A LOCAL ENTREPRENEUR SHARES HER STORY
ALSO:
• L-P High School’s Transitions program is making a difference
• Wild Ginger Bistro, a farm-to-table experience
• Tomato recipes to make the most of summer harvest
Learning valuable life skills
How many of us reading this magazine issue wish we would have learned more life skills when we were in high school? I know I do!
Basic home maintenance lessons would have been valuable to me – whether I realized it at the time or not. I could have also greatly benefitted from learning more about finances, cooking, car issues, and any number of practical subjects that got lost in the shuffle when I was taking college prep courses. Instead, I was learning to do complicated math problems that I would never, ever use in my chosen career. I was learning facts about civilizations that ceased to be thousands of years before I was born, but I graduated high school without learning things I needed to know to survive in today’s world, like changing a tire.
Recognizing my own shortfalls in my education is one of the reasons I enjoyed learning about LaSalle-Peru High School’s Transitions Program as I put this issue together. It’s wonderful that the students in this program will learn practical knowledge they’ll need in the real world.
Too many times in high school and even in college, classmates and I would struggle through a difficult assignment and ask each other when we would ever use that information later in life. Fast forward 30-some years, and I still haven’t used some of it. I’m betting the kids in the Transitions Program will put the lessons they’ve learned to good use in the near future.
Best wishes,
Shannon Serpette Niche Editor
Wild Ginger Bistro & Wine Bar
Ripe for the Picking
Make
Illinois Valley Woman
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La Salle, Illinois 61301 (815) 223-3200 (800) 892-6452 www.newstrib.com
General Manager/ Advertising Director Jeanette Smith jmsmith@shawmedia.com
Niche Editor Shannon Serpette sserpette@shawmedia.com
Writers Brandon LaChance
Katlyn Sanden
Shannon Serpette
Photographer Katlyn Sanden
Designer Liz Klein
One-Stop
LaSalle-Peru High School’s Transitions Program prepares students for life
By Brandon LaChance
On the list of departments at LaSalle-Peru High School, special education is listed. If you’re on the L-P website, click on the link, and it will provide options within the special education programming – one of them is the Transitions Program.
After a student makes it through the four years of high school promised to everyone, a special needs student or a student with a disability is given the option of a transition to extend their education until they’re 22.
Kristie Witte, originally from London Mills, west of Peoria, has been in education for 25 years. She came to L-P 18 years ago with a nudge from her husband Russell Witte, who was then a teacher and coach at Hall and has now been the Seneca boys basketball coach for the last 15 years.
Two years into her L-P tenure, she began teaching the Transitions Program and has no desire to leave anytime soon.
“The purpose for the Transitions Program is to provide post-secondary life skills training in order for them to meet their life goals. It’s all the things we wish we had when we first left our parents’ house. The first time you were told to figure it out, that’s what we do here. It’s all the daily living. It’s the cooking, cleaning, laundry, problem solving, and money management, budgeting, and other money skills we all have to have,” Witte said.
“We work out of an actual residential house. Anytime something goes wrong, like the toilet isn’t working right or the smoke detector is beeping, we use those as real-life living skills. I use our environment to teach all of those little things that you just don’t get in a regular classroom,” she said.
The house is a school and a home wrapped into one.
“It’s a combination of work/office/dorm
Drinks are passed many times a day from the students of the LaSalle-Peru Transitions Program to thirsty students and teachers during lunchtime. L-P Superintendent and the L-P Board of Directors allowed for the Transitions Program’s Cavs’ Sip-n-Savor to be a full-fledged, student-run business during lunch hours. After a menu change in fall 2023, more drinks have been made since the lines are longer.
room,” she said.
When Witte came to the program, it was taught in the school, but the overflowing numbers made it necessary for a different space. A house L-P owned at the time was then used for the program for three years before the L-P Board ruled it needed to be demolished.
The transition students went back to the school for six years until L-P found the perfect house for the program.
“I love it because most people don’t know it’s owned by L-P. That’s the best part of it because we are truly part of our community. Our neighbors are very
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Transitions
FROM PAGE 5
supportive, nice, extremely social, and it’s just nice that the Transition students are truly in the community. Our disability community has fought labels for many, many, many years. I feel in the Illinois Valley, we’re really making some great strides to extinguish the old stereotypes. The Transitions Program having a house is one way of doing it,” she said.
“The other nice side is we’re literally across the street from the high school, so if anything is needed – information, emergency situations, supplies – we can get it easily. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. It made those long six years worthwhile.”
The house has also helped Witte individualize the program to each student’s needs, which was something she always wanted. She can work on cooking skills while also focusing on soft skills such as working with teammates, understanding how to talk to the public, and presenting themselves in an adult manner.
“It doesn’t matter what your IQ is, every individual wants to be an independent, self-serving adult to say, ‘I got this’ or ‘I did that.’ It’s an ever-changing program. I’ve been here 16 years, and it has never looked the same two years in a row. A lot of it depends on who I have, where we’re at, and what their goals are. It’s a very individualized program and I take pride in that. I spend a lot of time with the students and their families, caregivers, and support to try to bring everyone together as one big team to fit the goals that they each have,” Witte said.
“It’s very rewarding. The biggest successes are when I see alumni out in the community working. Through the entire Illinois Valley, I see it a lot. I see a lot of them out there living their best lives. There are other stories and many things I can list of why I love the Transitions Program, but in a nutshell, the reason why I love what I do is being able to help them achieve their dreams and what they want,” she said.
Another goal for Witte with the program is real-life skills. The house helps with learning about baking, laundry, and basic home upkeep like replacing light bulbs, but it doesn’t offer much in the way of business lessons. That led Witte to implement a stu-
Participants of the Transitions Program are taught many different life skills, including cooking and baking. Making cookies is always popular because of the final result – eating them.
dent-led business through the Transitions Program.
The Cavs’ Sip-n-Savor was brought to life in fall 2022 when a group of students decided a coffee shop would be a great business to run. They created a proposal and presented it to the L-P administration, which accepted the idea.
The coffee shop opened in January 2023. The menu was changed in fall 2023, and the result was an explosion of excitement for the drinks.
“I can’t explain how big the Cavs’ Sip-nSavor has come on and how quickly it did. It’s had an impact on our L-P school as a whole, some of our community members, and business owners. It’s been huge,” Witte said. “We’re basically a mini Starbucks. We do a lot of stuff. We have hot coffees, cold coffees, lattes, ice teas, our own lemonade, multiple choices of flavored syrups, and hot chocolate.
“Our main place of business is where they run the concession stand during L-P games. We’re right there in the cafeteria during high school student lunches, which was another great blessing our administration allowed us to have. It’s a perfect location in the building,” she said.
“I hope my students see themselves as providing a service and a business to students and teachers. Having those opportunities and those perfect situations to work with customers is amazing. My students have made connections with some of the teachers that they’ve never had interactions with before,” she added.
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The Transitions Program averages 6 to 8 kids a year but has seen highs of 12 and a low of four (2023-24 school year). However, the next few school years predict a significant increase in students.
It doesn’t matter how many sets of feet walk through the door; Witte and the Transitions Program will continue their mission of trying to help every student be the best form of themselves.
“There is nothing I’d rather do. Even on my bad days when I get frustrated, all of us have them in any job, I ask myself, ‘What are you going to do because you can’t just stop working,’” Witte said. “I’ll go through a number of things and say, ‘I don’t want to do that’ to every one of them.
“It comes back to I love what I do. Get over the bad day, move on, and continue doing what I’ve been doing. People tell me all the time about the high level of patience I have. I don’t have patience. I have an understanding of the individuals I work with,” she said. “I could never teach regular education. It’s just not my cup of tea or what I’m meant to do. The Transitions Program is where I belong.”
Many different projects roll through the LaSalle-Peru High School Transitions Program. Whether it involves food, no food, inside the Transitions House that is owned by LPHS, or outdoors, the Transitions students are always staying busy.
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Growing a Family of Businesses
In the 1990’s, Tami Thomas-Leonatti went into business. At the time, she had no idea that by 2024, she would be in ownership of GTL Enterprises, an umbrella of five companies owned and operated by her and her family.
“Quality Care Cleaning was the baby that started us in business. It is now 28 years old since we started on August 1, 1996,” Thomas-Leonatti said. “We started branching out as we found needs in the Illinois Valley that we needed to do. In 1996, we had a small janitorial company.
My first husband, who I started the business with, passed away in 2003, and I began running it by myself. In 2014, I started finding other niches we could fill.”
Now Thomas-Leonatti, along with her husband Greg and son Tom, have added Illinois Valley Radon Mitigation LLC, T&L Janitorial Supply LLC, Secure Key Solutions LLC, and G&T Rental Group LLC to the enterprise.
GTL originally was an acronym for their names – Greg, who is a part of all the businesses; Tom, who is the owner
Tami Thomas-Leonatti not only looks after the five businesses under the GTL Enterprises umbrella, but also after her family as well. The family includes daughter Jane Leonatti (from left), husband Greg Leonatti, Tami, father Phil Trager, daughter-in-law Desiree Thomas, grandson Lyle Thomas, son Tom Thomas, and granddaughter Cierra Godwin.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Story by Brandon LaChance
of Radon Mitigation and helps with the other businesses; and Leonatti. Through time and the culmination of ideas and future plans, it’s become known as Growing the Legacy.
“I’m an entrepreneur at heart. Where I find there is a need, I create a business plan, and if it makes sense, I go for it.
The janitorial supply company was a nobrainer. I already owned a janitorial commercial cleaning company. That meant I could sell to myself and sell to customers. ZB Supply had gone out of business, so there was a need for janitorial supplies in the Ottawa area,” Thomas-Leonatti said.
“Then we needed a building, so we started a rental company. Now we’re buying our first VRBO (vacation rentals by owner) home. We close in August. We’re going to start rental properties and rental management as well,” she added.
Radon Mitigation became a business in a day. A realtor sent Thomas-Leonatti a message saying there was a need for such a business in the Illinois Valley. The entrepreneur wrote a business plan the same
night and opened Radon Mitigation the very next day. After the legal process and business opening procedures, it was up and running in six months.
“I have an amazing director of operations, Lorrie Lauf. She runs everything seamlessly. I’m blessed with her, so I can start growing other projects,” Thomas-Leonatti said. “When she came along, she streamlined the position, making it easier for me to start looking at creating other companies. I’m pretty excited about having the freedom to keep growing. Each business can grow in its own way.”
Between the five companies, GTL Enterprises employs 85 people through the Illinois Valley and Chicago Suburbs such as Naperville and Yorkville.
Thomas-Leonatti may not stop at five businesses – she currently has other ideas on her radar.
“My husband is 60 and I’m 50,” Thomas-Leonatti said. “He asked me, ‘Are you ever going to stop?’ I’d love to, but I don’t know if I can. With me, anything is a possibility.”
Bistro & Wine Bar opens in Princeton
Story by Katlyn Sanden
Anew farm-to-table restaurant has opened at 950 N. Main Street in Princeton’s Art District. Sourcing most of their ingredients from their own farm while using local suppliers for others, the Wild Ginger Bistro & Wine Bar aims to tickle every taste bud.
“I went to culinary school in
Chicago and worked in restaurants up there for over 20 years,” said Dan Marquis, founder of Wild Ginger Bistro & Wine Bar. “It was hard to find produce that I wanted to work with. Things just weren’t available.”
In that moment, he knew
See GINGER page 13
Above: Dan Marquis (left) poses with his mother, Pat Marquis (center), and brother, Tim Marquis (right), behind the wine bar at Wild Ginger Bistro. Next to them, there is a space where customers will be able to purchase fresh produce and other local products. Dan said they used barnwood from their barn and gathered family and community memorabilia to create a special, inviting ambiance.
PHOTO BY KATLYN SANDEN
“More and more people are interested in eating healthy, plus eating well. That’s where our focus is. We want to be able to provide good, healthy produce for people that’s affordable.”
Pat Marquis
Tim, Pat, Dan, and the late Dick Marquis (Dan’s dad) take a break from working on their family farm, where the bulk of the ingredients for the restaurant are grown.
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there was something to this whole farm-to-table thing. His brother, Tim Marquis, was able to grow some of the produce he needed for his specialty menus in the city.
The demand was great, and he knew, eventually, he’d like to move back to the Illinois Valley and open his own farm-to-table restaurant.
“I worked in all different cuisines,” Dan said. “Japanese, Peruvian, Brazilian, Asian, Italian, and French. You read all these cookbooks and see all these ingredients, but they’re not available. We can get seeds all over the
place. If it works out to grow it, we’ll grow it. We grow microgreens yearround.”
Microgreens are young seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs that are packed with nutrients and can add intense flavor to any dish.
While Dan is busy coming up with culinary masterpieces, Tim and his mom, Pat Marquis, are busy running their organic family farm – Mill Road Farms. This is where the bulk of their ingredients come from – making this restaurant a true farm-totable experience.
“We’ve tried a lot of things,” Pat Marquis said. “We always had a large garden growing up, so I had some knowledge, but gardening has changed
over the years. Tim has done research, and we’ve learned how to do it better. The microgreens have been a really big part of expanding.”
Dan added nothing will go to waste. While the microgreens are available throughout the year, fresh produce will be seasonal. What doesn’t get served right away will be turned into sauces, soups, or anything else the team dreams up. They plan to can a lot of the extra to sell along with some of the fresh produce right there in the Wild Ginger Bistro & Wine Bar, almost creating a mini farmers’ market feel, they said.
“People are finally understanding what micro-
greens are and how good they are for you,” Pat added. “More and more people are interested in eating healthy, plus eating well. That’s where our focus is. We want to be able to provide good, healthy produce for people that’s affordable.”
While sourcing only the highest-quality ingredients, the team hopes to offer the highest-quality dining experience as well.
“We’re taking it nice and slow,” said Dan. “When I went to Greece, I learned a lot of different types of cooking I wasn’t aware of. We’re trying to incorporate that. I want to make sure my team gets trained the right way. We’ve been working on this a long time – all of us together.”
Ripe for the Picking
Make the most of fresh tomato season
By Shannon Serpette
If you have a backyard garden, you’ll soon be overrun by tomatoes. Finding ways to use all those fresh tomatoes before they go bad can take some creativity. If you want something more exciting than your typical tomato recipes, try out these delicious dishes.
Caprese Salad
INGREDIENTS
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced
25 to 30 fresh basil leaves
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
Alternate slices of mozzarella and tomatoes on a large platter. Add a basil leaf between the slices. Drizzle with olive oil (as much as desired) and add salt and pepper to taste.
Oven-Dried Tomatoes
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds plum or Roma tomatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Wash the tomatoes and pat them dry. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Put the tomatoes, cut-side up, on a baking sheet and season them with salt, letting them sit out for about 30 minutes before placing them in the oven. Put in oven and roast for up to 4 hours. Drizzle with olive oil when finished cooking.
Tomato Pie
INGREDIENTS
Ready-made pie crust
4 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced 1/2 pound bacon, cooked, drained and chopped
4 green onions, sliced 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 1/4 cup mayonnaise
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In alternating layers, fill the pie crust with tomatoes, bacon, green onions, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper.
Stir together cheese and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Spread over the top of the pie. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil, and bake for 30 more minutes. For a crispier crust, bake the pie shell without the filling in it for 10 minutes before filling it.
Broiled Filled Tomatoes
INGREDIENTS
4 medium tomatoes
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup soft, fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat broiler with the oven rack approximately 6 inches from the heat.
Cut the tomatoes and spread mustard on the cut side. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and red pepper. Place the tomato halves on the baking sheet. Combine butter, breadcrumbs, and cheese in a bowl. Spoon the crumb mixture over the top of each tomato half. Place in the oven and broil for two minutes or until the crumbs are browned and the tomatoes are hot.
Avocado Tomato Salad
INGREDIENTS
One medium lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 large ripe avocados
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
DIRECTIONS
Juice the lemon and put the juice in a big bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. Dice the avocados and cut the cherry tomatoes in half – add them to the bowl. Slice the red onion and chop the cilantro. Add both ingredients to the bowl and toss gently until combined.
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