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Independents in the 4th
Vol. 41, No. 21
May 27, 2026
Page 7
30 years in, the Chew Chew’s still Riverside’s dinner spot The upscale dinner restaurant started as a cafe in 1996 By STELLA BROWN Staff Reporter
This year marks 30 years of business for the Chew Chew, Riverside’s upscale dinner establishment at 33 E. Burlington St. For the occasion, the restaurant is dedicating the second half of the year, beginning in July, to celebrating itself. But first, let’s look back at its history. The restaurant opened in December 1996, but owner and executive chef Scott Zimmer said it morphed into its existing form over the first 10 years of business. The original plan, he said, was to open a cafe in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood, until the property he had in mind got bought out from under him. “It was maybe a blessing. I was left without a job and a business plan, without a location, and I started scratching my head,” Zimmer told the Landmark. “One of my old chefs that worked for me on a previous property lived in Riverside … I took the long drive out from Wrigleyville, came into Riverside, drove
Potential Brookfield dispensary returns for 2nd go-round The last petitioner hopes to bring a new cannabis partner to Ogden Avenue By STELLA BROWN Staff Reporter
STELLA BROWN
had the support of a full kitchen,” with plans to open multiple locations, all near train stations in the suburbs. That’s where its name — a pun on, you guessed it, the “choo choo” sound trains make — and train-themed decor that persist to this day came from.
The applicant behind the rejected proposal to bring a cannabis dispensary to the intersection of 31st Street and Park Avenue in Brookfield is back with a goal of bringing one to Ogden Avenue. Tanya Griffin, the CEO of Water + Trees, a development consulting firm specializing in “high-risk industries” like cannabis and sexual wellness, told the Landmark she’s behind an effort to redevelop the vacant, dilapidated parcel at 9500-08 Ogden Ave. into a dispensary.
See CHEW CHEW on page 6
See DISPENSARY on page 5
The Chew Chew, pictured on May 21, 2026, celebrates its 30th anniversary of opening this year. around the neighborhood, went to the library, started to do some research about the community and the demographics. I looked at the train and how many trains were coming in and out, and it started to get the wheels rolling a little bit in my mind.” From there, Zimmer’s vision for the Chew Chew became “a coffee shop that
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