Mother's Day
A H O L I D AY & C E L E B R AT I O N G U I D E
May | 2018
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Wednesday Journal, May 2, 2018
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Mother's Day | 2018
Carmen Rivera: Mom with Media and Fashion Savvy
Editor Lacey Sikora Food Writerr Melissa Elsmo Photographer Alexa Rogals Editorial Design Manager Claire Innes Editorial Designers Jacquinete Baldwin, Javier Govea Advertising Production Manager Philip Soell Advertising Design Manager Andrew Mead Advertising Designers Mark Moroney, Debbie Becker Display Advertising Director Dawn Ferencak Display Advertising Sales Marc Stopeck, Bill Wossow Inside Sales Representative Mary Ellen Nelligan Event Coordinator Carmen Rivera Media Assistant Megan Dickel IT Manager /Web Developer Mike Risher Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Publisher Dan Haley Business Managerr Joyce Minich Published by Wednesday Journal, Inc., 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 Phone: 708/524-8300
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orn and raised in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, as a young girl Carmen Rivera told her mother she was either going to live in the Sears Tower or Oak Park when she grew up. The Oak Park side of that dream panned out, and today the busy mother of three loves all that the village and western suburbs have to offer. While the good schools in Oak Park were the initial draw for her when choosing a place to raise her family, this single mother also liked the village’s cultural attractions and urban feel. “Even as a true city girl, the access to everything that I love within the city is right here. The CTA green and blue lines, as well as the Metra rails, are literally walking distance from most places within Oak Park.” Rivera has worked in media for over twenty years and one of her jobs is working as a full-time events coordinator for Wednesday Journal and Chicago Parent. Not content to rest with one job, in 2015, she took a leap of faith and opened Bliss Fashion Lounge Lingerie Boutique in Forest Park. She notes that as a self-funded business she likes being her own boss and has come
to fill a niche in the community. “Not long after my opening and having such a positive reaction from local and city-wide clients for what I was doing at Bliss, women, men, transgender and anyone needing help with their underthings, from all over the area began to recognize me as the ‘Curvologist.’ I had quickly become an expert on curves!” Rivera finds fulfillment in her multiple careers but says that she has her challenging moments. “With my full-time event job in media and my Bliss, some days I just sit on the floor of my kitchen and cry. But that’s ok, we all have our moments, and as a friend recently told me, if it were easy, everyone would do it!” She finds balance through meditation and working out, and reports that Mother’s Day is the one day she lets someone else take over. “It’s the one day a year when I will allow my children to take me to brunch or do something special for me. I also use Mother’s Day to celebrate my mother. My mother is a beautiful and amazing woman. She is where I get my resilience from, for all things tough in life. She’s who I strive to be when I grow up, so I dedicate my Mother’s Day to her.”
Photo provided
Carmen Rivera and her three sons.
PATRICIA LOCKE TRUNK SHOW Anthony Lullo’s welcomes stylist Brittany Novak Hours: Tues. 9am – 8pm Wed. 3pm – 8pm Thurs. 9am – 8pm Fri. 10am – 5pm Sat. 9am – 5pm 708-848-4455 721 South Boulevard Oak Park, IL 60302
SUNDAY MAY 6TH 10:30am-1:30pm Join us for Mimosas!
20-30% OFF SPECIAL ORDERS 10% OFF
Remember Mother’s Day May 13th since 1990
7418 MADISON ST. • FOREST PARK • 708.771.1111 All sales are FINAL.
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Wednesday Journal, May 2, 2018
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Easy Week-Night Chicken Feta Pita
Mother's Day | 2018
A Mother's day favorite!
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very mom has a few tried and true recipes in her week-day rotation. Usually these reliable dinners are fast, easy, and universally loved by her family. Even the most finicky eaters will eat these best loved dishes without complaint making them a joy for Melissa Elsmo/Food Writer mothers to serve as they ensure dinner won’t devolve into a dreaded Food Writer “one more bite” negotiation. These chicken feta pitas have long topped the list of my family’s best loved week-night recipes and my college-aged daughter already makes them on a regular basis for her friends and roommates. Brimming with chicken, fresh veggies, and melty feta cheese, these interactive sandwiches are easily customizable. If your kiddos are not a fan of fire on the palate you can toss chili flakes aside. If roasted red pepper hummus isn’t your thing, feel free to substitute with any flavor your heart desires. Here’s hoping my favorite, fast, family-friendly meal makes it into your regular recipe rotation.
MELISSA ELSMO
(serves 6-8)
For the Chicken:
■ 3 Tablespoons olive oil (divided) ■ 2 Pounds fresh boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into ½” cubes ■ Kosher salt and coarse black pepper ■ 1 teaspoon dried oregano ■ ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste) ■ 1 (6-ounce) package crumbled feta with Mediterranean herbs
For Serving:
■ 6 pocketless pitas (gyro style) or multigrain/whole wheat flatbreads ads
■ 1 (10-ounce) container roasted red pepper hummus (or whatever you like best) ■ 2-3 roma or heirloom tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced ■ 1 small English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced ■ 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced ■ Pitted Kalamata Olives
Directions:
Heat 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the diced chicken breast to the pan and season with salt and pepper (I usually start with about 1-1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of coarse black pepper; you can always add a little more later, but feta is salty so be careful). Mix the chicken well and season with the dried oregano and red pepper flakes (if using). Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through and most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated-about 10-15 minutes.
flavor flavor fl avo av orr
Pour the container of feta over the chicken. Remove the pan from the heat and mix the cheese into the chicken until is slightly melted. Transfer the chicken to a serving bowl and set aside. Quickly wash out the pan you cooked the chicken in and return to the stove. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in the pan over high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add a flatbread to the skillet and warm through on both sides. To serve, place a flat bread on a plate and top it with some hummus. Place a the chicken mixture on top of the hummus and garnish with cucumber, tomato, red onion, and Kalamata olives as desired.
Mother’s Day Brunch Buzz Café
at 905 S. Lombard Ave. Oak Park, IL
Sunday, May 13th 8am—2pm
Mother’s Special
Stuffed Mixed Berry French Toast Thick-cut Brioche dipped in vanilla batter, baked to crisp perfection, then stuffed with mixed berry sweet cream cheese filling, drizzled with homemade blueberry syrup, then topped with whipped cream and garnished with fresh strawberries $12
Seatings are on the hour Reservations recommended Call 708-660-0894
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Mother’s Day Sale
BUY ONE, GET ONE
50% OFF jewelry & scarves
Tuesday, May 1 - Sunday, May 13
121 N. Marion St. • Oak Park 708-848-4572 • www.tenthousandvillages.com/oakpark Mon-Wed Thurs-Fri 10-7; Sat 10-6; Use this 10-6; logo for reductions only, do not print magenta. Do not reduce this logo Sun 12-5 more than 35%. Magenta indicates the clear area, nothing should print in this space. You may reduce the logo to 30% without the tag and strap lines.
Artisans have been paid in full. Discount applied to item of lesser value. Offer valid at participating stores. Not valid with other offers or discounts. Color of Wood Block Motif critical match to Pantone 1805. Letters print Pantone Process Black.
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Wednesday Journal, May 2, 2018
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Mother's Day | 2018
Natasha Gittings: Finding Purpose and Community
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rowing up in Oak Park, Natasha Gittings says she had amazing women role models. By the age of sixteen, she was already interested in becoming a midwife and took her first class in the subject at age eighteen. She became a doula, and after having her own two children, she went back to school to become a Labor and Delivery nurse. These days, she works night shifts at West Suburban Hospital, and the busy single mother says that her lifetime passion has become a fulfilling career. “If we can support moms and kids, there’s just a better outcome for society as a whole. I love to bring a sense of empowerment to my patients.” Gittings notes she receives a lot of support from her house-mate, who also happens to be her mother. “I couldn’t do this without my mom’s support. I work at night, and to just be able to be there and enjoy every minute of my kids’ growing up when I am home is what I want to do.” Susan Gittings worked in local schools for years and now is a part-time preschool teacher, and her daughter calls her the unofficial grandmother to a lot of
people in their Forest Park community. That sense of community is a large part of what makes Forest Park the perfect home for their family. Natasha says of Forest Park, “You have all these families watching everybody’s kids. It feels like you go back in time a little bit with that sense of community here.” A few years ago, after a tragic loss of a young mother in their community, Gittings and friends formed the Forest Park Mom's Compound. Originally designed as an outpost to bring meals to a family in need, the group evolved to become a community mainstay for many. Gittings calls it a support network for busy families. Whether someone needs help with a carpool or school question, the group is there for both kids and moms. She says of the group’s role in the neighborhood, “You can have a whole team of people there to make everyone’s lives as wonderful as possible.” Gittings always wanted to be a mother and calls her two children the biggest blessings of her life. On Mother’s Day, she looks forward to spending time outside with her family.
Photo provided
Susan Gittings, Natasha Gittings and children.
Happy Mother’s Day!
George’s
Restaurant & Pancake House
Your Hosts: George & John 145 S. Oak Park Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302
Ph: 708.848.4949 Cell: 847.708.1727
Enter to Win...A Mother’s Day Giveaway! Enter to win a custom massage at Kohler Spa in Burr Ridge, a $200 cocktail party gift card to La Barra (for a party up to five, redeemable at the Riverside location only), and a bottle of wine. Enter online starting May 3rd at 9am thru May 9th at noon. Winner will be chosen and contacted on May 9th. Prize can be redeemed at LaBarra.
To enter, visit: https://woobox.com/wu2a45 or OakParkEats.com/contests
Anthony Lullo’s welcomes stylist George Stoyias Hours: Tues. 9am – 8pm Wed. 3pm – 8pm Thurs. 9am – 8pm Fri. 10am – 5pm Sat. 9am – 5pm 708-848-4455 721 South Boulevard Oak Park, IL 60302
Wednesday Journal, May 2, 2018
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
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Mother's Day | 2018
Take the Kids out without Busting the Budget There are days you just can’t face cooking after a long day at work capped off by an endless commute. There are days you want to celebrate with the family, but just can’t justify the budget hit on a weeknight of treating the kids to a dinner out. For those times when you need a little pick-me-up without a big hit to the wallet, local restaurants offer kids eat free deals that keep you out of the kitchen and out of the drive through line while delivering on some quality family time. Trattoria 225 225 Harrison St. Oak Park ■ Kids eat free on Mondays with the purchase of an adult entrée
Francesca’s Fiore 7407 W. Madison St., Forest Park ■ 1 free kids meal for children under 12
on Mondays with the purchase of an adult entrée Healy’s Westside 7321 W, Madison St., Forest Park ■ 1 free kids meal for children under 12
on Mondays with the purchase of an adult entrée
Denny’s 711 Harlem Ave., Oak Park ■ Kids
10 and under eat free with the purchase of an adult meal from 4 to10 p.m. on Tuesdays Miller’s Ale House 7515 W. Cermak Rd., North Riverside
■ 1 kid meal for children 12 and under with the purchase of a regularly-priced adult entrée; dine-in only on Tuesdays
Lavergne’s Tavern 6546 W. Windsor Ave., Berwyn ■ Kids
eat free on Mondays from 4 to 10
p.m.
An Oak Park Tradition
Sawa’s Old Warsaw Sawa’s Old Warsaw Come Celebrate early from Authentic Polish-American Buffet Restaurant • Lounge 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. • Banquet Rooms www.SawasOldWarsaw.com
Y A D S ’ E N Day T Mother’s I T N E L V A Celebration T BUFFE S A F K A E B R Roast Duck
A
classic American Bistro setting makes us the
perfect destination for any occasion. Share appetizers with friends, enjoy a relaxed dinner for 2, just a glass of wine or late-night dessert and cappuccino. • Gift Certificates available •
RESTAURANT & BAR 151 N. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Park • 708/386-2600
• Smoked • Potato Dumplings Texas Salmon Style French Toast Apple wood Bacon • Sliced Smoked Porkloin • Best Salad Bar in Town Scrambled Eggs • Shrimp Cocktail • Apple Blintzes Potato Pancakes Kiszka (Polish Sausage) • Boiled Potatoes • Ham off the Bone Sliced Ham • Fresh Polish Sausage • Carved Roast Beef Pork Sausage Links • Mushroom Soup • Broasted Chicken Apple Crepes Apricot Crepes • Potato Pancakes • Wine Herring
$29.00
Blueberry Crepes Cheese Crepes Fresh Fruit Raisin Bread English Muffins
ADULTS
r Server Ask You rink about D ls ia c e p S
• Smoked Polish Sausage • Chicken Noodle Soup • Stuffed Cabbage • Pierogies • Dessert & Pastry Table • Make Your Own Sundae
$14.00 Bloody Mary or Mimosa only $6
CHILDREN
Reserved Seating is available every hour Large Families Welcome • Call to Reserve 708.343.9040
All that plus Apple Juice, Orange Juice, Milk or Coffee...
For only $9 per person! 9200 W. Cermak Road Open Sundays Broadview, IL ~ 708-343-9040 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. www.SawasOldWarsaw.com Lunch ~ Noodles ‘n Ham 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. $9 per person
Dinner ~ BBQ Pork Ribs 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. $13 per person
Smorgasbord • Lounge • Banquets • Carry Out • Catering & Delivery 9200 W. Cermak Road • Broadview, IL
www.SawasOldWarsaw.com
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Wednesday Journal, May 2, 2018
OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM
Mother's Day | 2018
Join us for Sunday, May 13, 2018 10:30am – 3:30pm Breakfast Specialties, Omelets made to order, Slow-Roasted Prime Rib, Bone-in Ham, Smoked Salmon Platter, Shrimp Cocktail, Miso-Ginger Salmon, Chicken Vesuvio, Salads, Assorted Desserts & much more!
See our Full Menu at www.carletonhotel.com
S ERVED IN THE G RAND B ALLROOM Adults $39.95* Children (5-12) $14.95* (Children 4 & under) FREE *Additional Tax and 20% gratuity will be add to each check.
For Reservations, Please Call 708-848-4250 1110 Pleasant Street Oak Park, IL 60302 www.carletonhotel.com
Forget About the Kids: Hot Spots for Date Nights Kids are wonderful, and we all know there’s nothing more relaxing than piling all the little munckins into the car for a quiet, candle-lit dinner. Yeah, right. Sometimes, you want to unwind without your offspring, so book a sitter or beg grandma to come over and spend some quality time with the grandchildren while you and your partner get a much-needed night out at one these local spots.
Oak Park: La Notte 118 N. Marion St. This intimate Italian spot serves authentic Italian food and is the perfect place for a quite date night. Little Gem 189 N. Marion St. Serving innovative, continental cuisine in a Eurpean-style setting.
La Notte
Forest Park: The Heritage 7403 W. Madison This new-American eatery offers sophisticated food in an intimate bistro setting. Gaetano’s 7636 W. Madison An upscale Italian favorite offers a menu of incredible breadth and great flavors.
The Heritage
Berwyn: Autre Monde 6727 W. Roosevelt This minimalist space offers fine Mediterranean cuisine and back patio to die for.
Autre Monde