre.com ONGOING Hamilton If you haven’t yet seen this Broadway show that’s sweeping the nation, now’s the time. CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago, 312-977-1700, broadwayinchicago.com

COMEDY

312-337-3992, second city.com; UP Comedy Club: 230 W. North Ave., Chicago, 312-662-4562, upcomedyclub.com

MUSIC JAN. 13 Robert Chen CSO Concertmaster Robert Chen returns to Ravinia for a solo recital as part of the BGH Classics Series.

Bennett Gordon Hall,

JAN. 13 Jim Belushi and the Board of Comedy This group of comedians, including Chicago’s own Jim Belushi, will have audiences actually laughing out loud during this improvised comedy sketch show. Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan, 847-782-2366, geneseetheatre.com JAN. 25-27 The Capitol Steps: Orange Is the New Barack This comedy group, made up of many former Capitol Hill staffers, will take on the biggest names in politics. North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, 847-673-6300, northshorecenter.org FEB. 8 Bob Saget You might know him as Danny Tanner from Full House, but get to know Saget’s stand-up. Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., Chicago, 312-526-3851, thaliahallchicago.com ONGOING Best of The Second City Laugh along with the best moments from The Second City’s history, Mondays and Saturdays at The Second City’s Mainstage and Sundays at UP Comedy Club.

Mainstage: 1616 N. Wells St., Chicago,

201 St. Johns Ave., Highland Park, 847266-5100, ravinia.org JAN. 13 Kate Voegele and Tyler Hilton These two “One Tree Hill” alums will join forces for an evening in Evanston. SPACE, 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-492-8860, evanstonspace.com

SPOTLIGHT

Breakout Artist

Chicago-born visionary Paul Heyer debuts his first solo collection at the MCA.

I

NSPI R E D BY H I S l i fe i n t he L GBTQ

community, Paul Heyer’s collection of paintings and sculptures aren’t simply intended to be viewed; they’re meant to be experienced. The exhibition, titled Chicago Works, features Heyer’s recent sculptural work and large, pastel paintings — of cowboys, animals, skeletons, even black holes — set to a hypnotic soundtrack with ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) sounds aimed to prompt hallucinogenic feelings in listeners. Chicago Works: Paul Heyer. January 18-July 1, 2018, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, 220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago. 312-280-2660, mca.org

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 83

Out & About / CALENDAR JAN. 13-14 Too Hot to Handel: The JazzGospel Messiah For the 13th year, this production of George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” returns to Chicago for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. Soloists include Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke, and Karen Marie Richardson, who will be joined by pianist Alvin Waddles, a choir, orchestra, and jazz combo. Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago, 312-341-2300, auditoriumtheatre.org

first in Naperville and then Chicago. Pfeiffer Concert Hall, 310 E. Benton Ave., Naperville; Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, 312-284-1554, chicagosinfonietta.org

JAN. 14-15 MLK Tribute: Ask Your Mama This year marks Chicago Sinfonietta’s 30th Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute concert,

THROUGH JAN. 7 Jurassic World: The Exhibition Jurassic World comes to life as you walk among huge dinosaurs

JAN. 20-21 Lee Ann Womack The All the Trouble Tour stops in Chicago for two shows.

Plus, purchase tickets for a VIP Meet & Greet.

City Winery Chicago, 1200 W. Randolph St., Chicago, 312-733-9463, citywinery.com/chicago

MUSEUMS

like Brachiosaurus, Velociraptor, and Tyrannosaurus rex. The Field Museum, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, 312-922-9410, fieldmuseum.org THROUGH JAN. 7 Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution This exhibit about the Holocaust survivor who brought the world music legends like Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix was extended through Jan. 7 due to popular demand.

Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, 9603 Woods Drive, Skokie, 847-967-4800, ilholocaustmuseum.org THROUGH JAN. 7 Very Eric Carle: A Very Hungry, Quiet, Lonely, Clumsy, Busy Exhibit

Eric Carle’s books come to life at this exhibit where kids can become the Very Hungry Caterpillar, create a web with the Very Busy Spider, create music with the Very Quiet Cricket, and more. Chicago Children’s Museum, 700 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, 312-527-1000, chicagochildrens museum.org THROUGH JAN. 8 Chasing Eclipses Did you miss the total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, or want to experience it again? There’s still time to explore Adler’s Chasing Eclipses exhibit, where you can learn how eclipses are predicted and experience a solar eclipse simulation.

Adler Planetarium, 1300

S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, 312-922-7827, adlerplanetarium.org THROUGH FEB. 4 Robot Revolution Interact with cutting-edge robots like RoboThespian, a humanoid robot that welcomes you to the exhibit, and Cube Solver, which can quickly solve a Rubik’s cube. Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, 773-6841414, msichicago.org OPENS FEB. 25 Mirroring China’s Past: Emperors and Their Bronzes This exhibit will give visitors a rare chance to see such a large number of bronzes together in the U.S. The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave., 312443-3600, artic.edu

THROUGH FEBRUARY Chicago: A Southern Exposure Explore the architecture of Chicago’s South Side through the photography of Lee Bey. DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Place, Chicago, 773947-0600, dusablemuseum.org ONGOING William Blake and the Age of Aquarius Discover how poet William Blake impacted a variety of American artists after World War II. Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, 847-491-4000, blockmuseum. northwestern.edu ONGOING Luis Tapia: Sculpture as Sanctuary

CONVERSATIONS WITH WEIGEL A series exploring spiritual enlightenment hosted by Emmy award-winning journalist Jenniffer Weigel.

2018 AUTHOR SERIES AT THE WILMETTE THEATRE

Dr. Scott Kolbaba

A practicing internist, he interviewed 200 courageous physicians who came forward with 26 of the most miraculous experiences of their careers. These stories have been chronicled in his new book, “Physicians’ Untold Stories.” Dreams foretelling future events, apparitions and other miraculous experiences come to life within its pages.

THURSDAY JANUARY 11 @ 7:00 PM

Thomas John

PHOTO CREDIT

Back by popular demand – journalist Jenniffer Weigel interviews Thomas John, the Manhattan Medium, author of “Never Argue With A Dead Person – True and Unbelievable Stories from the Other Side.” Enjoy a fascinating conversation and interact with this well-known medium. Thomas will answer audience questions and conduct random readings. This programs sell out!

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 2 @ 7:30 PM

84 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

This exhibit of handcarved works by artist Luis Tapia explores our ideas of sanctuary.

National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St., Chicago, 312-738-1503, nationalmuseumof mexicanart.org ONGOING Laura Ingalls Wilder: From Prairie to Page Fans of the “Little House on the Prairie” series won’t want to miss this exhibit featuring memorabilia and artifacts from the author’s life and works. American Writers Museum, 180 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, 312-374-8790, americanwriters museum.org ONGOING Race: Are We So Different? This

exhibit is the first in the country to look at race and racism from biological, cultural, and historical points of view. Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, 312-642-4600, chicagohistory.org/race

EVENTS THROUGH JAN. 7 Winter WonderFest Have some indoor winter fun with carnival rides, slides, a skating rink, holidaythemed activities, and more. Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago, 800 5957437, navypier.org/ winter-wonderfest THROUGH JAN. 7 ZooLights Explore Lincoln Park Zoo as

it glows with festive holiday lights. Plus, enjoy warm spiced wine, live ice-sculpting, a musical light show, and more. Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark St., Chicago, 312-742-2000, lpzoo.org JAN. 13, 27, FEB. 10, 24 Free Yoga Enjoy a relaxing yoga session amidst the beauty of Garfield Park Conservatory.

Bring your own mat; $5 suggested donation. Garfield Park Conservatory, 300 N. Central, Chicago, 312-746-5100, garfieldconservatory.org JAN. 15 Science in the Snow Experiment with snow, ice, and cold as you freeze bubbles, try to make a snowflake,

and more. Heller Nature Center, 2821 Ridge Road, Highland Park, 847-433-6901, pdhp.org JAN. 18 The Happiness Prayer Rabbi Evan Moffic will discuss his new book, The Happiness Prayer, which looks at how spiritual practices and experiences can lead to happiness. Temple Beth Israel, 3601 W. Dempster, Skokie, 312-322-1773, spertus.edu JAN. 19 Paint & Sip Plan a girls’ night out or date night with this evening of painting and wine. Takiff Center, 999 Green Bay Road, Glencoe, 847-835-3030, glencoeparkdistrict.com

JAN. 19, 21 Singin’ in the Rain Watch this classic musical as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs the music live.

Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, 312-2943000, cso.org JAN. 24 Author Luncheon with Georgia Hunter at The Deer Path Inn Lake Forest Book Store welcomes Georgia Hunter for a luncheon to celebrate the paperback release of her best-selling book, We Were the Lucky Ones.

Deer Path Inn, 255 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, 847-234-4420, lakeforestbookstore.com JAN. 24-28 Disney on Ice presents Dare to Dream! Mickey and

Minnie will host this on-ice adventure with Moana (making her Disney on Ice debut), Anna and Elsa, Belle, and Cinderella. The show will move to the United Center Jan. 31 to Feb. 4 and return to Allstate Arena Feb. 7-11.

Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont, 847-6356601, rosemont.com /allstate JAN 26 TO FEB. 8 Chicago Restaurant Week Hundreds of restaurants will offer prix fixe menus for brunch, lunch, and dinner, making it worth venturing out into the cold. Various, choosechicago.com JAN. 27-28, FEB. 24-25 Randolph Street

AWESOME WINTER FUN! Make your New Year’s Resolution to play more while learning!

at Detailsorg kcmgc.

PHOTO CREDIT

FUN, CAPTIVATING, GIGGLE-INDUCING! Train rides through Habitat Park for Winter Wonderland on Jan 19! Characters, crafts, music, magic and more at the Little Sweethearts Family Dance on Feb 23!

These are events not to be missed in 2018. Become a Museum member to get discounted rates, free daily admission, members-only hours, and more. See for yourself why we’re The Place Where Awesome Lives!

Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago • 2100 Patriot Blvd, Glenview • (847) 832-6600 • kcmgc.org

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 85

Out & About / CALENDAR Market Shop antiques, vintage clothing, home goods, food, and more. Chicago’s Plumbers Hall, 1340 W. Washington St., Chicago,312-666-1200, randolphstreetmarket.com FEB. 2 Elvis & Me: An Evening with Priscilla Presley Priscilla Presley will share personal stories about her marriage, motherhood, and career during this intimate evening.

Genesee Theatre, 203 N. Genesee St., Waukegan, 847-782-2366, geneseetheatre.com FEB. 2, 16 Asleep with the Fishes Sleep at the Shedd! Take part in a scavenger hunt and enjoy an aquatic presentation before bed, or go home after the

activities if you prefer.

Shedd Aquarium, 1200 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, 312-939-2438, sheddaquarium.org FEB. 3 Dancing with the Stars: Live! — Light Up the Night Watch your favorite ballroom dancers live. Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont, 847671-5100, rosemont.com

Can Balance Digital Media and Real Life” Family Action Network welcomes Anya Kamenetz, NPR’s lead digital education correspondent and author of Generation Debt and The Art of Screen Time. New Trier High School, 385 Winnetka Ave., Winnetka, familyactionnetwork.net

FEB. 3 Truth Be Told: A Night of Personal Storytelling Storytellers from around the country will share their best tales. John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, 847-234-6060, gortoncenter.org

FEB. 7-18 Modern Masters This program will feature four pieces, including a Chicago premiere and a world premiere. Joffrey Ballet at Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago, 312-386-8905, joffrey.org

FEB. 6 Anya Kamenetz: “The Art of Screen Time: How Families

FEB. 9-11 Chocolate Weekend Treat your Valentine (or yourself)

to specialty chocolate treats before exploring the arboretum. The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle, 630-968-0074, mortonarb.org

American heroes.

Wilmette Historical Museum, 609 Ridge Road, Wilmette, 847-853-7666, wilmettehistory.org FEB. 24 Winter Bird Walk Explore Chicago Botanic Garden and learn about birds that live here throughout the season from expert Alan Anderson.

Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, 847-835-5440, chicagobotanic.org

FEB. 10-11 Winter Chilly Fest Go skating, try snowshoeing, play snow and ice games, and have more winter fun before warming up with vegetarian or turkey chili. Emily Oaks Nature Center, 4650 Brummel St., Skokie, 847-674-1500, ext. 2500, skokieparks.org

FEB. 24 ABTKids Introduce your family to dance as American Ballet Theatre performs kid-friendly highlights from its repertoire while ABT’s artistic staff narrate.

Harris Theater, 205

FEB.11 Family Program: Celebrate African American History in Story and Song! Gwen Hilary and Enoch Williamson will share stories and songs to celebrate African

E. Randolph Drive, Chicago, 312-334- 7777, harristheaterchicago.org FEB. 23 Friday Night Meltdowns Skate the night away under a disco ball as a DJ plays today’s top hits. Glenview Ice Center, 1851 Landwehr Road, Glenview, 847-724-2800, glenviewparks.org ONGOING Indoor Winter Market Continue to fill your home with fresh food and artisan goods all winter long thanks to this indoor farmers’ market. Evanston Ecology Center, 2024 McCormick Blvd., Evanston, 847-448-8256, cityofevanston.org

CJE SeniorLife Enhancing the quality of life of older adults.

Weinberg Community for Senior Living

Celebrating 20 Years!

Gidwitz Place for Assisted Living The Friend Center for Memory Care | Bernard Heerey Annex Adult Day Services Respite Care

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Celebrating 35 Years!

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86 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

PHOTO CREDIT

LIFE ENRICHMENT

Editor’s Theater Picks W E T U R N T H E S P OT L I G H T O N T H E H OT T E S T S H OW S I N TOW N .

Free Press called it a “bold, funny, ultimately empowering play.”

Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, 847-673-6300, northlight.org

EVENT DATE Event Name Vulla at dolor erosto delendre dit iriusci duipis niatue min henibh et nulla esequating. Tktktk Theater.

555.555.5555, tktktk.com

FEB. 7 – MARCH 18 Moon for the Misbegotten In Eugene O’Neill’s bittersweet final completed play, a man and his daughter learn that their rented farmland in rural Connecticut might be sold out from underneath them. Played by Jeff Award winner A.C. Smith and Bethany Thomas, they scheme to avoid eviction by their cynical, alcoholic landlord, Jim Tyrone (played by veteran Wisconsin actor James DeVita).

William Brown, who has directed so many stellar productions over the years at Writers Theatre, will bring his deft touch to this classic drama. Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, 847-242-6000, writerstheatre.org

Lookingglass co-founder David Schwimmer will reprise his role as director this winter — this time for Plantation!

LOOKINGGLASS THEATER

THEATER JAN. 20 – FEB. 25 Blind Date This world premiere takes us behind the scenes as Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev negotiate during the final act of the Cold War. The Goodman’s artistic director, Robert Falls, will direct the play by Rogelio Martinez, who also explored Cold War themes in his dramas Ping Pong and Born in East Berlin. This one is

being promoted as “a compelling and edgy comic journey through the intricacies of statesmanship.” Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, 312-443-3800, goodmantheatre.org JAN. 24 – MARCH 18 Ragtime Based on E.L. Doctorow’s acclaimed novel, this Tonywinning 1998 Broadway musical is more timely than ever. The story is set in the early

BY ROBERT LOER ZEL

1900s, and Stephen Flaherty’s music evokes America in that era, combining marches, cakewalks, gospel and Scott Joplin’s jaunty syncopated piano into its anthems. But the play’s themes include immigration and racial injustice — topics straight out of today’s headlines. Marriott Theatre, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire, 847-634-0200, marriotttheatre.com

JAN. 25 – MARCH 4 Skeleton Crew With the looming threat of layoffs, tensions rise in a Detroit factory’s break room, testing the friendships of autoworkers fighting for their survival. Directed

by Ron OJ Parson in its local premiere, Dominique Morisseau’s comedy-drama was proclaimed one of the year’s 10 best shows by Time Magazine after its first run in New York. And the Detroit

FEB. 21 – APRIL 22 Plantation! The biggest star to emerge out of Lookingglass, David Schwimmer, returns to direct this world premiere by ensemble member Kevin Douglas.

In 2016, Douglas wrote the Lookingglass show Thaddeus and Slocum: A Vaudeville Adventure, which explored the quandaries faced by African-American performers during the era of blackface. In his new dark comedy, a

Texas matriarch discovers that the history of her ancestral home is complicated. The revelations stir up a tempest in her family.

Lookingglass Theatre, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, 312-337-0665, lookingglasstheatre.org OTHER PLAYS WORTH CHECKING OUT: JAN. 30-FEB. 11, The Humans, Cadillac Palace Theatre, 800-775-2000, broadwayinchicago.com FEB. 2-MARCH 4, Sex With Strangers, Citadel Theatre, 847-735-8554, citadeltheatre.org FEB. 3-MARCH 10, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Short Shakespeare), and FEB. 21-APRIL 15 Schiller’s Mary Stuart, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, 312-595-5600, chicagoshakes.com FEB. 7-MARCH 18, Cabaret, Paramount Theatre, Aurora, 630-896-6666, paramountaurora.com FEB. 9-MARCH 11, Breach, Victory Gardens Theatre, 773-871-3000, victorygardens.org FEB. 16-25, Twelfth Night, Northwestern University (Ethel M. Barber Theater), 847-491-7282, northwestern.edu

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 87

Out and About / FLAVOR

Get Fresh

I

7 Great Spots for House-Made Pasta T’S THE ETERNAL question for a carb lover: Which is

GIANT

It’s starting to feel a little like Logan Square is the epicenter of the very particular alchemy of flour and eggs combining to make magic. Consider Giant, chef/owner Jason Vincent’s stellar place on West Armitage, where they’re popping out plate after plate of the stuff. “I think the coolest thing about our pasta is that I started smashing eggs and flour together 10 years ago and I have only come up with one recipe,” shares Vincent. “Making pasta is such a fulfilling process and the last thing I would ever want to do is rush [it]. So, you let the pasta lead. New recipes will come, but I can only wait for it. No rush.” And trust me, it’s worth the wait.

MUST-TRY PASTAS Cheese-filled “Sortallini” ($16) with guanciale, basil-tomato sauce and pine nuts; saffron

PHOTO CREDIT

A tray of prepped pasta at Daisies; a bird’s-eye view of Giant’s tempting twirls (opposite).

better, fresh pasta or dried? The answer, of course, is whichever one is in front of you. Ideally, each may serve as a delicious starchy conveyance of judiciously applied sauce. Dried pasta, which is built to last with flour and water, can stand up to a more substantial topping, while fresh pasta, made with flour and egg, is a bit more ethereal, requires less cooking time, and calls for a lighter sauce.

A number of Chicago restaurants are making a name for themselves with their take on fresh pasta, often sourcing ingredients locally. So the next time you get a yen to carbo load — or just remember that it’s winter and no one is going to see you in a bathing suit for at least six months and you deserve something soul satisfying and unquestionably tasty — head to one of the following and get your pasta on.

88 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

NEIL BURGER (LEFT); GALDONES PHOTOGRAPHY

Out and About / FLAVOR

It’s starting to feel a little like Logan Square is the epicenter of the very particular alchemy of flour and eggs combining to make magic. tagliatelle ($19) with king crab and chili butter; and radiatore ($16) with home-style meat sauce (says Vincent, “It’s just like the quick sauce that you’d make at home with ground beef and jarred tomato sauce, but we ‘chef it up’ a little.”). Giant, 3209 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, 773-252-0997, giantrestaurant.com

DAISIES

Everything’s coming up pasta at executive chef/owner Joe Frillman’s Logan Square spot, which opened in 2017. It’s literally all in the family here, with artwork by sister Carrie Frillman adorning the walls, and vegetables sourced largely from Frillman Farms, run by brother Tim Frillman. The spectacular pasta here is all made by hand, from scratch, every day. “For the type of casual restaurant we run, fresh pasta takes much less time to cook, so this allows us to have a menu we can execute quickly,” says Frillman. He’s sourcing some flour from Midwestern farms and also shipping in milled product from Italy, which he combines with organic local eggs.

“Our record day for number of pastas sold was 227 orders and every one of them is handmade by one guy, Wilson,” Frillman tells us. “When you consider that our agnolotti has 20 pieces in each dish, or that the tortellini has 16… he’s hand-making an incredible amount of pasta!”

MUST-TRY PASTAS Agnolotti ($17) with beets, dill and smoked trout roe; whole wheat tagliatelle ($18) with walnuts and fava leaf pesto; Tajarin with Asparagus, mint and chicken cracklings ($15). Daisies, 2523 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, 773-661-1671, daisieschicago.com

ANIMALE

Owners Aldo Zaninotto and Cameron Grant are all about bringing joy to their customers at Logan Square’s Animale, and fresh pasta plays a very big part. It started at their original restaurant, the fabulous Osteria Langhe, with chef Grant’s luscious “plin,” small hand-pinched, La Tur cheesefilled ravioli tossed with butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and fresh thyme, consumed in mass quantities whenever possible. “We chose to make pasta in-house because the pasta I learned to make in Italy is magical,” says the Scottish-born Grant. The flour they use is 100 percent Italian, which is “harder to find than you think,” laughs Grant. “A large percentage of ‘Italian’ flour is grown in Canada, which is hilarious when you think of wheat being grown in Canada, milled in Italy and sold in the U.S., but understandable since Italy as a country is very small. And they use a lot of flour!”

90 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

MUST-TRY PASTAS At Osteria Langhe, that gorgeous plin

($16), or the tajarin ($19) with Northern meat ragu and grana padano cheese; at Animale, choose pasta by weight, type (gnocchi, pappardelle, or cavatappi) and sauce (pesto alfredo, rosemary cream and breadcrumbs, white puttanesca, red sauce and meatballs, roasted winter veggies and fontina). Animale, 1904 N. Western Ave., Chicago, 872-315-3912, animalechicago.com. Osteria Langhe, 2824 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, 773-661-1582, osterialanghe.com

EATALY

The Chicago outpost of this cavernous food hall doesn’t fool around: all of Eataly’s pastaioli (pasta makers) have been trained by Egidio Michelis, a third-generation Piemontese pasta maker. The pasta flour is imported from Italy, of course, but the eggs come from Midwestern chickens fed a diet of organic vegetables. Here, pasta making is a spectator sport; you can often watch the pastaioli kneading, rolling, cutting and shaping the pasta by hand behind the counter, which then appear in a profusion of shapes and colors (tinged with squid ink, fresh spinach, tomato or the like). You can purchase fresh pasta to take home, but don’t miss the opportunity to try it Eataly-style at one of their in-store restaurants, La Pizza & La Pasta.

MUST-TRY PASTAS Ravioli di zucca ($24), butternut squash and sweet potato-filled pasta with truffle butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano; fettucine al nero ($21), squid ink pasta with calamari, tomato, capers, lemon and parsley; or Spaghetti alla chitarra ($17), house-made string pasta with basil pesto, fingerling potatoes, and green beans. Eataly, 43 E. Ohio St., Chicago, 312-521-8700, eataly.com

THE FLORENTINE

Chef Zach Walrath is quick to give credit where credit is due when talking about The Florentine’s fresh pasta: “We have a cook that we call the ‘Pasta Lady.’ Her name is Mayra and she has been making pasta for years. We don’t use any fancy machine or techniques, just simple ingredients and her hands. She makes it look easy — a quart of this, a scoop of that, and next thing you know the dough is ready!” They use a small pasta sheeter for the longer noodles, and they always have gnocchi and a stuffed pasta on the menu, be it tortellini or ravioli.

MUST-TRY PASTAS Rigatoni ($25) with roasted cauliflower, spicy soppressata, cherry tomatoes, basil, and pecorino cheese; ravioli ($26) filled with wild mushrooms and taleggio cheese, leeks, spinach, porcini broth, and pine nuts; butternut squash gnocchi ($26) with prosciutto, sage, ricotta salata and brown butter. The Florentine, 151 W. Adams St., Chicago, 312-660-8866, the-florentine.net

Eataly’s incredible fresh pasta counter; Animale’s pappardelle with roasted winter veggies and fontina.

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 91

Out and About / FLAVOR

Monteverde’s Gnochetti con Pesto; The Florentine’s rigatoni with roasted cauliflower, spicy soppresatta, cherry tomatoes, basil, and pecorino; A selection of extruded and rolled raw pastas at Nico Osteria.

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GALDONES PHOTOGRAPHY

Hot off her 2017 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes, Monteverde chef/ partner Sarah Grueneberg isn’t resting on her laurels — she’s making pasta.

MONTEVERDE

NICO OSTERIA

The One Off Hospitality Group (Avec, Big Star, The Publican, etc.) hit it out of the park when they opened the Italian seafood-centric Nico Osteria in the Gold Coast a few years ago. Chef de Cuisine Bill Montagne and his team are producing 600 pounds of fresh pasta each week for brunch, lunch, and dinner at Nico, as well as private parties in the adjoining Thompson Chicago hotel. “We make pasta in house for a few different reasons, all of which have to do with quality,” says Montagne. “For our fresh extruded pasta [shapes], there is a dramatic difference in quality even in one or two days. The freshest pasta has the best texture.” For those with celiac or other food allergies, they also offer a gluten-free rice noodle.

MUST-TRY PASTAS Lobster Spaghetti ($39), spaghetti alla chitarra with guanciale, lobster miso and spring onion; Cauliflower Ravioli ($17) with Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese, Fresno chile, brown butter, sage and breadcrumbs; orecchiette ($19) with bigeye tuna, broccoli rabe, chile pepper and pecorino Romano. Nico Osteria, 1015 N. Rush St., Chicago, 312-994-7100, nicoosteria.com

DEREK RICHMOND

Hot off her 2017 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes, chef/partner Sarah Grueneberg isn’t resting on her laurels — she’s making pasta. Each week, the Monteverde pastaficio turns out 40 to 50 pounds of pasta from Mulino Mariano flour, imported from Italy. “Our dedication to pasta is part of the DNA at Monteverde,” says Grueneberg. “In particular, the pastas that we roll and fill to order set our pasta program [apart] from others around the country. The eggs we use from a local Illinois farm are super special — the yolks are super rich. I love our team of women who are dedicated to making our pasta throughout the day and during service.”

MUST-TRY PASTAS Wok-Fried Arrabbiata ($17), black and white tagliolini with ground Texas Gulf shrimp and garlic hot pepper oil; Tortelloni di Zucca ($16), pumpkin-filled with mostarda, sage, Parmigiano-Reggiano, pumpkin seeds and apple balsamico. (Note: Grueneberg’s famous Cacio Whey Pepe ($14) is a stunner and should not be missed, but it is made with dried pasta… fair warning!) Monteverde, 1020 W. Madison St., Chicago, 312-888-3041, monteverdechicago.com

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 93

Dine

A N I N S I D E R ’ S G U I D E TO T H E V E RY B E S T E AT S I N C H I C AG O A N D B E YO N D

EDITED BY JULIE CHERNOFF

TERZO PIANO Italian The restaurant’s design is right at home in the Art Institute’s Modern Wing. Chef/owner Tony Mantuano’s seasonal pastas, salads and shared plates are stunning, too. 159 E. Monroe St., 312-4438650, terzopiano chicago.com L, Br

LINCOLN PARK/ LAKEVIEW

Scallop à la Acadia.

• ACADIA The Tasting Menu dinner is always a wow at this Michelin Guide two-star stunner. Chef Ryan McCaskey plays with the classics in inspiring, beautiful and supremely flavorful ways. 1639 S. Wabash Ave., 312-360-9500, acadiachicago.com D

CHICAGO ANDERSONVILLE BIG JONES Southern Just off a renovation, this is chef Paul Fehribach’s love letter to the South, inspired by its people and history. The cornbread!

The fried chicken!

The gumbo! All stellar.

5347 N. Clark St., 773275-5725, bigjones chicago.com LD, Br HOPLEAF Gastropub For 25 years, this has been THE place for mussels and frites, washed down with one of more than 60 different craft beers.

If you can, save some room for charcuterie or maybe the Duck Reuben.

5148 N. Clark St., Chicago, 773-334-9851, hopleafbar.com LD

BUCKTOWN/ WICKER PARK HOT CHOCOLATE American Comfort Food James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Mindy Segal is so much more than a dessert queen; witness the brilliance of her mac and cheese, the perfect hamburger, or her Crispy Chicken with Grits. But if you decide to leave

94 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

without slurping down her Malted Coffee Cocoa Nib Milkshake, you are clearly insane.

1747 N. Damen Ave., 773-489-1747, hotchocolate chicago.com LD, Br PIECE Pizza/Brewery This is New Havenstyle pizza at its finest (if you want to be taken seriously, order the house specialty, clam with bacon), especially when accompanied by a growler of their award-winning brew.

1927 W. North Ave., 773-772-4422, piecechicago.com LD

DOWNTOWN/ LOOP ACANTO Italian Terrific rustic Italian food is just within reach of Millennium Park and Chicago’s Cultural Mile. Order one of chef Christopher Gawronski’s thin-crust pizzas or tender pastas, a glass of wine, and relax. 18 S. Michigan Ave., 312-578-0763, acantochicago.com LD, Br CINDY’S Mediterranean Shared Plates The panoramic rooftop patio views overlooking Millennium Park and Lake Michigan are

worth it alone, but happily chef Christian Ragano turns out food both delicious and Instagrammable.

The craft cocktails are on point as well.

12 S. Michigan Ave., 312-792-3502, cindysrooftop.com LD, Br THE GAGE Gastropub Oh, the poutine! There’s no better use of fries and cheese curds. Plenty to love at this Britishinfluenced stalwart across from Millennium Park. Top-notch steaks, craft beers, and housemade sausages.

24 S. Michigan Ave., 312-372-4243, thegage chicago.com LD, Br

ALINEA Tasting Menu James Beard Award winner and three-star Michelin chef Grant Achatz has the world on a string. Reservations are rare, and the price is steep, but if you can, this is an experience you should have at least once. 1723 N. Halsted St., 312-867-0110, alinearestaurant.com D BOKA Contemporary American Chef Lee Wolen ably helms the BOKA Group’s flagship restaurant. Clubby, sleek interiors are the perfect backdrop for his lovely, seasonal American cuisine and pastry chef Meg Galus’ outstanding creations.

1729 N. Halsted St., 312-337-6070, bokachicago.com D MON AMI GABI French Bistro You’ll find all the bistro classics on Chef Nelli Maltezos’ menu— Steak Frites, Frisée Salad, Onion Soup au Gratin — and they’re delightful every time. This longtime LEYE favorite has terrific service and an approachable wine list.

2300 N. Lincoln Park

AUTHENTIC NEAPOLITAN PIZZA

DINE IN

•

DELIVERY

•

CATERING

•

EVENTS

•

BRUNCH

Out & About / DINE West, 773-348-8886, monamigabi.com D, Br NAOKI Sushi Muchawarded sushi chef Naoki Nakashima is all about the freshest, most pristine sashimi and nigiri. Japanese small plates, specialty maki and substantial sake and Japanese whiskey offerings round out the menu. 2300 N. Lincoln Park, 773-868-0002, naoki-sushi.com D NORTH POND Seasonal American This Arts & Crafts beauty perches on the edge of a tranquil pond in verdant Lincoln Park. James Beard Award-winning chef Bruce Sherman sources from small local farms to create his exquisitely prepared and presented dishes. 2610 N. Cannon

Dr., 773-477-5845, northpond restaurant.com D, Br RICCARDO TRATTORIA Italian Now THAT’S Italian — Northern Italian, to be exact. We’d be hard-pressed to name a favorite among the gems, but truly every risotto and pasta dish is like a quick trip to Milan or Florence. Authentic and delicioso. Sister restaurant Riccardo Enoteca is across the street. 2119 N. Clark St., 773-549-0038, riccardotrattoria.com D

LOGAN SQUARE /AVONDALE ANIMALE Italian Toothsome housemade fresh pastas, salads, panini and even a

EVANSTON BARBECUE AT IT’S BEST FOR OVER 30 YEARS! FAMOUS RIB TIPS SMOKED RIBS BBQ CHICKEN CLASSIC HOUSE SALAD HOMEMADE SWEET POTATO PIE FAMOUS SAUCE!

righteous burger with an Italian accent make this spot very worthy.

Chef Cameron Grant knows what’s up.

1904 N. Western Ave., 872-315-3912, animale chicago.com D, Br DOS URBAN CANTINA Modern Mexican Husband-and-wife chef team Brian and Jennifer Enyart opened this spot as a showcase for their modern Mexican cuisine. Octopus al Pastor with pineapple and adobo and Masa Gnocchi in chorizo sauce are just a few of their inventive dishes.

2829 W. Armitage Ave., 773-661-6452, dosurban cantina.com D, Br FAT RICE Macanese Another culinary couple, Abe Conlon and

Adrienne Lo, opened the first Macanese restaurant in Chicago, a happy combination of Southeast Asian, Portuguese, Indian and Chinese food. The Arroz Gordo (“Fat Rice”) is like paella on steroids.

2957 W. Diversey Ave., 773-661-9170, eatfatrice.com LD, Br GIANT Global Cuisine Chef Jason Vincent is a culinary omnivore with many influences, so he decided to cook all of his favorites.

The buzz around the Jonah Crab Salad with Waffle Fries, Super Uni Shooter and the “Sortallini”?

Well deserved.

3209 W. Armitage Ave., 773-252-997, giantrestaurant.com D

OSTERIA LANGHE Italian Possibly the best Italian restaurant in the city , this sister restaurant to Animale is run by Scottish chef Cameron Grant and Belgian-Italian front man Aldo Zaninotto.

2824 W. Armitage Ave., 773-661-1582, osterialanghe.com D

PILSEN/ BRIDGEPORT THE DUCK INN Bridgeport’s other favorite son, Kevin Hickey, came home and brought a restaurant with him. The Rotisserie Duck is the star of the show, but the supporting players are equally talented. 2701 S. Eleanor, 312-724-8811, the duckinnchicago.com D

DUSEK’S Tavern Dusek’s is the beating heart of Thalia Hall, a modern tavern with a thirst for international craft and draft beers and a parade of elevated bar food dishes that will knock your socks off.

Visit The Punch House downstairs. 1227 W. 18th St., 312-526-3851, dusekschicago.com D, Br HAISOUS Vietnamese On everyone’s best new restaurant list, this Pilsen spot scored a Bib Gourmand rating from the venerable Michelin Guide. Owners Thai and Danielle Dang are sharing their love of Vietnamese food with us. And trust us — from the soulful beef pho to the earthy roasted duck stuffed with kaffir lime leaves, you will feel the

IT’S THE

SAUCE!

HECKYS.COM 1902 GREEN BAY ROAD 847.492.1182

96 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

NOW AVAILABLE ON

PHOTO CREDIT

CATERING TAKE OUT & DELIVERY WE SHIP THROUGHOUT THE U.S.

love. 1800 S. Carpenter St., 312-702-1303, haisous.com D, Br

RIVER NORTH BAVETTE’S BAR & BOEUF Steakhouse There’s more than a whiff of speakeasy at this popular meatery.

Bring a flashlight to read the menu, or just order a Smoked Salmon Caesar and a Bone-In Filet, with a side of the insane Truffle Mac & Cheese.

Defibrillator optional.

218 W. Kinzie St., 312-624-8154, bavettes steakhouse.com D BEATRIX American Comfort Food This neighborhood favorite (with outposts in Streeterville and West Loop) brings the

yummy with freshsqueezed juice medleys, bounteous salads, burgers for every diet, and a killer turkey meatloaf. Skip the pastry bar? Never.

519 N. Clark St., 312-284-1377, beatrix restaurants.com BLD, Br BEMA Mediterranean CJ Jacobson, another L.A. transplant, brings an Ottolenghistyle sensibility to Mediterranean food full of bright color and flavor. Another winner for LEYE. 74 W. Illinois St., 312-527-5586, emachicago.com LD, Br FRONTERA GRILL Mexican For over 30 years, James Beard Award-winning chef Rick Bayless has been educating Chicago

— and beyond — about authentic regional Mexican cuisine. His fine-dining restaurant, Topolobampo, shares an entrance with Frontera; fast casual Xoco is on the corner.

All three more than live up to the hype. 445 N. Clark St., 312-661-1434, rickbayless.com LD, Br GT FISH & OYSTER Seafood Chef Giuseppe Tentori, in partnership with the Boka Group, has his way with seafood, and the results are memorable. 531 N. Wells St., 312-929-3501, gtoyster.com LD, Br GT PRIME Steakhouse See above; substitute meat for seafood and you’ve got the idea.

707 N. Wells St., 312600-6305, gprime.com D

NAHA Mediterranean Carrie Nahabedian’s original restaurant is clean and contemporary in décor, but the food is lush and deeply flavorful. A board member of Green City Market, Nahabedian’s menus reflect her reverence for fresh, seasonal produce and local products. 500 N. Clark St., 312-321-6242, naha-chicago.com LD PORTSMITH Seafood From the Fifty/50 Group comes this gorge seafood-forward resto.

The bread service is stellar, raw bar items top-notch, and Chef Nate Henssler’s cacio e pepe with uni butter and caviar a rich surprise.

660 N. State St., 312-202-6050, portsmith chicago.com BLD, Br

STREETERVILLE /GOLD COAST MAPLE & ASH Steakhouse This super-luxe Gold Coast steakhouse has it all: craft cocktails, woodfired hearth-cooked proteins, expansive raw bar offerings, a killer interior, and the culinary stylings of chef Danny Grant. Don’t skip Aya Fukai’s amazing desserts. 8 W. Maple St., 312-944-8888, mapleandash.com D, Br MARGEAUX BRASSERIE French Bistro California celeb chef Michael Mina’s first outpost in Chicago, Margeaux pulses with life — and sound, so be forewarned. Bistro favorites abound, but the Shellfish Plateau

is truly above and beyond. Waldorf Astoria Chicago, 11 E. Walton St., 312-625-1324, michaelmina.net BLD, Br NICO OSTERIA Italian/Seafood The Gold Coast’s chic Thompson Hotel really scored big when it opened this Italian seafood-focused resto.

House-made pastas and pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky’s calorieworthy desserts are particular highlights.

1015 N. Rush St., 312-994-7100, nicoosteria.com BLD, Br SHANGHAI TERRACE Chinese Tucked away in the glamorous Peninsula Hotel is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the city — and undoubtedly the

From family gatherings

Call today for reservations

to corporate events

and stay warm with

and festive occasions.

our cozy fireplace.

PHOTO CREDIT

PRIVATE PARTIES · CATERING NEEDS BREAKFAST · LUNCH · DINNER · BRUNCH

anappleadaycatering.com

317 Park Avenue | Glencoe, IL | 847-835-2620 M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 97

Out & About / DINE Mesa Urbana’s POM Margarita

Scallion Pancakes with BBQ Pork, TeaSmoked Duck Breast and Coconut Grits are just a sampling. And that PB&J Soft Serve!

Addictive stuff.

1400 W. Randolph St., 312-563-1010, bellyqchicago.com D BLACKBIRD Contemporary American This is where it all began for Paul Kahan and his restaurant empire, and it’s still of the moment.

Chef de cuisine Ryan Pfeiffer is putting out beautiful, modern food made with local, sustainable ingredients.

619 W. Randolph St., 312-715-0708, blackbird restaurant.com LD

• MESA URBANA Mexican Its strip-mall locale belies what you’ll find within — modern Mexican cuisine with innovative takes on classics such as ceviche, empanadas, seafood and more. The dazzling cocktails are made with only freshly squeezed juices. 3566 Milwaukee Ave., Northbrook, 847-383-0700, mesaurbana.com D priciest. The dim sum nibbles, the Peking duck, the abalone (you read that right!)… all spectacular, and the service is impeccable.

In summer, insist on the glorious rooftop terrace. 108 E. Superior St., 312-5736744, chicago .peninsula.com LD SPIAGGIA Italian Barack and Michelle flipped for James Beard Award winner Tony Mantuano’s luxe Italian cuisine, and it’s easy to understand why. The nearby Café Spiaggia is a more casual option, and also open for lunch.

980 N. Michigan Ave., 2nd Floor, 312280-2750, spiaggia restaurant.com D

TORALI ITALIAN STEAK Italian Steakhouse Inside the zillion-dollar renovation of the RitzCarlton, you’ll find this modern approach to a steakhouse with an Italian twist.

House-made pastas, prime and dry-aged meats, inspired cocktails and a gorgeous interior.

160 E. Pearson at Water Tower Place, 312-573-5160, torali chicago.com BLD

WEST LOOP AVEC Mediterranean Small Plates Make new friends at Avec’s communal tables while sharing the signature Chorizo-Stuffed Medjool

98 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Dates wrapped in bacon, served with a piquillo pepper-tomato sauce.

The paella here is spot on. 615 W. Randolph St., 312-377-2002, avecrestaurant.com LD, Br BAD HUNTER Veggie-Centric So much gorgeous light streams into this cozy resto at lunch and brunch!

Veggies are the star, but carnivores get some love, too. And the Spicy Carrot Cooler works at any time of day. 802 W. Randolph St., 312-265-1745, badhunter.com LD, Br BELLYQ Asian BBQ Chef Bill Kim’s pan-Asian menu is filled with craveable delights: Korean Fried Chicken,

GIRL & THE GOAT Global Cuisine James Beard Award and Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard favors familystyle, big-hearted dishes at her culinary global mash-up, like the Wood-Oven Roasted Pig Face (surprisingly scrumptious despite the name), Goat

Empanadas, and even a whole goat leg available by reservation only. 809 W. Randolph St., 312-492-6262, girlandthegoat.com D GRACE Tasting Menu Maintaining three coveted Michelin stars for four years running is no small feat, but then the Grace crew are not one to rest on their laurels.

Expect extraordinary ingredients, phenomenal service and a worldclass wine list.

652 W. Randolph St., 312-234-9494, gracerestaurant.com D LEÑA BRAVA Mexican/Seafood Rick Bayless’ newest venture is a Mexican seafood (from sustainable and environmentally responsible sources, of course) restaurant that draws inspiration from fire and ice.

Everything is cooked by fire, either in a woodburning oven or over a hot grill. Bayless’ Cruz Blanca Brewery and

Taqueria is right next door. 900 W. Randolph St., 312-733-1975, rickbayless.com D ORIOLE Tasting Menu Two Michelin stars for the Asian-influenced vision of chef Noah Sandoval combined with the divine desserts of pastry chef Genie Kwon. An inauspicious entrance belies the serene and awe-inducing culinary experience within.

661 W. Walnut St., 312-877-5339, oriolechicago.com D THE PUBLICAN Gastropub Oysters, craft beer and pork, oh my! If it’s über-loud here, that’s because everyone is fighting over the last piece of roasted farm chicken. Don’t miss Publican Quality Meats (L only), the amazing deli across the street. 837 W. Fulton Market, 312-6012970, thepublican restaurant.com D, Br

Somerset’s Grape Parfait

• SOMERSET Seasonal American Chef Lee Wolen and pastry goddess Meg Galus are at it again, shaking up the Gold Coast with this snazzy resto in the new Viceroy Hotel, designed to the nines and the perfect backdrop for their seasonal take on elevated comfort food. Viceroy Hotel, 1112 N. State St., 312-586-2150, somersetchicago.com BLD, Br

SMYTH + THE LOYALIST Tasting Menu / Modern American Powerhouse husband-and-wife team John and Karen Shields give you two options: Smyth’s exquisite multicourse offerings, or The Loyalist’s casual vibe. Honestly, there’s no wrong choice here.

177 N. Ada St., 773-913-3773, smythand theloyalist.com D SWIFT & SONS Steakhouse Chef Chris Pandel and the Boka Group are aiming for nothing less than the evolution of the American steakhouse for modern sensibilities. The atmosphere is civilized, the meat is aged beautifully, dessert comes on a cart, and the gin is cold. What more could you ask? 1000 W. Fulton Market, 312-7339420, swiftandsons chicago.com D LA SIRENA CLANDESTINA South American Chef John Manion spent his childhood in Brazil, and cooked his way through Argentina, so it’s no surprise that he’s doing South American cuisine serious justice here.

His Feijoada (a meat, rice and greens dish), Moqueca (a coconutinfused seafood stew with risotto) and Black Beans & Rice are all delicious. Try them with a house Caipirihha or Pisco Sour.

954 W. Fulton Market, 312-226-5300, lasirena chicago.com D, Br SALERO Spanish If you’re looking for an enormous Spanishstyle “Gin Tonic,” you’ve come to the right place.

Keep it company with chef Ashlee Aubin’s tapas (grilled octopus, confit potatoes,

chorizo-stuffed quail) and a paella for the table.

Don’t even think of leaving without trying the cheese flan or the churros!

621 W. Randolph St., 312-466-1000, salerochicago.com D

SOUTH LOOP MERCAT A LA PLANXA Spanish At this Spanish spot in the Blackstone Hotel, small plates, Catalanstyle cuisine, a lively downstairs bar, and an airy two-story dining room are all selling points. 638 S. Michigan Ave., 312-765-0524, mercatchicago.com BLD, Br

NORTH SHORE EVANSTON BOLTWOOD Farm to Table Whether for a power lunch or family dinner,cChef Brian Huston’s seasonally driven food draws a crowd. Order the Roasted Half Chicken and Crispy Potatoes with Garlic Schmaltz and thank us later. 804 Davis St., Evanston, 847-859-2880, boltwood evanston.com LD, Br THE BARN Contemporary American / Steakhouse This sister restaurant to Found Kitchen has a speakeasy feel (it’s down a side alley), chic décor and food that’s classic with a twist.

The craft cocktails here are also top-notch.

Rear 1016 Church St., Evanston, 847-868-8041, thebarnevanston.com D CAMPAGNOLA Italian Rustic Italian hits the spot at this longtime South Evanston favorite. Chef Vince Di Battista favors local,

organic ingredients whenever possible.

Pappardelle Bolognese here is some of the best around. 815 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-4756100, campagnola restaurant.com D FIVE & DIME / LULU’S / TACO DIABLO American / Asian / Mexican Owners Dan and Laura Kelch are back after a devastating fire closed the original Taco Diablo. Now across the street, they’ve got three energetic joints going at once: the pan-Asian Lulu’s; tequila-haven Taco Diablo; and indoor/ outdoor hangout spot Five & Dime. 1026 Davis St., Evanston, 847-8596847, lulusevanston.com, tacodiablo.com LD

FOUND KITCHEN AND SOCIAL HOUSE Farm-to-Table Thirdgeneration restaurateur Amy Morton is behind this creative restaurant with a distinctly urban flair. Feast on seasonally focused shared plates, locally sourced meat and produce, and inventive craft cocktails. 1631 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-868-8945, foundkitchen.com LD HEARTH American A welcome respite in a sea of deafening restaurants, Hearth offers a lovely dining experience and carefully prepared, seasonal fare.

Brunch is a highlight.

1625 Hinman Ave., Evanston, 847-5708400, hearth restaurant.net D, Br

NAKORN Modern Thai This “Cosmopolitan Thai” resto is exactly where you need to eat.

Clean, bright flavors pop big in craft cocktails and curries; not your average Thai menu, as the mouthwatering NY Strip Steak can attest. 1622 Orrington Ave., Evanston, 847-733-8424, nakornkitchen.com LD OCEANIQUE French / Seafood Whether you opt for the seven-course tasting menu or the à la carte choices, it’s clear that chef Mark Grosz has serious cooking chops. Pair your foie gras or lobster with something fine from the award-winning wine list. 505 Main St., Evanston, 847-8643435, oceanique.com D

TERRA & VINE Italian Celebrity restaurateur and sommelier Alpana Singh knows a thing or two about hospitality, and you’ll find it on display at this rustic Italian spot. There’s also teriffic private dining for events. 1701 Maple Ave., Evanston, 847-563-4333, terraandvine.com LD, Br

GLENCOE GUILDHALL Contemporary American The bar is always packed at this lovely restaurant just a stone’s throw from Writers Theatre.

Seasonal produce and local purveyors play an important part. 694 Vernon Ave., Glencoe, 847-835-8100, guildhall restaurant.com LD, Br

ADVANCED HIGH SCHOOL PERFORMANCE CONSERVATORY APPLICATIONS AVAILABLE NOW FOR 2018 PROGRAM! “I did the Conservatory a year ago and it was like my perception of acting was forever changed… I believe I grew a ton as an actor in that program.” — Student Join Piven Theatre Workshop’s most advanced and selective program for young actors!

Experience: -World class core dramatic training -Resume-building workshops with award-wining master teachers -Networking, learning, and laughing with passionate classmates Early Decision Application Due February 15. Regular Decision Application Due April 15.

Visit www.piventheatre.org to learn more and apply.

Additional classes available for youth and adults year-round.

PIVEN THEATRE WORKSHOP 927 Noyes Street | Evanston, IL 60201 School: 847.866.6597 | Box Office: 847.866.8049

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 99

Out & About / DINE flavor. 601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook, 847-2054433, prairiegrass cafe.com LD, Br

Union PIzzeria’s Margherita Pizza

WILMETTE

Brindille’s Steak Tartare

• BRINDILLE French Chef/owner Carrie Nahabedian’s seasonal interpretations of impeccable French cuisine are worth every penny. Luxe ingredients such as Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Steak Tartare, and Whole Dover Sole sound their siren call. Tasting menus available. 534 N. Clark St., 312-5951616, brindille-chicago.com D VALOR Mediterranean Bistro Third time is the charm for this cozy bistro in downtown Glencoe. They score with serious craft cocktails and flavorforward preparations of pasta, seafood and meat.

If the Plancha Octopus is available, don’t miss it. 667 Vernon Ave., Glencoe, 847-786-4324, valorglencoe.com D

HIGHLAND PARK/ HIGHWOOD ABIGAIL’S AMERICAN BISTRO Contemporary American Chef Michael Paulsen’s big flavors deliver all the yummy and keep everyone happy, from the killer cheeseburger and Flash-Fried Brussels Sprouts to the Duck Confit Salad. Even better, it’s close to Ravinia. 493 Roger Williams Ave., Highland Park, 847-780-4862, abigails493.com LD

LAKE FOREST/ LAKE BLUFF

NORTHBROOK/ NORTHFIELD

INOVASI Contemporary American Separated into small, medium and large plates of seasonal deliciousness, chef John des Rosiers’ food is also largely — and naturally — gluten-free.

Carnivores, take note: The burgers here are so good they get their own menu! 28 E. Center Ave., Lake Bluff, 847-2951000, inovasi.us LD

HOUSE 406 Contemporary American / Steakhouse Beef is a strong point here, but Chef Eloin Amador has a way with seafood, grilled pizza, soups and salads as well. Be sure to save room for the Chocolate & Peanut Butter Lava Cake, or go your own way with one of the beautiful Wisconsin Cheese Flights — the perfect complement to that last glass of wine. 1143 ½ Church St., Northbrook, 847-714-0200, house406 restaurant.com LD

MARKET HOUSE ON THE SQUARE Farm to Table Local and seasonal are the watchwords here. So much so that chef Dan Marquis and his brother Tim own Mill Road Farms in Sheffield, Illinois, and supply the restaurant with their organic produce. If fresh is what you’re looking for, this is the place. 655 Forest Ave., Lake Forest, 847-234-8800 LD, Br

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PRAIRIE GRASS CAFE Farm to Table Chef/ owners Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris are committed to using seasonal produce from local farms and meat and dairy from Midwestern producers, and all prepared with great care for maximum

CONVITO CAFÉ & MARKET French / Italian Stroll through the gourmet market stocked with imported Italian delicacies, wines and freshly prepared take-home foods to the charming bistro beyond. A lunch and brunch favorite.

1515 Sheridan Road, Wilmette, 847-251-3654, convitocafeand market.com LD, Br FIREFLY KITCHEN American Bistro Chef Dean Salerno brings a Brooklyn flair to the Midwest, with upscale comfort foods like mushroom risotto, seasonal flatbreads and charcuterie boards.

111 Green Bay Road, Wilmette, 224-4082464, ffkitchen.com D, Br

NAPOLITA Pizza / Italian The hand-tiled, wood-burning oven in the corner lets you know they mean serious pizza business here, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the pastas, risottos and salads hold their own. 1126 Central Ave., Wilmette, 224-2150305, napolitapizza.com LD, Br

WINNETKA AVLI ESTIATORIO Greek Owner Louis Alexakis brings authentic Greek cuisine to the North Shore, along with a terrific — and largely Greek — wine list. In the warmer months, nothing beats a spot on the indoor/ outdoor patio. 566 Chestnut St., Winnetka, 847-446-9300, avli.us LD FRED’S GARAGE American Comfort Food Built in a repurposed and refurbished garage, Fred’s (from the

owners of Evanston’s Ten Mile House) is a neighborhood restaurant with a fun, unique atmosphere and food you’ll crave — especially that crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside fried chicken. 574 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, 847-496-3733, fredswinnetka.com LD RESTAURANT MICHAEL French Chef/proprietor Michael Lachowicz has long championed an elegant French dining experience, with spectacular food and exquisite service.

From the opening salvo of Tuna & Salmon Tartare to the Hot Fallen Chocolate Soufflé, the food here never disappoints.

64 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, 847-4413100, restaurant michael.com D

Union PIzzeria’s Margherita Pizza

• UNION PIZZERIA Pizza Pies from a wood-burning pizza oven just have that special something. We love the blistered thin-crust pizzas and small antipasti plates here, and the Detroit-style square pizzas down the street at sister restaurant Union Squared. 1245 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-475-2400, unionpizza.com D

P R O M OT I O N

the DISH EAT, DRINK AND BE ENTERTAINED

For 35 years, Food For Thought’s award-winning catering group has crafted exceptional dining experiences in Chicago’s most renowned venues, from gilded cultural institutions to halls of urban sophistication.

Our most valued success is the culinary and service means behind our clients’ most treasured moments.

Do something different for date night with The Chopping Block! Chicago’s largest recreational cooking school and gourmet retail store offers educational and fun demonstration and hands-on classes, including Couples Cooking and Date Night, as well as wine/cocktail classes and private cooking parties.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

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7001 North Ridgeway Avenue, Lincolnwood, IL 847.982.2608

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Meg’s Cafe is open six days a week to provide you with your favorite catered dishes in the convenience of a​charming​cafe.

Meg’s Cafe serves up brunch, lunch, dinner, and dessert with menus perfect for the whole family. Stop by today or make a reservation!

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With an innovative menu and carefully crafted cocktails, complemented by the knowledgeable staff, Koi is one of Evanston’s premier dining destinations. Koi offers a modern, relaxing atmosphere perfect for a night out with friends, date night, or private event.

Urban sophistication meets dramatic architectural appeal at 19 East in Chicago’s South Loop. This flexible event space features built-in custom marble bars, mosaic tiling, steel beams, 28’ ceilings, and private suites.

Ideal for weddings, conferences, galas, and more.

Seated dinners to 250, receptions to 500.

KOI EVANSTON

19 EAST

624 Davis Street, Evanston, IL 847.866.6969

19 East 21st Street, Chicago, IL 312.846.6610

Better Makers

R ECO G N I Z I N G C H I C AG O ’ S E V E RY DAY H E R O E S A N D T H E I R I N C R E D I B L E I M PAC T

• AN EVENING TO IMAGINE GALA

Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago’s annual gala on Oct. 14 raised more than $640,000 for museum programming, exhibits, services for kids with special needs, and outreach to low-income communities. Make It Better was a proud media sponsor of this event.

Carrie Hughes of Northbrook, Sonia Esler of Wilmette, Anna Gardner and Maxie Clarke of Winnetka, Tiffany Erickson of Wilmette, Grith Funk of Winnetka, Christina Kline of Niles, and Megan Dorsay of Wilmette

MIB IMPACT Money raised at this event will support museum programming, exhibits, and more.

Charles and Tina Kim of Northbrook

Brian and Kerri Miller of Morton Grove

102 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Bridget and Timothy Pennise of Kenilworth

Dolores Kohl of Highland Park with Merri Dee of Chicago

First Lady of Illinois Diana Mendley Rauner of Winnetka, Sheridan Turner of Glenview, and Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner of Winnetka

ROBIN SUBAR

(Photo courtesy of Kohl Children’s Museum.)

• COLUMBIAN BALL On Oct. 7, the Museum

of Science and Industry hosted the 37th annual Columbian Ball, which raised more than $2 million for the museum’s exhibits, experiences, and educational programs.

Dinner in the Rotunda (Photo by Jeff Schear, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.)

Matthew Boler, Susan Gerstenslager, Christine Boler, and Gary Gerstenslager (Photo by Jeff Schear, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.)

MIB IMPACT Center for the Advancement of Science Education (CASE) — Science Achievers (Photo by Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.)

John and Christine Mahoney, Smita Shah, and Maarten de Jeu (Photo by Jeff Schear, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.)

Goldene and Cornelius Brown, Science Achievers (Photo by Jeff Schear, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.)

Patricia and David Mosena, Julie and David Fisher, and Christine and Matthew Boler (Photo by Kasumi Chow, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.)

Eric and Lisa Fuentes, and Chris and Jim Fuentes (Photo by Jeff Schear, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago.)

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 103

Out & About / BETTER MAKERS • A CELEBRATION EXPIERIENCE Navy Pier

raised $1.7 million at its first-ever benefit event on Nov. 7. This money will support free public programming at the Pier. Make It Better was a proud media sponsor of this event.

MIB IMPACT Hiplet Chicago performs during Navy Pier’s 2nd Annual Planet Chicago program.

(Photo by Danielle Dolan for Heidi Zeiger Photography.)

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel

Fifth Third Bank Regional President Eric S. Smith, Navy Pier President and CEO Marilynn Gardner, Fifth Third Bank Regional Chairman Robert A. Sullivan

104 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Navy Pier board member and Polk Bros. Foundation board chair Sandra P. Guthman, Navy Pier President and CEO Marilynn Gardner, Polk Bros. Foundation board member Howard Polk

Performers E. Faye Butler and Felicia Fields

“A Celebration ExPIERience” Co-Chair Yvonne Bruce, Navy Pier board member and “A Celebration ExPIERience” Co-Chair Devon Bruce

HEIDI ZEIGER PHOTOGRAPHY

Performer Alexa Grae

MIB IMPACT A UNICEF nutritionist informs a mother about micronutrients and nutritional supplements in northeastern Syria’s Ain Issa refugee camp. After their house was destroyed in fighting, the 20-year-old mother and her three children were displaced four times before arriving in Ain Issa. (Photo by Delil Souleiman for UNICEF.)

Zaher Sahloul

Ashish Prasad, Senator Durbin, and Ashley Prasad

Christian Skoog, Zaher Sahloul, Suzanne Akhras Sahloul, Maria Woltjen, Steve Lehmann, and Elizabeth McCostlin

Suzanne Akhras Sahloul

Steve Lehmann

TIM HIATT

• UNICEF CHICAGO HUMANITARIAN

AWARDS LUNCHEON On Nov. 3, the UNICEF USA Midwest Regional office honored four Chicagoans who are working to improve children’s lives here and around the world: Maria Woltjen, Suzanne Akhras Sahloul, Zaher Sahloul and Steve Lehmann. The event raised more than $98,000 to support UNICEF programs supporting refugees. Make It Better was a proud media sponsor of this event.

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 105

Out & About / BETTER MAKERS • WINTER WISHES On Nov. 16, the Founders’ Board of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago’s Winter Wishes event raised $540,000 for the Lurie Children’s New Frontiers in Pediatric Medicine and Research.

The money will support “transformational research, community-based healthcare delivery, and the appointment of an endowed chair in Medical Ethics.”

MIB IMPACT Ryan Etten and Nurse Leilani Manganti, BSN, RN, Surgical Services

Michele Thomas, Bose Akadiri, and Danielle Thomas

Tony Hoban, Lauren Gorter, Cindy Yingling, and Jeff Yingling

106 JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

Kirk Zafirovski, Todd Zafirovski, Caroline Conklin, Robin Zafirovski, and Mike Zafirovski

Siobhan Shea and Jennifer Shea

Steve and Randy Fifield

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANN & ROBERT H. LURIE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF CHICAGO

Co-Chairs Kristie Szczerba, Tria Thomas, and Molly Lowe

• PLAYING IT FORWARD PING PONG BALL Jackson Chance Foundation held this fifth annual event on Nov. 9 and raised more than $350,000 for families with babies in the NICU.

Co-Chairs Heather Boyer and Tom Bulow

MIB IMPACT Carrie Meghie with Graciela Fabian and baby Izabella Edwards (Photo by Kasia Jarosz.)

JEFF SCHEAR VISUALS AND STEPHANIE JENSEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Table Tennis stars Nanden and Sid Naresh

Former Chicago White Sox Ron Kittle, VIP tournament winner

Former Chicago Cub Jason Hammel, winner of the main tournament

Sara Licht, Owl Give winner Tiffany McCallum, JCF founder Carrie Meghie, and emcee Val Warner of Windy City LIVE

Former Chicago Bear Jerry Azumah warms up for the VIP tournament

Nanden Naresh entertains the crowd with his table tennis skills

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ FEB RUARY 2018 107

Our Lady of Perpetual Help School A Premier Private Education in the Finest Catholic Tradition

The Cove School provides individualized instruction and highly specialized services for students with complex learning disabilities. Cove’s extensive extracurriculars, leadership opportunities and transition services allow students to gain confidence in themselves, for today and tomorrow.

FAITH

•

KNOWLEDGE

•

DISCIPLINE

•

Visit our website for more information on attending an open house, giving a donation or becoming a corporate partner.

SERVICE

Catholic Schools Week OPEN HOUSE Sunday, January 28

following the 9:30 & 11:00 am Masses 1123 Church Street

•

Glenview

•

Support our Annual Benefit, Find Your Outstanding, February 24, 2018.

Details at www.coveschool.org/giving/annual-benefit.cfm 350 Lee Road, Northbrook, IL 60062 | 847.562.2100 | www.coveschool.org

847-724-6990

Explore Our Website: olph-il.org

Sound the Alarm. Save a Life.

During the past few months, the United States has seen disaster after disaster pummel the country, from hurricanes to wildfires. The numbers are hard to believe and the stories are difficult to hear. It is even more surprising, in the face of catastrophic disasters like these, that home fires remain the most common response for the American Red Cross.

Volunteer disaster responders like Brendan Clark (pictured) are on-call 24/7 to go to the scene of home fires and provide assistance to affected families people who have potentially lost every single possession in their home.

Local home fire survivors like Nick Tedeschi and Evelyn Thomson feel lucky to have gotten out of their homes in time. Nick said the loss he and his wife experienced made him feel totally gutted out. “We hit rock bottom and the Red Cross gave us a start.” Evelyn imparted wise words of advice after her experience, “Make sure you have a smoke alarm because it saves lives.”

Together, we can Sound the Alarm about fire safety and help save lives. Visit REDCROSS.ORG/SOUNDTHEALARM to make a donation that will help install free smoke alarms in high-risk neighborhoods.

1 0 8 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

North Shore

Exchange Luxury Resale for Women + the Home ALL PROFITS TO CHICAGOLAND CHARITIES

This Valentine’s Day Discover the

Secrets to Lasting Intimacy Join TantraNova’s Valentine’s Workshop February 14, 2018 | 7:00-9:30pm

Reserve your space at 773-525-5006 or tantranova@tantranova.com

CITY + SUBURBS

900 N. Michigan Shops, Level 4, Chicago

HOURS: 10 AM to 7 PM Monday-Saturday, Noon to 6 PM Sunday 312.374.3055

372 Hazel Avenue, Glencoe

HOURS: 10 AM to 5:30 PM Tuesday-Saturday, Closed Sunday + Monday 847.835.0026

contact@northshoreexchange.org www.northshoreexchange.org

TantraNova Institute | 2031 W. Warner Ave. | Chicago, IL 60618

www.TantraNova.com

SUBSCRIBE TO THE

A Classic, Upgraded

BETTER LETTER THE BEST OF MAKE IT BETTER, DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. makeitbetter.net/subscribe

New Balance North Shore 610 Central Avenue • Highland Park • 847-266-8323

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 1 0 9

Chicago Home

FROM BEAUTIFUL BUILDS AND STUNNING

MAKEOVERS TO TOP TRENDS AND REALTOR INSIGHTS

FAMILY MATTERS A North Shore couple discover — to their delight — that you don’t have to sacrifice style for kid-friendly design.

BY MICHELLE HUFFMAN • PHOTOS BY ANDREW MILLER

In order for the home to flow seamlessly from room to room, designer Rose Wormley threaded subtle touches of black throughout, from the living room window treatments to the hallway stairs to the dining room chairs.

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 111

Chicago Home / BACKSTORY

A

IMEE A ND SEA N Huss share two

great loves: family and good design. So when the couple decided to move from their two-story Lakeview home to Winnetka, they approached designer Rose Wormley with a challenge: Design highly functional spaces with enough room for their four young children and frequent visitors to spread out comfortably — but make them beautiful. This is Wormley’s favorite space to play in. She’s keen on homes that are simultaneously versatile, sophisticated, functional and kid-friendly: think airy, inviting layouts, clean lines, and fabrics that can be wiped down when little ones get messy.

When the Husses purchased the home in late 2016, it was classic, but dated. Despite the open floor plan and wide entryways, each room on the first floor had been designed as a separate space. Wormley aimed to improve the flow and modernize some of the more

112 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

traditional elements without making it overly formal (four kids, remember?). But as with any design project, there were a few challenges. “Usually the first thing a family asks me to do is the basement, but Aimee told me that they’re not a basement family — they really wanted to be on the first floor,” says Wormley. To accommodate their unique request, she installed a number of built-ins that would allow the family to store everything that might normally be sequestered to the lower level, from games to a big-screen TV, in an organized, out-of-sight way. In the playroom, rolling bins were added to ensure the kids’ toys had a place to sleep at the end of the day. The overall effect is that of a stylish, modern family home that adults can appreciate and children can spread out and have fun in.

The second challenge? Seating. To ensure the comfort of frequent visitors and extended family, the Husses hoped to be able to accomodate at least 15 people in each room. In

keeping with her practically elegant style, Wormley selected kid-friendly fabrics for chairs and sofas and high-quality indoor/outdoor carpeting that could handle heavy traffic.

As any good designer will tell you, the key to an amazing space is great lighting. Throw in a couple with amazing taste and high standards, and you’ve arrived at challenge number three. “Lighting is everything — it can really make or break a look,” says Aimee. “Sean and I both appreciate great fixtures and love to experiment with new options, so this was very important to us.” Luckily, Wormley’s choices didn’t disappoint. “She brought in some really cool fixtures that help set the tone in each room,” says Aimee.

Ultimately, Wormley was able to check every box on the family’s list — and when they moved in last Christmas, it was like they’d always lived there. “Aimee and Sean wanted the house to feel like theirs, and it really reflects them,” she says.

Aimee agrees. “We’re here to stay!”

Opposite: Merging form with function, Wormley surrounded the fireplace with built-in cupboards that hide the kids’ toys.

This page, clockwise from top: To update the kitchen, Wormley added new stools to the island and statement lighting overhead. The dining room makes the most of the family’s two musthaves: lots of seating, and interesting fixtures.

Aimee, Sean, and their four beautiful children.

With doors that lead to the kitchen, living room, and office, the family room is the heart of the home. In the hallway, a modern light fixture and traditional staircase live in perfect harmony.

BETTER TOGETHER The Husses may be a busy family of four, but they make sure to carve out time to give back to their community. “It’s a huge part of how we spend time together as a family,” says Aimee. “Since moving to Winnetka, we’ve been taking the kids to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children (fmsc.org), which we first discovered through the park district. It’s great because the kids get to be super hands-on. They spend weekend afternoons preparing packaged meals to help get nutritious food to hungry kids around the world.”

M A K E IT B E T T E R JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 113

Chicago Home / STYLE

Natural Beauty Embrace the imperfect.

O

BY MICHELLE HUFFMAN

NE OF THE hottest design trends of 2018, wabi sabi is a

Japanese aesthetic that accepts the imperfect, incomplete, and irregular — think cracks, frayed edges, worn leather, and faded fabrics. Despite its singsong name, the look is muted and rustic, grounded in neutral colors, fibers and materials, and celebrates items made by hand or by Mother Nature herself. Here, five local ways to bring it home.

3

1 Pewter ceramic by Juliska, $250, Material Possessions, materialpossessions.com 2 Kitchen design, Mark Hickman Homes, markhickmanhomes.com.

3 Moroccan wool throws, $550 and up, Jayson Home, jaysonhome.com. 4Saddle Table, Arhaus, $749, arhaus.com.

5 Sumi Ink on Paper by Cleveland Dean, price upon request, Pavilion Antiques, pavilionantiques.com.

5 4

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847.913.3662 chrisveech@atproperties.com

Glencoe’s Premier Real Estate Broker

Jody Handler-Dickstein

#1 is ring Buye rs eb W

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Jody received the International President’s Premier Club Award for her exceptional performance in 2016 and 2017!

We Are Now Serving The City of Chicago With Our Experienced Million Dollar Broker

Michael Dickstein

MICHAEL DICKSTEIN

847.946.7600 Michael.Dickstein@cbexchange.com

JODY DICKSTEIN

847.651.7100 Jody.Dickstein@cbexchange.com

Coldwell Banker | 640 Vernon Avenue | Glencoe, IL 60022 Based on closed sales volume information from Midwest Real Estate Data LLC for area = 22 (Glencoe 60022) in all price ranges as reported by Midwest Real Estate Data LLC for the period of 1/1/2016 - 12/1/2017, calculated by multiplying the number of buyer and/ or seller sides by sales price. Midwest Real Estate Data LLC data is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor agents and are not employees of the Company. ©2018 Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Owned by a subsidiary of NRT LLC. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. 1234567CHI_1/18

KEVIN RUTHERFORD

For your real estate needs, call Kevin Rutherford today.

594 Green Bay Rd Winnetka, IL 60093 847.800.6671 kevin.rutherford@bairdwarner.com

Reflections

RAINER MARIA RILKE

118 JAN UARY/ F EB RUARY 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R

MIKE SZPOT

And now let us welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.

See art to save the sea Art at Shedd Aquarium?

Washed Ashore transforms beach trash into largerthan-life sculptures!

Meet Daisy and her unforgettable friends at Shedd’s new limited-time exhibition.

sheddaquarium.org/washedashore

EYE CARE + EYE WEAR. THEY’RE BETTER TOGETHER.

myeyedr.com | 866.693.9336 WE WELCOME ALL INSURANCES

D r . N a n c i e N g u y e n , O . D .

J o r d a n W o o d , E y e W e a r C o n s u l t a n t