DISCOVER
LISLE Fitness expert Jen Widerstrom dishes on her foodie favorites and more By Lisa Arnett
MEET JEN WIDERSTROM
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efore she became the wellknown fitness expert and coach she is now, Jen Widerstrom’s first job as a teen growing up in Lisle was busing tables at Angeli’s Restaurant on Chicago Avenue. “If I had any extra tip money, I might have bought a dessert,” she says. “Their tiramisu is to die for.” Widerstrom, 37, who now lives in Denver, returns a half-dozen or so times each year to visit her parents, who still live in the house where she grew up. “My neighborhood had all these gorgeous oak trees and lakes and trails,” she says. “It was the perfect
place to grow up.” During her summers off of college at University of Kansas, she worked as a bartender at Quigley’s, Potter’s Place, and Two-Nine in downtown Naperville. Today, Widerstrom is best known for her appearances training cast members on The Biggest Loser seasons 16 and 17. She published the book Diet Right For Your Personality Type in 2017 and now serves as fitness director of Shape magazine. Read on for five of her all-time favorite spots to stroll, play, and dine in Lisle. Please check websites before visiting for the latest operations updates due to COVID-19.
QUICK FACTS Founding brothers The village of Lisle was first settled in 1832 by brothers Luther and James Hatch.
PHOTO COURTESY JEN WIDERSTROM (HEADSHOT) AND LISLE PARK DISTRICT (COMMUNITY PARK)
Got game The Bulls/Sox Training Academy (6200 River Bend Dr.) opened in Lisle in 2001. The Chicago Bulls and Chicago White Sox continue to manage youth sports camps at the facility, recently renamed the West Suburban Sports Complex. Over the hill Four Lakes (5750 Lakeside Dr.) is one of the area’s only downhill ski facilities. In the summertime, recreational volleyball leagues compete on sand courts at the base of the ski hill. Stroll goals PrairieWalk Pond, located just west of Main Street in downtown Lisle, is a picturesque destination for a warm-weather walk. 20 MAY 2020 / NAPERVILLEMAGAZINE.COM
ILLUSTRATION BY MAEVE NORTON
