Food + Beverage

Sunday Flavor, Family and Fun

Taking rich warm flavors from Saturday night's dinner into Sunday's game day party spread Article and Photography by Klaudia Burian November can start to feel a little grey and a little dulling to the senses. It seems once that snow falls and sticks to the pavement, it can linger there until April. One of the best ways to turn up the color and heat is through fun nights with family and friends, and of course some yummy food. November also starts the bustle of the holiday season, so energy...

Life + Culture

Women Veterans - Leaders for Life

How lessons learned in uniform continue to shape lives and communities Article by Sue Dobbe-Leahy | Photography by Sharmila Taylor Donna Rasmussen joined the U.S. Navy in 1981 because of a thunderstorm. Having  moved from her home in the suburbs of Philadelphia to Delaware, she was out for a jog  when a terrible thunderstorm hit. She escaped into the open door of the local Navy recruitment office. Four days later she was on a plane to boot camp in Florida. Although, recruitment was not...

Life + Culture

A Place to Land

Helping women and children build a path toward independence Article by Patti Noble | Photography by Sharmila Taylor Imagine, for a moment, that the place you call home is suddenly no longer yours. Maybe it begins with a job loss. A medical crisis. The end of a relationship. A chronic illness. An unsafe home. Or simply the cost of housing continues to climb faster than your paycheck. And no safety net. No family member with a spare bedroom. No savings. No one who can cover the rent for a...

Event Planning + Services

Finding Peace Through Connection

For Patti Noble, connection has shaped her career, her community involvement, and the business she built Article by Katie Bobrow | Photography by Sharmila Taylor I first met Patti Noble when we were both working at the Dole Mansion. I was a community engagement specialist, and Patti oversaw Music Under the Trees, a summer event that brought people together on the front lawn for live music, drinks, and snacks. It was the kind of event designed around the simple idea of giving people a reason to...

Life + Culture

Old School and Still Serving

Crystal Lake's Dive Bars and Diners that Have Stood the Test of Time Article by Katie Bobrow | Photography by David Bradburn & Katie Bobrow There are plenty of wonderful places to grab a meal or a drink in Crystal Lake, but some establishments offer something a little harder to find: the feeling that you’ve been there before, even when you haven’t. From longtime taverns where regulars know one another by name to diners that have been serving generations of families, these are the kinds of...

Food + Beverage

Let's Get Saucy

Crisp October breezes meet steamy bowls, crunchy bites, spices, and sauces that bring everything together. Article and Photography by Klaudia Burian While late September is the unofficial leap into fuzzy hat and stew season (lovingly dubbed Soup-tember by many chefs and food writers), October is a breezy transition month, the heart of fall, with temperature swings that have fall enthusiasts slipping in and out of their parkas many times throughout the day. When the breeze blows right up that...

Food + Beverage

The Sweetest Plan

Faith, determination and a little sweetness shaped the story of Rosie’s Article by Patti Noble | Photography by Sharmila Taylor Opening a bakery was never part of Pam Strelcheck’s plan. She can’t point to a childhood dream of owning a bakery or years spent plotting a path toward one. She had spent years raising her children and working in marketing and human resources for her husband’s successful chiropractic practice when, seemingly out of nowhere, another idea began tugging at her: She was...

Life + Culture

Elevating the Pub

A seasoned restaurateur brings scratch cooking, bold flavors and fresh vision downtown Article by Patti Noble | Photography by David Bradburn & provided Long before becoming an independent restaurateur, Brian Lupino was the kid pulling a stool up to the counter or stove, watching his Italian-American relatives cook. No culinary-school lessons or formal training—just years of observing, tasting, and learning how ingredients work together. Today, after 35 years in the restaurant business, those...

Home Services

Light Discipline

From military precision to holiday displays, one veteran continues serving others in a new way. Article by Patti Noble | Photography by Provided The irony isn't lost on Joshua Jacobs. For years, the Army veteran lived by the military principle of light discipline —the practice of limiting visible light to protect troops in dangerous environments. Today, the former infantry paratrooper and veteran police officer has built a business around creating light instead. As the owner of Light...

Life + Culture

Fall-fresco Beach Picnic

The beach is still calling. Button up a cool day with a simple meal lakeside. Article by Klaudia Burian Late 19th century naturalist and environmental activist John Muir famously wrote “The mountains are calling and I must go." His advocacy, through his many writings about his time spent in the natural lands of the United States, helped to preserve much of the national parks enjoyed by so many today. And thank goodness. According to the EPA, the average person in the US only spends about 7%...