Weekender NORTHERN
ILLINOIS
YOUR GUIDE TO ARTS & LEISURE IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 • ShawMediaIllinois.com
HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES? Head out to local farms for fresh fruit and vegetables / 5
RESTAURANT WEEK
‘Farm-to-table’ specials offered in Ottawa / 4
GRAND ANTIQUES
Three floors of treasures fill former Elizabeth school / 3
UNCORKED
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An expert taster shares favorite finds to consider adding to your own wine racks.
Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, September 5, 2020
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By JAMES NOKES
Foundry, Anarchist labels’ winemaker takes on custom task
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he title of World’s Busiest Wine- probably still have 100 more to go.” maker would be a hard one to From the wines sampled by Anarchist Wine Co., Saboe showed imagiquantify. nation and resourcefulness. One was But Patrick Saboe sure gives an homage to a wine that made one it a shot at The Wine Foundry in of his favorite winemakers famous. Napa, California, where he is winemaker for the custom, small-lot wineFondness for Spain and France inmaking facility for numerous individ- spired Saboe with Anarchist Wine Co.’s uals and small commercial brands. Rosé Against the Machine 2019 ($24). There’s no expense spared, as The Just like the 1990s Los Angeles rockers Wine Foundry has exclusive contracts that fused rap and rock, the wine is a with more than 30 genre mix. of California’s top Saboe turned to vineyards, and deals tempranillo, a grape with 12 different that excels in Spain cooperages for exclubut he found growsive barrel selection. ing an hour east of From harvest to tank Napa in Clarksburg, or barrel, and lastly to provide an acidic to bottling, Saboe has base and give off a thread of what each “SweeTARTS or client desires for Smarties flavors.” their wine running With mourvedre, through his mind. which has deep roots If that weren’t in France, there was enough, he’s also “roundness, tropicality, papaya, mango, the winemaker for guava that exploded Foundry and Anarchist Wine Co., the with fruit like a Starburst” and “threw in labels of The Wine little drops of pinot Foundry owners because you weren’t Phillip and Valerie expecting it.” Von Burg. Anarchist WIne “Totally bespoke Co.’s Conspiracy Theocustom winemaking ry 2016 ($38) brought is a challenge,” Phillip Von Burg said. me back to graduate Anarchist Wine Co.’s Rosé Against the school, sitting in a “It’s amazing what Patrick does, the info Machine (left) and Conspiracy Theory wine bar waiting he has to collect – and are produced in Napa, California. for The Prisoner then retain that info release party. That and manage wine through the aging wine achieved cult status under Dave process all the way through blending Phinney, its genius dissipated after he and bottling – is a challenge. He makes sold the label, but Saboe used petite more wines than any winemaker in sirah, syrah, malbec, sangiovese and the world I would bet.” zinfandel to make a bold, beautiful, While Saboe deftly switches gears flavorful and playful wine that should in conversation from client to client be on your table this weekend. and from vineyard to vineyard, the “It was modeled after The Prisoner,” Saboe said. “Dave (Phinney) is stress of client demands and desire a brilliant winemaker and brilliant to meet their expectations comes at a at marketing and business. I loved price. the idea of The Prisoner and the fun “It’ll give you a white beard and blends behind. This is a New World wrinkles to meet clients’ needs,” blend, and I wanted it to be something Saboe said. “We’ve already bottled you haven’t had before. Stylistically, 200 wines this year (262 actually), and
Photo provided
The Wine Foundry owners Phillip and Valerie Von Burg (left), are pictured with Patrick Saboe, winemaker for the custom, small-lot winemaking facility in Napa, California. I wanted it to feel familiar but be a blend someone hadn’t conceived or definitely hadn’t tried it. “I wanted to challenge the ideas of what works well together, and the ‘16 vintage drinks beautifully,” Saboe said. “It’s a blend of all of California that changes varieties year to year. Napa and Sonoma vineyards are featured primarily, but I have gone up and down the coast to explore different things. I love old school French winemaking techniques but love the freedom to challenge boundaries and explore things we have here.” While Anarchist Wine Co. pushed boundaries, “Foundry wines show beauty of classic traditional winemaking and what it can do,” Valerie Von Burg said. In a nod to Alsace, France, and its flinty, mineral-driven wines, the
Foundry Schrader Ranch Vineyard Pinot Blanc ($50) has peach, apricot, lemon,
lime and an iron-like note. Sourced from Sonoma’s Petaluma Gap AVA is the Foundry Rodgers Creek Vineyards Pinot Noir 2017 ($62). It is full-bodied, with cherry, black cherry, tobacco and vanilla flavors. Its vineyards benefit from foggy mornings and cool days that lead to long hang times, and Saboe said it’s a New World-styled wine where he keeps from “stepping on the gas” and making it too big. Whether it’s making wine for clients, Foundry or Anarchist Wine Co., Saboe has a chef’s mentality. “That’s part of the challenge,” Saboe said. “Everyone might have the same order at a restaurant, but they all want it prepped differently.”
• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.
Antique treasures turn former school into discovery zone By SARAH FORD
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For Shaw Media
n the village of Elizabeth, in the heart of Jo Daviess County, visitors will find a wondrous emporium of the past: Elizabeth’s Grand Antique Co. The 28,000-square-foot, three-story business at 300 N. West St., in a school built in 1889, is home to one of the largest antique malls in the area, with more than 170 vendors and 250 booths. It’s a history hunter’s delight; it can take a whole day just to explore the treasures inside. The mall reopened June 1 after being on a pandemic hiatus, but owner Michael Maynard wasn’t idle during this period. He utilized the time to expand the retail space and continue his vision of creating a destination for antiques shoppers, spending a couple months working on the third floor, which he has designated for consignment space. His dedication to creating something special shows; it’s the atmosphere that puts this antique mall in a class of its own. One easily can imagine studious kids learning their ciphers from the chalkboards that still hang on the walls, or filing in line to walk up the flights of stairs to their classrooms. A room of bookshelves filled to the brim, hallways that once housed lockers, they’re all remnants of history that didn’t fall by the wayside but were reinvented. The gym now houses aisles of treasures waiting to be discovered, and still more are on the adjoining stage. Getting into the antique business wasn’t exactly on Maynard’s radar, but his grandfathers and their work ethic inspired him – one sold a family farm and invested in an oil company, and the other bought properties in the 1950s to restore, renovate and flip. One was a schoolhouse and one was a jailhouse converted to a bed and breakfast. Building on that family tradition of hard work and determination, Maynard decided to leave his stake in the family heating and cooling business. “Seeing them starting their own legacy, I decided to start my own,” he said. “I could have the family business or do something else.” He chose something else, buying the former community school in July 2013. He had been drawn to the building during previous visits with his family. “I looked at a few old buildings in the area, and had a couple business ideas. But I knew it when I looked at this one,” Maynard said. For nearly a year after he signed on the dotted line, he traveled from his hometown of Aledo – more than a two-hour drive – to his building every day, many times with his four children in tow, who were put to work on age-appropriate tasks. “I put my head down, worked hard, and we did it,” he said. “It was something in me. I was living on literal dreams.” It took a lot of work to make those dreams come true. Village leaders were excited at the prospect of new life for the old school, as well as having Maynard bring in a fresh business, and they agreed to sell the building well below market value, acutely aware of the extensive renovations
Michael Krabbenhoeft photos - mkrabbenhoeft@saukvalley.com
ABOVE: Michael Maynard, owner of Elizabeth’s Grand Antique Co., stands outside his building, the former Elizabeth High School. The structure that now houses about 170 antique vendors, once held students and teachers. Chalkboards, old wood floors and gym floor markings are still visible as customers browse through three floors of antiques. BELOW: The hallway on the second floor is filled floor to ceiling with books. Off the hallway, former classrooms now house a wide array of treasures from the past.
needed to get it up to code. Tearing down walls, installing new ceilings and support beams, opening up the space with cleverly cut openings in the walls, and working with original features were all part of the process of transforming a school into a business. “There was water pouring in on the floors, cavedin plaster on the walls. It was in bad shape,” he said. “But it’s an old, unique building, and I didn’t want
to mess with it too much.” Maynard pushed himself, setting ambitious goals and achieving them. He met his five-year plan to fill up the first-floor space in the first year. He created a sleeping room on the third floor, and spent days, weeks and months with teams of renovators, rebuilding and recrafting the space from the ground up. He also set up a room in which to store his own picking and junking finds, a hobby that continues to grow now that he has the space to accommodate it. He opened for business in April 2014, and things have only gotten better since. Besides the recent work on the third floor, Maynard is aiming to add food and drink, with a large wrap-around bar for shoppers. A guest book invites visitors to log in and share where they’re from. With such a large variety of vendors, it’s almost impossible to walk away without finding something that speaks to your tastes, from primitives to political memorabilia, tools and weapons, furnishings and lamps, old bottles and fishing reels, artwork and magazines, glassware, vintage toys, clothing, books and just about anything else you can think of. With so much space and so much to see, it’s easy to see why people get lost in the past. Elizabeth’s Grand Antique Co. is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. For more information, call 815858-9477, go to www.grandantiqueco.com, or find the business on Facebook.
SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, September 5, 2020
PIECE of the PAST
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STARVED ROCK COUNTRY
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Dedicated to growing the awareness of everything the Starved Rock area has to offer
CULINARY QUEST
4 restaurants to team with farmers for weeklong dining celebration By RYAN SEARL
rsearl@shawmedia.com
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or one week only, starting Saturday, Sept. 5, four great restaurants in Ottawa will feature dishes made from ultra-fresh, locally sourced ingredients. A fan favorite, the farm-to-table dining experience is part of Ottawa’s annual Local Foods Restaurant Week, celebrating superlative meals and the farmers who make them possible. The unique program, which blends agritourism with local dining, is the result of a novel partnership between the Ottawa Visitors Center, Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and Illinois Stewardship Alliance. The result? Eight of Starved Rock Country’s best growers have signed up to provide to chefs from four of your favorite Ottawa restaurants all the fresh produce they need to craft some unique and delectable menu items. Chefs at each of this year’s participating restaurants are no strangers to using farm-to-table ingredients. While all the establishments regularly use locally grown produce in their core menu, the chefs will have free rein to create whatever kind of dishes they want with the ingredients during the week-long special event. Chefs have reached out to the farmers to discuss what produce will be ready for harvest around Restaurant Week, and tailored special limited menus highlighting the just-picked items. Showcased restaurants will include returning favorites such as The Lone Buffalo by Tangled Roots Brewing Company, B.A.S.H. and Pine Hills, along with a newcomer for Restaurant Week 2020, Iniga Pizzeria Napoletana. Throughout the weeklong festival, running Sept. 5 to 13, the quartet of restaurants will serve up the special menu items for dining in or carryout. When you purchase a farm-to-table meal during Restaurant Week, you’re directly aiding local farmers. The eight farms providing ingredients to the culinary program include Donnie Appleseed Orchard, Lois’ Kitchen, Wise Family Farms, AZ Farm and Wellness, Brian Severson Farms, 797 Farm, Salander Family Farm and Riverview Family Farm. Together, they will offer such
Photos provided by Ottawa Visitors Center
Farmers and chefs from four Ottawa restaurants team up to create a week-long culinary celebration that kicks off Sept. 5.
Specially created farm-to-table dishes from four Ottawa restaurants will be showcased in a week-long culinary celebration that kicks off Sept. 5, thanks to a project bringing together farmers and chefs. seasonal produce as tomatoes, beans, peppers, garlic, eggplant, zucchini, squash, apples, peas, spinach, lettuce, cantaloupe, watermelon and cucumbers, plus freshly milled heirloom grains and local honey. Wise Family Farms of rural Ottawa
is run by Ilana Larson on land originally purchased by her grandfather more than a half century ago. She’s now growing heirloom herbs, vegetables, and microgreens with the help of her husband and son. Wise Family Farms is a sustainable operation,
using no chemicals or toxins to grow their greens. Brian Severson Farms, located in rural Grundy County, specializes in heirloom organic grains forgotten by most modern farming practices. The family-run operation raises, cleans, stores and stone mills their great-tasting grains to order right on the farm. You can find their grains in flours, meals, grits and rolled oats. They’ve even begun baking their grains in breads and pretzels on site. Some of these farmers had never worked with restaurants directly before, but for others this is their main source of business. The week-long salute to Ottawa’s dining culture and farming heritage is a great opportunity for the growers to get their products out to the public, for chefs to flex their creativity, and for visitors to get a taste of the delicious things being grown across Starved Rock Country. For more information on Local Foods Restaurant Week, visit www. pickusottawail.com. The Ottawa Visitors Center at 1028 La Salle St. can be reached at 815-434-2737.
AN APPLE A DAY
Take advantage of luscious multitudes of fresh fruits and veggies in northern Illinois By CHRIS WALKER For Shaw Media
armers markets put smiles on countless faces by affording folks access to an assortment of fresh-picked fruits and vegetables. But going a step further and trekking out to a local farm – in some cases to pick your own produce – also can be a lot of fun for you or the whole family. With the pleasant cool breezes of autumn and the deliciousness of the fall harvest right in front of you, there’s hardly a better way to support local businesses and treat yourself. Did someone say apple pie?
ends, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Apples, corn, onions, peppers, plums, potatoes, squash, zucchini, more (not a you-pick)
Kane County Goebbert’s Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard
DeKalb County
42W813 Reinking Road, Pingree Grove 847-464-5952 www.goebbertspumpkinpatch. com Pick your own daily, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; farm stand daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through mid-September Apples, cabbage, eggplant, peppers, pumpkins, tomatoes
Jonamac Orchard
Kuipers Family Farm
19412 Shabbona Road, Malta 815-825-2158 www.jonamacorchard.com Open daily, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Apples (10+ varieties), pumpkins
DuPage County Sonny Acres
29W310 North Ave., West Chicago 630-231-3859 www.sonnyacres.com Closed Monday; open Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; week-
1N318 Watson Road (pumpkins), 1N145 Watson Road (apples), Maple Park 815-827-5200 www.kuipersfamilyfarm.com Open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Apples (10+ varieties), pumpkins (pumpkin farm opens Sept. 19)
Spring Bluff Nursery
41W130 Norris Road, Sugar Grove 630-466-4278 www.springbluffnursery.com
Open Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Beets, carrots, cucumbers, green beans, okra, onions, peppers, squash, tomatoes, more
Kendall County Evergreen Farm and Amy’s Greenhouse 11642 Fox Road, Yorkville 630-553-5455 www.evergreenfarmamys greenhouse.com Open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Apples, sweet corn, cucumbers, green beans, onions, peaches, pears, plums, potatoes, more (not a you-pick)
LaSalle County
McHenry County Cody’s Farm & Orchard
19502 River Road, Marengo 815-568-7976 www.codysfarm.com Open daily, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Apples and pumpkins (pick your own); broccoli, carrots, green beans, onions, peppers, watermelon, potatoes, zucchini and more (not a you-pick)
Stade’s Farm and Market
3709 Miller Road, McHenry 815-675-6396 www.stadesfarmandmarket.com Open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Apples, green beans, pumpkins, raspberries and tomatoes (pick your own); cantaloupe, beets, cucumbers, winter squash, more (not a you-pick)
Donnie Appleseed Orchard
Will County
378 N. 33rd Road, La Salle 815-780-7390 www.donnieappleseedorchard. com Closed Monday and Tuesday; open Wednesday to Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Apples, eggplant, garlic, onions, peppers, squash and more (not a you-pick)
Bronkberry Farms
18061 S. Bronk Road, Plainfield 815-436-6967 www.bronkberryfarms.com Closed Mondays; open Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Apples and pumpkins (pick your own); gourds, melons, okra, squash, more (not a you-pick)
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6 STREAMING THIS WEEKEND
‘Mulan,’ Billy Ocean music, ‘Transplant’ debut By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.
Movies
“Women Make Film”: Fourteen weeks of movies centered on a 14hour documentary and featuring showings of some 100 films from 44 countries, “Women Make Film” is an appropriately mammoth TV event. On Tuesday, TCM debuted Mark Cousins’ personal and impassioned journey through the cinema of female filmmakers, with narrators including Tilda Swinton, Jane Fonda, Thandie Newton and Debra Winger. Along with it, the network every Tuesday through Dec. 1 will air films by the likes of Sofia Coppola, Mira Nair, Julie Dash, Elaine May, Lynne Ramsay and many others. The documentary – “a film school, of sorts, in which all the teachers are women: an academy of Venus,” Swinton intones – and the film lineup celebrate a rich, under-appreciated film history.
Photo provided
This image released by Disney shows Yifei Liu in the title role of “Mulan.” “Mulan”: Of the films that have shifted to home release because of the pandemic, Walt Disney Co.’s “Mulan” is of a higher magnitude. The $200 million live-action remake of the 1998 animated movie originally was slated to hit theaters in March, but instead debuted Friday in an innovative streaming release. Streaming “Mulan”
ference. It stars Canadian actor Hamza will cost you $30 and is available only to Disney+ subscribers. Haq as a Syrian physician and refugee – Film Writer Jake Coyle from his country’s civil war who’s seeking to re-establish his medical caMusic reer in a Toronto hospital. The series, In celebration of turning 70 this which co-stars John Hannah (“Four year, Billy Ocean is releasing his first Weddings and a Funeral”) as head of album of new material in a decade. the hospital’s emergency department, “One World” features 12 songs that focuses on issues including the plight Ocean co-wrote, which were recorded of refugees as well as the expected last year in New York and Manchesheart-pounding medical crises. Worth ter. The album originally was supnoting: “Transplant” was a hit when it posed to be released in April but was aired earlier this year on Canadian TV. pushed back due to the coronavirus Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” pandemic. The Trinidadian-British returned Friday for season two with artist says “One World” captures his anti-superhero pack leader Billy musical influences on one album. Butcher (Karl Urban) MIA and the rest U2, Elton John, Kesha, Nick Cave, of The Boys on the run, including Jack Father John Misty, Joan Jett, Lucinda Quaid’s Hughie, Laz Alonso’s Mother’s Williams, BØRNS and more artists Milk and Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko. appear on the album “Angelheaded Their targets, the corporate-owned suHipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and perheroes known as The Seven, have T. Rex.” Hal Willner, who produced their own woes, with Homelander’s the 26-song album, died April 7 from (Anthony Starr) power grab jeoparCOVID-19. T. Rex is part of the Rock dized by the arrival of Stormfront (Ava and Roll Hall of Fame’s 2020 class. Cash). Sorry, no binging – episodes – Music Editor Mesfin Fekadu will be released weekly through Oct. 9 – but “The Boys” already has been Television renewed for season three. NBC’s “Transplant,” which debuted – Television Writer Lynn Elber Tuesday, is a hospital drama with a dif-
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By PAM OTTO
Taking interesting dives into the natural world around us, Pam Otto opens new avenues of exploration.
Not murder hornets but killers nonetheless
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ull disclosure: This column originally ran in August 2012. I’d intended to run it again last week, as it seemed like it was time to revisit the topic – especially given the murder hornet hyperbole that erupted this past spring. Wasps need advocates, and, in reviewing the species in our area, cicada killers are certainly among the largest and most obvious. But then I realized I hadn’t heard anyone talking about them this year. So we went with spiders instead. The day after that column’s deadline, I got a text with a local photo of a cicada killer. Since then, multiple calls and emails have ensued. It is indeed time to revisit this fascinating friend, so let’s get to it. I don’t know if there’s any other group of animals that provides as much excitement, milligram for milligram, as the Class Insecta. Think about it. Even though they’re small – the biggest one in the world weighs 7,100 milligrams, about the same as a Grade A large egg – these guys can be found, in one form or another, on every continent, including Antarctica. According to some estimates, if you were to put all the insects in the world into one giant bug jar (making sure, of course, to punch holes in the lid), you’d end up with about 10 quintillion – that’s 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 – individual critters. And that’s not even counting all the non-Insecta beasties like spiders, centipedes, roly-polies and the like. So it should come as no surprise that the animal that’s been causing quite a buzz, literally, the last couple weeks is an insect. A big insect. A killer insect. The eastern cicada killer, to be exact. Favoring areas with exposed sand or soil (think patios and ball fields) that is easy to dig in (gardens and golf course sand traps) with an abundance of cicadas (pretty much everywhere this time of year), the cicada killer is quite at home in and around Illinois. No big deal, right? Well, did I happen to mention that cicada killers measure about 2 inches in length? Or that the swollen abdomens of the females can be nearly as big around as a pinky finger? Or that a group of males, hell-bent on defending territories, conduct buzzing, aerial dogfights that sound like a squadron of small fighter planes? Those qualities, coupled with the fact that cicada killers are indeed wasps, and so in theory can sting, have sent more than a few folks scram-
Photo provided
Not a murder hornet! Yes, they’re big and, yes, they’re wasps, but eastern cicada killers pose little threat to any creatures other than cicadas. These large, boldly marked insects are a natural part of our local ecology. bling for their insect field guides these past few weeks. The good news, for humans, is that cicada killers barely even register on the scale of potential threats. They look scary, for sure, but unless you’re really harassing them, they are quite happy to go about their business and leave you to go about yours. It’s cicadas they’re after. True to their name, these wasps kill cicadas. But not directly. The sting of the cicada killer females (males are stingless) delivers a venom with paralytic and preservative properties that causes cicadas – the only things the stings are really meant for – to become immobile. Once her large quarry is rendered powerless, momma cicada killer flies and/
or drags her prize back to her home burrow. Down under the ground they go, to the series of chambers mom already has dug in anticipation of a successful hunt. After placing a cicada in a chamber, the ever-industrious wasp then lays an egg on the still living but no longer moving insect, which soon becomes food for the developing larva. Eggs destined to become male wasps get one cicada; eggs that are to be females get two or three to provide for their eventual bigger body mass. Male or female, the little ones feast on their all-they-can-eat buffet, consuming the cicada(s) within about two weeks. Larger, but not yet resembling their extraordinary parents, the larvae then enter a state of diapause
in which they spend the winter. Next spring, they will pupate, and emerge as full-fledged wasps in summer. Males will appear first and duke it out to establish territories; females will follow a couple weeks later. Even though the danger to people is minimal, finding yourself in the same general area as a cicada killer may be a bit unnerving. Just remember, those giant black and yellow cylinders buzzing about aren’t the least bit interested in you. Because milligram for milligram, you’re just not that exciting – to a cicada killer.
• Pam Otto is the outreach ambassador for the St. Charles Park District. She can be reached at 630-513-4346 or potto@stcparks.org.
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GOOD NATURED
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