Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2023 i Chicago magazine

ELLY FISHMAN’S STORY “WHAT $500 MEANS TO ZINIDA Moore” (page 84) was a long time in the making. She began interviewing Moore in August 2022, not long after the single mother of three received her first payment from the city’s guaranteed income pilot program. Over the next year, the two talked frequently, in person and on the phone, as Fishman tracked the effects that the monthly cash assistance had on Moore’s life. She was there when Moore went Christmas shopping for her kids, when she’d sort through her bills, and shortly after she found out the Walmart where she worked was closing. “When you really get to spend a lot of time with someone, you get to the point where it doesn’t feel unnatural for you to be in the room,”…

Q: Why is “ORD” the code for O’Hare Airport? The letter R doesn’t figure prom inent ly in the airport’s name, and D doesn’t feature at all. Yet they’re part of the three-letter International Air Transport Association location identifier that appears on your ticket and bags when you fly in. The reason is a reminder of the airport’s humble origins. The first aviation-related activity at what is now O’Hare was a Douglas Aircraft factory, built in 1942 to assemble C-54 Skymasters for the U.S. Army Air Force. According to A History of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, a 2011 book by Michael Branigan, the plant was located in an unincorporated farming community that had been dubbed Orchard Place by the Wisconsin Central Railroad, since its depot stood in the middle of an…

ACCORDING TO MY FATHER, YOU can’t wear the jersey of a player who is younger than you. Will he break that rule for Connor Bedard? Probably not—Dad’s a crank. But many Chicagoans will. Here’s why. THE FLOP After trading away five of their top eight scorers of recent seasons, the Hawks finished dead last in their division. Just in time, it so happens, for a certain puck-slapping prodigy to be eligible for the 2023 NHL draft. How serendipitous! To be clear: The Blackhawks have not admitted to tanking. Nor am I, ahem, making that allegation. But in the words of a certain four-times-indicted ex–commander in chief: People are saying the Hawks intentionally shat the bed for a shot at Bedard. Still, tanking is no guarantee of future success. The Blackhawks had…

> ARCHIE’S CAFE “Roberta Schmatz is carrying on the tradition of the small, local, funky, down-home, hearty places. She does fresh pizzas, pasta dish specials, and baked goods. One time I had buckwheat waffles there. They do a lot of music, and she has exhibited my photographs.” 1228 W. Loyola Ave. > SUSIE’S NOON HOUR GRILL “Susie is a Korean woman who’s got to be in her 80s. Her restaurant is a mixture of traditional breakfasts, like a Denver omelet, with a number of Korean specials, like a Korean pancake with vegetables and kimchi. It’s pretty laid-back. Not a fast place. I love that.” 6930 N. Glenwood Ave. > LOYOLA PARK “Not only does it have lots of places for swimming, up and down the lake, but a lot of pathways.…

A COUPLE OF BLOCKS WEST OF THE BUSTLE OF Broadway, where that street passes through Little Saigon, a low-slung yet imposing two-story red brick structure hugs the south side of Argyle, between Magnolia and Glenwood. Surrounded by quiet apartments and standalone homes, the factory-like building with large multipaned windows, their trim painted green, bears little trace of its epoch-making past, offering few justifications for its landmark status save a peak-roofed entryway tiled in creamy white with verdigris lanterns on either side. This is the former Essanay Studios, at 1345 West Argyle Street in Uptown. Today the building contains an auditorium named after Charlie Chaplin, but over a hundred years ago — for an ephemeral span — it contained the man himself. The plaque on its façade, hung in 1996 at the…

◼ Chelsea Billingsley didn’t set out to become a fiber artist. “Crochet found me,” the Englewood native says. At Chicago Bulls College Prep, track was her passion. But after a teacher introduced her to sewing, Billingsley, now 26, found it just as meditative as running. “I felt free.” Today, with her own fashion label, House of Chelsea B, she’s taken the craft to the hilt, creating flower-adorned crocheted dresses with dramatic mermaid skirts and sweater and pants sets that merge street style with traditional technique. “I’m a full-on maximalist,” says Billingsley, who wears her own crocheted masks because they make her feel “like the ultimate goddess.” With a recent sneaker collab with Nike under her belt, this month she’ll mount her first fashion show in four years: “I’m bolder now.…

MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON STEPPED THROUGH A CURTAIN IN A BALLROOM AT the Hilton on Michigan Avenue, his husky torso wrapped in an apron labeled “OFW,” for One Fair Wage, the movement to eliminate the subminimum wage for tipped workers. The mayor had just delivered the keynote address at Netroots Nation, a July conference of progressive activists, and was performing the first political stunt of his mayoralty: In solidarity with waiters and waitresses, he served food to attendees. As the mayor’s security detail shooed bystanders out of his path, and TV cameras flashed their beams on his face, His Honor gingerly lifted a meatball on a stick from a tray and set it on a paper plate, with the hesitant motions of a man who has never worked in food service. As…

SINCE TEXAS GOVERNOR Greg Abbott began shipping busloads of undocumented migrants to Chicago in August 2022, the city has seen an influx of more than 13,000 of these newcomers, and it’s had to scramble to come up with ways to house them. The results have been messy: There’s been backlash from Black residents who feel resources are being diverted from their neighborhoods, and several police officers were accused of improper sexual contact with migrants temporarily placed at the 10th District station. On the front lines is Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th Ward alderperson. He helped establish Todo Para Todos, a community-run shelter in Pilsen that took in migrants who had been housed at the 12th District station. (In early September, the shelter closed due to lack of funding and volunteers.) As chair of…

◼ Pümpkin Malört Why savor something when you can shoot it instead? There’s nothing like the sweetness of pumpkin pie paired with the gasoline fire of wormwood. Best chased with a Pumpkin Old Style. ◼ Orange River The original green fountain soda took Chicago by storm during Prohibition. Now, more than 100 years later, there’s a new icon in town. It may look citrusy, but make no mistake: This mix of puréed pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves will leave your tongue smoldering — and orange. ◼ Au Kin Dress up that classic Italian beef sandwich with this new au jus featuring roast beef drippings, Worcestershire sauce, and a pumpkin purée reduction. Trying to avoid carbs? Ditch the French roll and spread it over a full winter squash for the Smashed…

AN OHIO NATIVE, SUSAN V. BOOTH is a Chicagoan at heart. She first moved to the area to study theater at Northwestern, where she got her master’s, and loved Chicago enough to stay — until, that is, she moved to Atlanta to lead the Alliance Theatre. After two decades there, she returned in 2022 to become the Goodman Theatre’s artistic director, replacing Robert Falls after his 36-year run. (The first full season under her leadership began in September.) As cerebral as theater is, it also requires physical tenacity. Booth, 60, says that “a workout doesn’t count unless I’m sweating like a goat at the end of it,” so she rides a Peloton or runs on a treadmill for an hour every morning — but only after warming up her brain. No…

WANT TO STAVE OFF THE CULInary doldrums once the Midwestern growing season has faded? Do like chef Zoe Schor and tap into Calabrian chiles. “They’re spicy, salty, and umami-rich,” she says of the peppers, which are imported from southern Italy and usually sold chopped and packed in oil. “I recommend keeping some on hand all year round to wake up your weeknight cooking.” At West Town’s Split-Rail, Schor gives garlic-breadcrumb-topped macaroni and cheese a stiff kick by stirring the peppers into a lush Mornay. Tip: To prevent a broken sauce, she recommends draining the peppers before use. ZOE SCHOR’S GROWN-UP MAC AND CHEESE Makes 4 servings Active time 45 minutes Total time 45 minutes 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided1½ tsp. minced garlic, divided1 cup panko breadcrumbsSalt, for seasoning½ cup diced…

LIKE A LOT OF BEAUTY SENSATIONS, GLOSSIER WAS BORN ON THE INTERNET. BEFORE launching the brand in 2014, Emily Weiss, a New Yorker, started an online community called Into the Gloss, where the makeup-obsessed could share tips and products. When she began opening brick-and-mortar stores (now in 11 cities) as Glossier, the business already had a big following and soon became a behemoth. In April, Chicago got its own location, which sells the full collection of cosmetics, skin care, and fragrances. But before you experiment with all those balms, shadows, sticks, and serums (yes, everything is available to test) and pose in front of the store’s selfie mirror, heed an expert’s advice. Local makeup artist Cammy Kelly recommends a fall trend: “It’s all about a statement lip, along with dark graphic…

1 At last year’s Chicago Marathon, Ruth Chepngetich missed fellow Kenyan Brigid Kosgei’s world record (set in Chicago) by 14 seconds. She’ll try again Oct. 8 on one of the world’s fastest courses. 2 Mayor Brandon Johnson will deliver his first budget address to the City Council this month. Progressive alder-persons will be clocking it for neoliberal proposals, such as increasing the police budget. 3 When the Bulls host the Thunder Oct. 25, they’ll begin another season without Lonzo Ball, whose bum knee has kept him out since January 2022. In March, he underwent a cartilage transplant—a procedure from which no player has returned. 4 World Business Chicago holds its ninth Chicago Venture Summit Oct. 5. The startup and growth-capital conference will focus, for the first time, on climate technology.…

This summer, the CTA took two of its 100-year-old railcars on a few spins around the Loop — a reminder that the L has lost both character and efficiency. Here’s what else we miss: ◼ Tokens. Phased out in 1999, replaced with Ventra cards. But how many times has your card been rejected because you didn’t apply the right wrist action to your swipe? Tokens dropped right in. ◼ Driver narration. Since 2002, a bland, recorded voice-over artist has recited each stop. Gone is the driver who announced: “Berwyn. Blockbuster Video. Make it a Blockbuster night.” RIP Blockbuster. ◼ The old Wilson stop. It smelled like urine. The stairs were crumbling. But stepping into the next door “Uptown Station” building made you feel like Jimmy Stewart in Call Northside 777. ◼…

WHEN THE 2023 JAMES BEARD Award finalists were announced in March, among the Chicago chefs and restaurateurs garnering nominations was a newcomer to the city: Christian Hunter, a finalist for best chef in the Northeast region for his work at Community Table in the rural village of New Preston, Connecticut. He had arrived in Chicago a month earlier to open Atelier, a tasting-menu restaurant in Lincoln Square. “I was looking for more of a challenge,” Hunter, 33, says of his move. “We had a great, busy restaurant, but I wanted to make sure that my food could stand up in a metropolitan area.” He found the right space to experiment. Atelier (the name taken from the word for an artist’s studio) is in the location (4835 N. Western Ave.) that once…

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT Midwestern food, likely the dishes you ate as a kid or when you first moved to the Midwest spring to mind. There are hot dogs, of course, with variations in Chicago and Detroit; many styles of regional pizza; and tamales, which have both Mexican and Black Southern origins (and which find their way into the mother-in-law, Chicago’s weirdest homegrown sandwich). But how about persimmon pudding, catfish fiddlers, and booyah? In Midwestern Food: A Chef’s Guide to the Surprising History of a Great American Cuisine, With More Than 100 Tasty Recipes (out September 20), Big Jones chef Paul Fehribach digs through centuries-old cookbooks and community publications to explore Midwest culinary practices and how immigration has shaped the way people eat, and he includes recipes for the dishes he…

1 UMMO What A sleek contemporary Italian hot spot from the Tzuco team. It’s helmed by chef José Sosa (Gibsons Italia) and features a ’70s-inspired upstairs lounge. Why Order plates like wagyu beef tartare served with caramelized onion aïoli and crisp gnocco fritto, braised lamb belly ragu, and a bistecca alla Fiorentina with charred radicchio to share with the whole table. Where 22 W. Hubbard St., Near North Side 2 DIEGO What A Baja-inspired cocktail bar from chef Stephen Sandoval (Sueños) with plenty of bites to keep you upright Why Sip the mango-lime Fresca or a glass of Mexican wine, and pair it with tuna tostadas and shrimp burritos. Where 459 N. Ogden Ave., West Town 3 SIFR What The team behind Indienne shifts west with this Middle Eastern eatery. Why Chef…

ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY Zahab S. Ahsan Sports medicine, shoulder and rotator cuff surgery, Achilles tendon rupture, elbow reconstruction, ACL injuries. (Edward) Woodridge, 630-646-7000 David C. Alfieri Knee injuries, hip and knee replacement, hip and knee arthritis, fractures. (Edward) Naperville, 630-790-1872 Joshua M. Alpert Sports injuries and medicine. (Advocate Sherman) Elgin, 224-293-1170 Haluk Altiok Pediatric orthopedic and spinal surgery, hip disorders and dysplasia, limb deformities. (Shriners) Montclare, 773-622-5400 Marc A. Asselmeier Sports injuries, shoulder surgery, joint replacement. (Edward) Glen Ellyn, 630-790-1872 Samer Attar Bone and soft tissue tumors, hip and knee replacement, infections in prosthetic devices. (Northwestern Memorial) Streeterville, 312-695-6800 Eric K. Bartel Foot and ankle surgery. (Northwestern Delnor) Geneva, 630-584-1400 Harpreet S. Basran Foot, ankle, shoulder, and knee surgery, sports medicine. (Advocate Good Shepherd) Algonquin, 847-381-0388 Christopher J. Bergin Pediatric and…

◼ A lot of the skills you develop on an improv stage fit into the workplace, regardless of what it is. Trusting your colleagues, rolling with the punches, not being too precious about things. So I always tell people, “If you can find an improv theater near you, take a class.” Even if you never perform, you’re learning skills that can help you. ◼ My parents loved to laugh. And they exposed me to a lot of funny stuff when I was growing up in Rogers Park and then Lake View. They let me watch Saturday Night Live. We owned Trading Places. My earliest memory is sitting in my room and hearing the Taxi theme. I’d come out, and my parents would let me watch a few minutes before I…