CAFE Magazine 06-Jul|Aug 09

No06 JULY | AUGUST09

Latino Lifestyle Magazine

Latinas

Islam Find

The Ink of Chicago Comic Book Artists Bringing Music to the People Summertime Delights

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JULY | AUGUST2009

Latino Lifestyle Magazine

FEATURES

43 48 52 56

finding my religion

For Latina Muslims, their new spiritual journey can be full of joy and pain. words Margaret Ramirez

DUAL and EQUAL

Teachers and school officials tout the benefits of dual-language education. words Christina E. Rodríguez

not just superheroes

Three Latinos prove that there is more to comics than meets the eye. words Alejandro Riera

a shot at glory

Soccer is a way of life for more than 700 amateur teams in Illinois. words Christina E. Rodríguez

Detail shot of a violin used for one of the classes at the People’s Music School.

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Café JULY | AUGUST2009

| photo lynda guillú |

THESILVERROOM Lifestyle Boutique & Art Gallery

when music & art merge... lifestyle is born

UPCOMING MAIN EVENT: TSR 7th Annual Sound System Block Party Saturday, July 18th, 2009

Noon to 10:00pm

This year’s theme, “TAKE A STAND” We have an extraordinary line-up!!!

Go to thesilverroom.com for more details.

T HE SILV ER ROOM | 14 4 2 n mil w aukee a v e | 6 0 6 2 2 | 7 7 3 . 2 7 8 . 7 13 0 | thesil v err oom . com

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DEPARTMENTS 8 Editor’s Note Contributors 10 Dear Café…

Alejandro Riera Reader feedback

Café Espresso

15 Somos 16 ¿sabías que?

18 The Buzz

20 ojo 22 diversions 24 voices 26 comunidad 28 upgrade

Norma A. Bautista Cultural factoids Hot events this season Fine art photography Caganchos, a smoker’s paradise Carlos Hernández Gómez Musical democracy Back-to-school gadgets

Café Filter

33 get ahead

36 money matters 38 con gusto 40 fashion

Stressed out students Save now for college Sizzling parrilladas Fun summer t-shirts

Café Grande

60 photo essay

Piragüeros, eloteros and paleteros

CafÉ Blend

9 to do to sí 6 74 dining

Summer fun around town In search of the perfect Jibarito 76 restaurant guide A list of Latino eateries 78 Scene at Latino social scene 80 A mí Me enseñaron English en la calle, Español at home

Detail of some of the cigars sold at Caganchos. | photo lynda guillú |

Islam FinD

Latino Comic Book Artists Represent Free Music Classes For Everyone Things To Do And To See This Summer

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| photo stacey freudenberg |

Café JULY | AUGUST2009

No06 JULY | AUGUST09

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No06 JULY | AUGUST09

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Sweet Summer Nem voluptas eum face a corum quodigenis

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< Cover Me Sara Gazi, a Latina Muslim from Chicago.

No06 JULY | AUGUST09

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8/27 CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER 8/28 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF MEXICAN ARTS 8/29 SONOTHEQUE 2009 fmel GD: rayarroyo@live.com

Alejandro Riera I entered the world of comics at a late stage of my life — 12 years ago to be precise.

Yes, I did read the daily comic strips of Puerto Rico’s The San Juan Star and El Nuevo Día as a kid. And I was as much a fan of Saturday morning cartoons as two of the three Chicago-based Latino comic book artists profiled in this issue. But, the print adventures of Superman, Spider-Man or even Batman did not grab my imagination the way Japanese anime or monster serials (Ultraman, anyone?) or the short stories of Isaac Asimov did. Part of the problem was that these comics were not widely accessible and their distribution in the island back in the 70s left a lot to be desired.

I read the entire “Death in the Family” run of Batman in the 90s in the U.S., but that did not make me a hardcore comics fan.

For that I blame Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman” and Warren Ellis’ “Transmetropolitan.” They showed me that comic books were not just for kids. They are, in fact, a legitimate narrative form, where “superheroes” are just one of many genres.

Gaiman’s and Ellis’ series are direct descendants of Alan Moore, Los Bros. Hernandez and Frank Miller, whose books helped pave the way for a new style of graphic storytelling. Today, it’s Latino and Latin American artists like the ones interviewed in this issue who will pave the way for a new generation of comic book artists.

And when it comes to breaking the mold, look no further than the Latino Muslim community. They defy the conventional view that Latinos are exclusively Catholic or Christian. In most cases, Latinos have converted to Islam in search of answers to their spiritual questions. They have not abandoned God or religion. In fact, as Margaret Ramirez shows, they now feel closer to God. We tell their story through the eyes of the women because we want to provide a unique perspective on an often misunderstood religion.

These two stories exemplify Café’s mission of exploring the contemporary Latino lifestyle. We want to show how complex and multifaceted the U.S. Latino community is. We want to tear down the misconceptions mainstream culture still has about us. And we want to build bridges to other communities. Expect more stories like these in the future.

editor’s note

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Café JULY | AUGUST2009

Margaret Ramirez Born and raised in East Harlem, New York, Margaret first wrote about Latino Muslims ten years ago as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Since then, she continued to track the rising trend of conversions, especially among women. Ramirez revisits the phenomenon for Café, reporting on the Islam/ hip-hop connection and the unique identity Latinos are establishing in Muslim America. She has previously written for the Los Angeles Times and Newsday, and is currently a staff writer for the Chicago Tribune.

The CONTRIBUTORS Randi Belisomo Hernández A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Randi holds a master’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

She is a general assignment reporter for CLTV news. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Randi now lives within blocks of Café Media with husband and fellow reporter Carlos Hernández Gómez.

Eddie Quiñones A freelance editorial and commercial photographer specializing in documentary photography, Eddie graduated with a degree in International Relations from Ohio State University and later studied photojournalism at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. When he’s not busy making pictures, he is satisfying his wicked sweet tooth, his addiction to coffee and listening to talk radio of all kinds. Sometimes he’s doing all three things at once.

Lynda Guillú Born and raised in Chicago, Lynda’s interest in photography began at the early age of 15 when she received a camera from her father as a gift. As Lynda’s passion developed, so did her eye for capturing the interesting, the attractive, and the intimate. After attending Columbia College, Lynda has also taken various workshops and seminars from some of the industry’s most respected and talented photographers. Presently, her expertise extends to, but is not limited to, weddings, portraiture and commercial.

Publisher Julián G. Posada Café media Advisors

Editorial

Editor-in-Chief Alejandro Riera Managing Editor marilia t. gutiérrez Managing Editor Gina Santana Copy Editors Marie Joyce Garcia

Chris MALCOLM DarHiana Mateo

Vera Napoleon

Product Research isabel resendiz gina santana

Editorial Assistants CHRISTINA E. RODRíGUEZ

diana ramirez

pilar amado Editorial Intern esther boriba

design

Art Director alberto treviÑo Graphic Designers wendy melgar Graphic Design Intern judd ortiz

Martin Castro, George De Lama, STEVEN GROYA, david hutchenson, IAN LARKIN, Mike Malee, carlos santiago, david selby EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Cruz Registered Investors & Advisors LLC Angel Cruz

Executive Title Martha Tovias

Gomez Consulting Angel Gomez

Grainger katie porter

HACE Andrea Saenz

Harris Bank Lilia Alvarado

Home State Bank Magdalena Rivera

The LDI Group Brian SOrge

Loyola University Chicago regina treviño

Merrill Lynch Juan Carlos Avila

Mesirow Financial Olga Camargo

National City/PNC Bruce Lines

National Louis University Ana Maria Soto

The Resurrection Project Raul Raymundo

UIC LARES Program Leonard Ramírez

sales

West Coast Sales Manager East Coast Sales Manager Sales Associate

Norma Magaña, Francisco Menchaca

isis Gonzalez tracy wasich Denise Carrasco

Special Thanks

Daniel Bleier, Michael Bleier, WILLIAM GRAHAM, Henry Kingwill, Pete kingwill, Ian Larkin, William Mckenna

marketing

Marketing Director Marketing Intern Outreach Coordinator

melissa m. martínez

Acknowledgements

christina merced

gardenia rangel

ADMINISTRATION

Office Manager IT Manager

Roujay Vargas

JANET PéREZ

Jorge Jiménez

contributing writers randi belisomo hernández, christina chavez weitman, carlos hernández gómez, angélica herrera, DARHIANA MATEO, belia ortega, margaret ramirez, isabel resendiz, marla seidell

e-Hispanics.com jose jara Illinois Hispanic

Chamber of Commerce omar duque Roberto Cornelio

International Latino

Cultural Center of Chicago pepe vargas

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

abel arciniega, stacie freudenberg, AKIN Girav, lynda guillú,

eddie quiñones, jillian sipkins

stock photos

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Café magazine is printed on paper sourced from companies that practice sustainable forest management.

nelly aguilar, AL AUGAITIS, Gabriel Bautista, chris belec, lon chow, james cicenia, Chris Courtney, Eduardo Fernández, Alejandro Garcia, Michael Gray, miriam gutierrez, bill loster, Enrique Lopez, mike murnane, Ramon Muñoz, christian ortega, julia rendon, Cesar Ruiz, Carlo Seran, susan snowdon, sharon stallworth

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Remove inserts before recycling.

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9

caféletters no04 apr iL09

Latino Lifes tyLe Maga zine

Dear Café ...

Thank you once again for your comments and suggestions.

We look forward to each and every one: the good, the bad and the ugly. So keep them coming. The more we hear from you, the more we’ll strive to improve your Café experience.

yo soy The futu re

of fuel

and su stainabi lity

Ust09 Y | aUG no 06 JUL

REMEMBERING OUR FALLEN tyLe Lifes Latino

zine Maga

s Latina

Islam Find

I have read all four issues of Café, and though I am not Hispanic, your magazine makes me wish I were. We salute all the heroes in our military who have died in service to our country (“Casualties of War,” May/June).

May God keep them and care for go of Chica them. Your magazine is one of the The Ink ok Artists Comic Bo Music BringingPeople best I’ve seen in 75 years. Thanks to the for editing such a fine publication.

Sam Watson, Chicago hts ime Delig Summert 6/15/09

.indd

V01-32

06-CO

--CAFE

11:12 AM

1

NOT TWO WARS BUT ONE

This generation will be forced to grow up and grow up soon! (“The Long Road Out of War,” May/June) They will learn that one thing is [Pres. Barack] Obama, the American Idol, and that other is Obama, the Commander-in-Chief. But Obama himself will have to learn the difference between being a local community organizer and being the president of a whole nation, which happens also to be the leading nation in the world. He knows that there are no “two wars” but one, that Iraq and Afghanistan are but two theaters of operation in one and the same war. Unfortunately, the enemy is one that befriends another one of our enemies. And as long as Russia still wants to control the upper Middle East, and as long as fundamentalist Muslims want to control it, they will find common cause.

Obama may talk a good triangulated talk, but soon he will have to face reality and choose to lead us either to safety or destruction.

Jose Alejandro (posted online) GREAT RESOURCES

The career oriented articles in the May/June issue of Café magazine were a pleasant surprise. How timely to have some well-written articles on finding your passion during the current recession and placing Latinos on leading profit and non-profit boards (“Voices” and “Climb on Board”). As someone who likes to get a feel for the Latino professional scene in the many U.S. cities I visit, I’ve come to realize that Latino professionals in the Chicago area are fortunate to have some great resources to help us advance our careers, serve our community and lead effective change as aspiring leaders. Keep up the great work in bringing these resources to light. ¡Adelante!

César A. Lostaunau, Manager, Administration Office of the Vice President, Bus Operations, Chicago Transit Authority

FYI!

Just wanted to let you know how much I love your magazine.

As a Latina and educator I enjoy reading about successful Latinos in Chicago. I also share the magazine with my high school students because I think they should be reading more about people like them. They need more role models, especially ones that have overcome major obstacles. I think the magazine has a lot to offer and lets people know the impact Latinos have in the community. Keep up the good work and I hope the magazine remains in the community for a long time.

Griselda Sameron (posted online) LOVES COCO

I have been a patron of Coco restaurant for over a year and I am so glad that it was featured in the magazine (“Humboldt Park Nouveau-Rican,” May/June). The food is wonderful, the ambiance and the people that go there are great. The best day to go is Saturday when live bands are featured and the music starts, the drinks are flowing, there is great conversations, dancing and just an overall vibe that makes it a great party where everyone is welcomed.

Congratulations, José Allende on your 5th year on Paseo Boricua!

Martha Miranda, Chicago HISTORICAL CORRECTION

In the May/June issue of your excellent magazine there was an article about the battle of May 5, 1862, in the City of Puebla (“What If…The French Had Won Cinco de Mayo?”). The battle was carried out at the Forts of Loreto and Guadalupe, commanded by Generals Ignacio Zaragoza, Miguel Negrete and Porfirio Díaz.

Among the fighting forces were a few hundred Zacapoaxtlán Indians from Zacapoaxtlán, northeast of the City of Puebla. The Zapotec Indians were not involved in the battle at all. They were too far away in north central and southern Oaxaca State. Even if they had wanted to fight, they would have had to walk through mountains and would have never arrived in time to help. Please correct this error.

It is important for future generations of Mexicans to read history as it truly was. By the way, Benito Juárez, who was president at that time, was born in Guelatao, the Northern Sierra region of Oaxaca. President Juárez was a Zapotec Indian...and my hero.

Michael Pelaez, Oak Brook

Send your comments to readers@cafemagazine.com, post them at cafemagazine.com or write to Letters to the Editor, Café Magazine, 660 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60654. Include your full name, address and daytime phone number. Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.

10 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

SUBSCRIBE FREE!

...Bringing you the very best of the contemporary Latino lifestyle each month. subscribe by 7/24 to receive your next issue in the mail. www.cafemagazine.com

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caféEspresso

Somos

Norma A. Bautista 35, Flight Attendant Supervisor, Southwest Airlines, Plainfield, Ill. photo

Akin Girav

Most exotic place that you’ve been?

We took a trip to Ixtapa, Mexico, when the kids were younger. It’s about one hour away from Acapulco. It was a road trip, we stopped at every town on our way there and back.

Other hobbies besides being a “quirky” flight attendant?

I am a soccer Mom. My kids play fútbol — all three of them! I spend most of my time in the field. I am also a mentor for a youth group in church. When I have free time, I like to do some volunteer work.

Met any interesting characters on the job?

One of our flight attendants travels to Africa every month with her church.

She is a beautician, so she takes all her supplies and spends time visiting small villages.

Does being bilingual help you on the job?

When I came to Southwest this proved to be a benefit. When we launched the Spanishlanguage [toll free] line for the first time, I was selected to take calls because of my skills.

Being bilingual opened the doors for me to take leadership roles within my department.

For more of this interview, visit www.cafemagazine.com

cafemagazine.com 15

caféESPRESSO

¿SabÍasquE?

latino comic book heroes? who knew?!

Araña

Kosher Mofongo

Mix a little bit of hip-hop, rock en español and klezmer, huge portions of attitude, some politically-incorrect humor and two nice Latino Jewish boys and what do you get? The Hip-Hop Hoodios. Founded by Josué Noriega (known in the alternative music scene as Josh Norek) and Abraham Veléz, this collective has, with tongue firmly planted in cheek, challenged all notions of alternative and ethnic music. Their MTV hit “Ocho Kandelikas” is legendary for a scene involving a “bagel bra”.

Hearty eaters

According to the 2009 Guinness Book of World Records, citizens in Argentina have the highest food consumption, with each citizen eating 183 percent of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization’s recommended requirements.

Wave riders

Brazil is known for many things, including having the most surfers on one wave at the same time. On Sept. 2, 2007, 84 surfers took to the same wave at Santos Beach in Sao Paulo.

Anya Sofia Corazon is a Spanglish-speaking teenager from Brooklyn, N.Y., who decides to join the Spider Society. There, she received an energy transfer from the head of the society to save her life. During the transfer, she also received a tattoo which gave her agility and strength and the ability to cast an exoskeleton around herself. This series didn’t last long, although Spiderman did make a guest appearance.

Green Lantern

Kyle Rayner was chosen by the last Guardian of the Universe to take over as Green Lantern after Hal Jordan (the original Green Lantern) went on a rampage. Rayner is half-Mexican (his father, Gabriel Vasquez, was a CIA operative) and made his first appearance in the Emerald Twilight storyline.

Rictor

Julio Esteban Richter was one of the first visibly nonstereotypical Latinos to be written into the X-books. Rictor could cause earthquakes through his fingertips. Born into a Mexican arms-dealing family, this comic book mutant was trained by a criminal organization, then rescued

by X-Factor. Rictor has appeared in 209 issues of the series, with X-Factor No. 17 being the first.

Source: 2009 Guinness Book of World Records, www..myspace.com/hiphophoodios, www.darkfantasy.org, www.comicvine.com, Marvel Comics, dc.wikia.com/wiki/Kyle_Rayner_(New_Earth) (DC Comics Database Project)

16 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

caféespresso

thebuzz

A 1992 Caddy, owned by Phil Villareal, a member of “Old School Members Only Of Chicago” club, shows some three-wheel motion. | photo alberto treviño |

OLD SCHOOL MEMBERS ONLY From sun up to sun down, the Chicago Low Rider Council will be hosting their club picnic Aug. 16, 2009 in the Buffalo Woods, 87th St. and King Drive. The Council will be supplying food, drinks and possibly a hop competition, says president “Gator” Cruz. The Chicago Low Rider Council organizes food drives for the homeless as well as toy drives for needy children every year. Here’s a preview of the cool rides you can spot at the picnic.

ABOVE LEFT: Another ‘63 Impala, this one owned

by Adolfo Salgado, of the “Old School Members Only Of Chicago” club. ABOVE RIGHT: A 1987 Regal property of club member Rene Toledo.

RIGHT: A Phantom with a 5.0, 350 engine. The owner of this classic wants to remain anonymous like a phantom, but did mention he is a Chicago resident. [This vehicle will not be on display at the picnic.] | photos alberto treviño |

18 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

1963 Impala, property of Fernando Zamora, an “Old School Members Only Of Chicago” club member. | photo a. treviño |

artdepartment

$189 BANG BANG AND RAT-A-TAT-TAT The summer movie season enters its final stretch with “Public Enemies” (July 1st), Michael Mann’s film about FBI agent Melvin Purvis’ pursuit of legendary hoodlums like John Dillinger and Bonnie & Clyde. Johnny Depp and Christian Bale may be the film’s protagonists, but Chicago and the Midwest are the true stars of the film. Check out how the production team turned back the clock on places like the Aragon Ballroom, the Uptown branch of Bridgeview Bank and even Lincoln Avenue where Dillinger was gunned down. We are also looking forward to the sixth installment in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (July 15), where things turn really ugly for our young magician; and Quentin Tarantino’s violent opus, “Inglourious Basterds” (Aug. 21) about a deadly Nazihunting squad.

iced coffee mediano

¡FRIOLICIOSO!

G-MAN >> What is it about Cuba and jazz pianists? Is it the food? The weather?

Actually, it’s the classical training their young musicians receive at schools like the Amadeo Roldan Conservatory. Among its brilliant alumni: Chucho Valdés (founder of Irakere), Ernán López-Nussa and Gonzalo Rubalcaba, who will headline this year’s edition of the Chicago Jazz Festival, Sept.

4-6 at Grant Park. A veteran of bands like Orquesta Aragón and a protégé of Dizzy Gillespie, Rubalcaba has forged his own trail with his Olympic fusion of Cuban rhythms, classical music and traditional jazz. For a complete schedule, visit www.cityofchicago. org/specialevents.

SONIDOS ELECTRÓNICOS Electronic music has been a part of the Latin American musical landscape since 1960 but, unfortunately, it has long been overshadowed by developments in Europe, Asia and the United States. But electronica is alive, well and kicking some mean grooves south of the border, and the world is finally beginning to notice. The Festival de Música Electrónica Latina, to be held Aug. 27-29 at the Chicago Cultural Center, the National Museum of Mexican Art and Sonotheque, will showcase performances by up-and-coming and established musicians as well as workshops and symposiums. For more information, visit www.fmelchicago.com.

cafemagazine.com 19 Precios y participación pueden variar. ©2 009 McDonald’s

caféESPRESSO | ojo

| photo alberto treviño |

| photo david little |

| photo halim trujillo |

1. Hotel [ photo lynda guillú ] San Luis Potosí, México, near El Mercado, 2005. www.guilluphotography.com

1

2

3

2. Kicks [ photo wendy melgar ] Kicks are for kids.

4

3. Cascade [ photo sarah peter ] Children cooling off from the summer heat at Chicago’s Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.

| photo manuel Martin Gee |

4. Land Cruiser [ photo nicolás raddatz ] Bolivian altiplano. Laguna Kollpa, 4,700 meters (roughly 15,400 feet ) above sea level. www.nicolasraddatz.com.

Send us your best photographs and the story behind them in 20 words or less. Only original, unmodified high-res images. We will publish or post online what we like. Café reserves the right to turn down any image. Upload to flickr.com/groups/cafephoto, or follow twitter.com/BertosNikonD700.

20 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

Sneak Peek at our Anniversary Issue

THE APOCALYPSE IS UPON US…AGAIN! Will December 21, 2012 truly be the “End of Days” as the Mayans predicted? Or is it all hogwash? We take a look at the prophecies and the various takes on what will happen on that date and how ancient indigenous spirituality is coming back with a vengeance.

HEALTHCARE PIONEERS Meet Drs. Domingo O’Cherony and Frank Yanez, pioneering physicians who operated the first Latino health care clinics in West Town, Pilsen and Little Village in the 1940s and 50s. Experience the history and growth of Chicago’s Latino community through their eyes. ¡SIN VERGÜENZA! We celebrate our first year anniversary with a little bit of humor with the launch of this new section. We will poke some much needed fun at those shameless personalities, events and even customs that make us cringe, wince or even slap our heads in disbelief.

THE WOLVERINE STATE We take you on a trip to Mackinaw State Park with a quick visit to the Diego Rivera mural at the Detroit Institute of Arts and recommend some Michigan fall destinations.

cafemagazine.com 21

caféESPRESSO | diversions

PowerPUFF words

One Chicago smoke shop serves up a classic selection of cigars

Randi Belisomo Hernández photos Lynda Guillú

You can tell you’re smoking a good cigar by the feeling you have in your throat. If it’s a good one, you don’t feel anything.

ABOVE: Produced in Miami, Havana Sunrise is Caganchos’ house brand.

Armando Martinez is feeling nothing as he sits in Caganchos, his family-owned cigar shop at 2413 W. North Ave., Chicago.

The 29-year-old son of Mexican immigrants — the youngest of 15 children — puffs smoke out of the left side of his mustachioed mouth. He reclines on a leather sofa, watching “The Good Shepherd” on his flat-screen mounted TV. “I went straight from the hospital [where he was born] to here,” Martinez says of the storefront building

22 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

he now runs, the one his parents bought 30 years ago and turned into a taquería.

But his aging parents needed an easier line of work, he says, so they decided about a year and a half ago to take advantage of a loophole in a new Illinois law that banned smoking in all public places except for tobacco shops.

The Martinez clan exchanged chimichangas for cigars, and Caganchos was created. Their old kitchen now houses the humidor — not real cedar, Martinez says, but it “works just as well” — with stogies from across Central and South America, and even some from as far away as Cambodia and the Philippines. “[Caganchos] sounds somewhat vulgar in Spanish, but it’s not,” he says of his store moniker, a name that clearly amuses him. “A lot of Latinos come here because

they’re curious about what Caganchos means.” by a cousin in Miami.

The store is named after a Spanish mataThe house cigars are not expensive; the averdor, whom Martinez’s father, Mario, once met in age sale at Caganchos runs about $5 to $10. The Mexico. The store’s namesake is also featured in priciest smoke in the shop is an Ashton ESG, availErnest Hemingway’s “Death in the Afternoon.” It able for $30 — but Martinez acknowledges he has was the author’s guide to bullfighting — and such a never sold one. masculine theme has truly permeated the premises.

“You don’t have to have a lot of money to Armando Martinez takes another drag off buy a good cigar,” he explains and tells customers his small cigar and looks around at the dozens upfront not to come asking for anything Cuban. of animal heads on his walls. He’s brought the “I ain’t got ‘em!” he says with a laugh, contendtrophies — deer and duck, buffalo, moose and ing that the embargoed enticement isn’t all that goat — from across the country. exciting. “The only thing that makes them unique “I travel a lot to hick towns and buy stuff,” is that everything that is in a Cuban cigar is Cuban: Armando Martinez (above) he says of his manly motif, designed entirely by the seed, the filler, the wrapper — everything,” turned the former taquería’s Martinez himself. It’s just the decor to draw smokMartinez explains. kitchen into a humidor (top). ers from across the city to browse the bins and take Most others are a “mishmash” as he says, a seat beside him. but many are just as tasty. He directs new smokers to Nicaraguan “This is the place for people to find a spot to smoke,” he says. brands, perhaps a Padron or a Perdomo. “They’re just really good,” He also offers them beverages, but no more Mexican menu — the Martinez says. “I don’t know if it’s something about the soil or the state bans retail tobacco stores from carrying a food service license. combination of the soil and the sun, but I find Nicaraguans to be As he puffs, the cigar byproduct is zapped by two Honeywell to my liking.” ventilators, which leave the store with the scent — but not the He has quite the palate for the son of a man who smokes nothing smoke — of his endless stream of cigars. but Lucky Strikes.

Martinez’s clientele is mostly younger men, with the occasional Mario Martinez came to Chicago during World War II, after a woman who comes with questions needing to buy a gift. “People cyclone destroyed his home in the Mexican gulf town of Tampico. travel to come here,” Martinez explains, especially Latinos. “Latinos The elder Martinez was part of the bracero temporary laborer feel more comfortable coming in here; they feel more comfortable program, for which he picked asparagus in Rochelle, south of Rockbuying from me.” ford. Back then, he lived on Belden Avenue in Chicago, a little more And he is about the only person you’ll see behind the counter — than two miles from this business, for $2 a week. when he leaves his perch on the couch. His parents don’t work much The family has come a long way and, as Martinez describes it, anymore, and he’s not hiring. hasn’t begun to feel the effects of the recession. This place gets busy “I know this business would be more successful if we could as the weekend nears, he says, with smokers looking for an inexpenhire a different face, but because of our tendency to keep it in the sive way to relax — an easy way to diffuse life’s problems into the family — because we don’t trust anyone else — it is what it is,” atmosphere with just one breath. he says with a shrug.

He sits back and lights another cigar. “It’s the way to close His face may look different from that of many others who stroll off the day.” the ever-gentrifying streets of East Humboldt Park, but Martinez doesn’t care. This store is Mexican through and through as well as a family enterprise. Its house brand — Havana Sunrise — is owned cafemagazine.com 23

caféESpresso | Voices

Used, Chewed and Spit out by the

Machine Carlos HernÁndez

Gomez

don’t let the name fool you. the hispanic democratic organization (hdo) has little to do with empowering latinos.

24 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

To listen to his apologists, you would think Al Sanchez was the Southeast Side Cesar Chavez — a selfless crusader fighting on behalf of justice for Latino workers who never got their fair share from City Hall. The final part of that sentence is true: Hispanics and all others out of clout were out of luck at 121 N. LaSalle St. During his recent trial on federal fraud charges — he was accused of helping rig city jobs in an effort to benefit those who performed political work for the Hispanic Democratic Organization (HDO) — Sanchez tried to use his heritage as a shield and wrapped himself in the proud eagle of the Mexican flag when he took the stand.

He told the jury that he was trying to bring diversity to city government in order to share the spoils of City Hall with his community.

But jurors saw Sanchez for what he is: a political hack, the highest-ranking member of the Daley administration. Sanchez was convicted of involvement in Chicago’s decades-long corrupt hiring system.

Here’s how it happened: If you did political work for candidates supported by HDO, you got bumped up to the front of the line when it came to well-paying city jobs, whether you were qualified or not. But it wasn’t just the jobs. Sweet plums like promotions and overtime depended on one’s loyalty to HDO. Sanchez appeared dumbfounded after the verdict. “We had a job to do and we did it,” he said, “and now I’m sitting up here convicted of crimes and I don’t know what the crime is.”

Make no mistake about it: Sanchez committed a crime, and for that deserves to go to Club Fed, and probably for longer than he’s going to get. But how much is he really to blame for this?

Former Assistant U.S. Atty. Pat Collins headed the Feds’ investigation into City Hall corruption for years; he says there are other culprits higher up. “There’s no doubt in my mind that Mr. Sanchez knew the rules and knew they were being bent and broken,” Collins said. “However, the rules were being bent and broken for the glory of the patron-

age machine, not for the benefit of Al Sanchez personally, and to that extent, he was used by the system.”

Collins gets at the heart of the issue. While Sanchez may have been in the thick of it, he didn’t create this system. He was merely a key cog.

Sanchez once rode high as the head of Chicago’s Department of Streets and Sanitation. He had clout, power and a nice six-figure salary with all the trimmings, but he didn’t call the shots.

Who was the ultimate beneficiary of this system that rewarded those who did political work over the qualified? The true beneficiary of HDO’s patronage muscle was the man with the big office on City Hall’s fifth floor: His Highness King Richard Daley II, who HDO always backed along with his preferred candidates. And as Sanchez awaits his sentence, Daley has marked the beginning of his third decade in office.

Don’t let the name fool you. HDO has little to do with empowering Latinos. I call it Daley’s “Hispanic Merry Men.” HDO was about Hispanic empowerment only for the privileged few who agreed to dance to the beat of Hizzoner’s salsa. Daley’s Hispanic Merry Men not only worked to benefit those who kept the mayor and his anointed candidates in office, but the political muscle was also used to punish Latinos who refused to dance to Daley’s tune.

Any Hispanic public official who showed too much independence, such as former state Sen. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia or Ald. Ray Frias, was taken out and replaced with somebody who could take orders. This works against true empowerment, tying future spoils to a system that the Feds could dismantle at any time.

So when Sanchez and his defenders try to bamboozle you with baloney about community empowerment, ask about the time in 1999 when four Mexican-Americans were running for alderman in the 10th Ward.

Funny, but HDO backed the one white guy: John Pope.

What was Pope’s old job? Daley’s chief of staff.

Carlos Hernández Gómez is the political reporter for CLTV News.

ALL GREAT THINGS

START WITH A

human CONNECTION.

caféespresso | comunidad

Democracy Through Music words photos

Marla Seidell Lynda Guillú

Rita Simo’s school has introduced classical music to minority communities for more than 30 years

26 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

Dr. Rita Simo founded People’s Music School in 1976.

Dr. Rita Simo founded the People’s Music School in 1976 with nothing more than a big dream and determination. With $625 and a donated piano, she rented a one-room Uptown space in a former beauty salon at 4417 N. Sheridan Road. For teachers, she turned to musician friends, reminding them of their good jobs. Wouldn’t they like to give something back by volunteering their time at her school?

Big dreams go far. More than three decades and a whole lot of moving and shaking later, the tuition-free music school has educated approximately 8,000 students, mostly from minority or low-income families. (Of the nearly 300 students currently enrolled, 36 percent are Latino.) Prospective students are allowed to register regardless of socioeconomic situation.

“I never asked people if they have [immigration] papers, who they go to bed with or how much money they have,” Simo explains, “because what does that have to do with learning?”

Nothing truly good comes without hard work. “We’re not do-gooders,” Simo insists. A first-come, first-serve registration process has been her practice from day one, and she has never wavered. No deals cut for big shots. “Even if the pope is waiting, he’s going to have to wait his turn,” she asserts.

Thanks to Simo’s efforts, the People’s Music School was built from the ground up at its present Uptown location at 931 W. Eastwood Ave. Although she retired in 2001 and is now a member of the school’s board, Simo’s strict approach still reigns. Parents are required to volunteer four hours a week while students undergo a rigorous classical music education, heavy on music theory.

The only school of its kind in the country, People’s has introduced classical music to communities otherwise not exposed to it.

“Typically, study of the violin and the 12-13 instruments we offer is usually reserved for wealthier white kids on the North Shore,” observes Bob Fielder, the school’s executive director.

Simo’s approach to democracy through music stems from a childhood in the Dominican Republic, where she was educated at the free National Conservatory of Music. Her studies earned her a scholarship

to New York City’s Juilliard School, after which she earned a doctorate in music at Boston University. When Simo started performing piano concerts she was struck by what she saw as the unfairness of music education in America: Music lessons were only for those who could afford it. “The whole thing really bugged me,” Simo recalls.

Simo decided to start a free music school. “People said, ‘Are you crazy? You don’t do that in this country,’ ” she remembers. “And I said, ‘Why not?’ ” Crazy is often good. Simo’s school has changed thousands of lives through music, including Victor Marin’s, a guitar teacher and former student who first enrolled at the school in 1982. Marin, a Mexican immigrant who grew up in the Ravenswood neighborhood, dreamed of playing the guitar from an early age. But his mother, a single parent and a snack bar worker at O’Hare Airport, couldn’t afford lessons.

A notice announcing free music lessons on a church bulletin board, however, made the impossible a reality.

At age 15, Marin registered at the People’s Music School and hasn’t looked back. Upon graduation, Simo encouraged him to continue his love of music by teaching at the school. “If it weren’t for the school, I don’t know what I would have done with my life,” says Marin, who works three days a week at the school.

For Marin, the discipline of music has taught an invaluable lesson. “Music changed me because it taught me I had to stick to something in order to be good at it,” Marin says.

Mayra Quiñones has seen positive changes in her daughters, 12-year-old Rosalia and 8-year-old Lucia, both enrolled at the school since kindergarten. In addition to being straight-A students, the girls are becoming experts at self-motivation. “Since a year ago she [Rosalia] doesn’t need me to remind her to practice. Now she does it every night,” observes Quiñones. “She’s changed a lot.”

Money to keep the dream alive is always an issue, as the school is a non-profit organization funded by grants from 30 organizations, ten of which are foundations. Due to the troubled economy, funding came up short last year. In order to pay the $1,500 needed for each student, as well as building costs, the school needs $600,000.

Instead of draining its endowment fund and going broke, the school has frozen registration since Jan. 1. By August, the school intends to restart registrations. “I’m convinced we’ll survive,” says Simo.

By showing America how democratic it could be, the woman with a crazy dream has achieved her goal. Is she done? Hardly. “There should be a people’s school of music in every town,” Simo says.

cafemagazine.com 27

caféESPRESSO | upgrade

Head of the Class Get a head start on your classmates with these savvy, smart and cool products It’s too soon to think about it. After all, we are still enjoying this wonderful summer. But, whether you’re about to go back to school or have young ones that are, you must be prepared for the new school year. Here are a few ideas that will help make the transition from sleeping in late to heading to class early in the morning much easier.

Kodak ESP 7 All-In-One Printer www.kodak.com, $199.99 Print, copy and scan photos and documents.

It comes with a 3-inch color LCD display plus memory card and USB slots, so you can print without a PC. Onetouch Wi-Fi printing and Ethernet connectivity are ideal for cluttered dorm rooms.

Merriam-Webster Intermediate Dictionary and Spell Corrector www.amazon.com, $39.95 Type in words for a quick definition. It comes with games, clock, calculator and currency/metric converter. Confusables® function helps you tell the difference between commonly confused words.

28 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

Flying Alarm Clock www.thinkgeek.com, $24.99 The key to this alarm clock is the top propeller, which flies off when it’s time to wake up. The only way to shut off the loud alarm is to retrieve the propeller and connect it to the base of the clock. This alarm is for those who are serious about never being late for class.

Answer the Lunch Bell Lunchbox www.landofnod.com, $16.95 No need to use those bulky, plastic lunchboxes anymore. This colorful, insulated lunchbox comes in three designs: Barnyard, Garden or Solar System. It includes side pockets for utensils and can be easily cleaned with mild soap and water.

Palm Centro PDA Organizer www.palm.com, $49.99 with contract, $199.99 unlocked With phone, text, e-mail and Web capabilities, you can keep in touch with your professors and fellow classmates to make sure you get your work done on time. You can store notes in your calendar, then back them up to your computer.

Education is the foundation —for everything With that in mind, Diageo and Café Media have partnered to create the Diageo Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund, encouraging continued education in the hospitality industry.

Your participation starts with a sip! In July, a portion of the proceeds from your Bailey’s brands purchase will be donated to the fund.

Learn how you can partake in the program; visit www.cafemagazine.com/future.

BAILEYS Irish Cream Liqueur. 17% Alc/Vol. ©2009 R & A Bailey & Co. Imported by Paddington, Ltd., Norwalk, CT. Bailey’s: Drink Responsibly.

Special Advertising Section

AHealthyNightlife

W

hy would a health nut dream of owning a bar or even a nightclub? Maybe because she wants to mix her love for a good time with her passion for fitness. And that’s exactly what Pearl Gonzalez, 22, a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter, wants to do.

Gonzalez is a busy bee — working, taking care of her younger sister and training three to four hours a day, six days a week, in Cicero, Ill., where she lives. And yet, she knows that getting on the road to fulfilling her goal of opening her own business can begin in bartending school. The Diageo — Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund could provide the opportunity to make that dream a reality.

“I want to be my own boss and open my own bar or club,” says Gonzalez. “I want healthy drinks to be served there.”

The Diageo – Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund is a program created by Diageo in partnership with Café Media to provide scholarships to people interested in breaking into hos-

30 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

Special Advertising Section

LEFT: Pearl Gonzalez is a mixed martial arts fighter who wants to open her own bar.

RIGHT: Gabriel Guzman runs a successful liquor store in Chicago’s Southwest Side.

pitality management. Six scholarships of up to $5,000 each will be awarded to individuals who are enrolled in college or graduate school, while additional scholarships of up to $1,000 each will go to those who choose to enroll in vocational school.

Although being an MMA fighter is her priority, Gonzalez loves the nightlife and wants to give others the gift of dancing the night away with a healthy, fruit-filled smoothie drink in hand. “People can have fun and be healthy, too,” she says. “I know that bartending can be fun and I’d love to work in that kind of atmosphere.”

After living with her father for a few years, she stepped out on her own, taking with her the MMA training that she couldn’t be without. She also took her younger sister under her wing after hitting a few rough spots of her own, living an adult lifestyle and working different jobs to pay the bills. The Diageo – Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund might give her the chance to go back to school and allow her to keep training and working, without disrupting her priorities.

Gabriel Guzman, 47, owner of Giovanni’s Liquors Inc., 4237 W. 26th Street, Chicago, knows first-hand how difficult it is to open and grow your own business. Now that he enjoys the fruits of his hard labor, he fully supports the Diageo – Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund.

Guzman opened his business 26 years ago. “It was just something that came to mind,” he says. “Something we didn’t even research.”

Operating and managing the store took some effort; especially since the Guzman family entered the business without any experience or even a guiding hand. “We didn’t have any knowledge of the liquor industry,” says Guzman. “No

How to apply Do you know someone who is over the age of 21 and wants to pursue a career in the food-service or hospitality industry?

• Nominate yourself or someone you know. (One entry per person.)

• Read the Participating Rules and meet the criteria for participation.

• Fill out a nomination form available at participating locations or at www.cafemagazine.com/future.

Send it to Diageo - Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund c/o Cafe Media, 660 W. Grand Ave., Chicago, IL 60654 before Aug. 15, 2009.

Award decisions will be based on demonstrated need and dedication to getting ahead. Finalists will be chosen by a review committee. Winners will be announced in Sept. 2009.

one wanted to share their knowledge with us.”

Although Guzman is now running a successful business, he says that it took a long time to get to where he is now.

Everything came from experience, he says. “Nobody taught us that, we learned it on our own,” he says.

Through the Diageo — Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund, those who have a desire to learn about the business, like Gonzalez, will now endure less of a struggle on their road to success. “It’s good to see that a company like Diageo is trying to help the community,” says Guzman.

“I think it’s awesome that Diageo and Café [Media] are doing this, especially for Latinos,” says Gonzalez. “It gives people an opportunity to do something else, to do something more...It’s a chance for me to learn about making drinks and make [it on] my own. [I] get to meet people and get my foot in the door.”

cafemagazine.com 31

Education is the foundation —for everything With that in mind, Diageo and Café Media have partnered to create the Diageo Celebrate the Future Scholarship Fund, encouraging continued education in the hospitality industry.

Your participation starts with a sip! In August, a portion of the proceeds from your Crown Royal brands purchase will be donated to the fund. Learn how you can partake in the program; visit www.cafemagazine.com/future.

CROWN ROYAL Blended Canadian Whisky. 40% Alc/Vol. ©2009 The Crown Royal Company, Norwalk, CT. Crown Royal: It’s about quality, not quantity.

caféfilter

artdepartment getahead

UnderPressure words

Darhiana Mateo

Even elementary students can be crushed by stress — here’s a lesson in how to cope

School can be more of a battlefield than a playground for today’s elementary student. In this fast-paced, competitive society — where we are not only expected to do it all but to do it all perfectly — children also are feeling the pressure to perform.

Certain stages can be particularly tough to navigate. Experts point to grades 3, 5 and 7 as special challenges for students.

These time periods mark important developmental stages, both social and academic, in children’s lives, says Dr. Breeda McGrath, a school psychologist, licensed clinical psychologist and associate professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. “There’s so much growth going on with these kids at these ages. It’s not [just] the grades per se,” McGrath says. “[They are] natural transitions in life.”

For example, fifth-graders are looking to make the transition emotionally and socially

into junior high school. “Socially, this is a massive transition, a move into puberty and all the confusion and stress that brings. Meanwhile, academic demands are also ramping up,” she says. “Kids in seventh grade are trying to form their identity, figure out who they are. They know eighth grade is coming up, and after that comes high school.”

To a certain degree, anxiety is not only normal but a “necessary emotion,” says Dr. Liza Suarez, who specializes in child anxiety disorders at the Colbeth Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic at the UIC’s Institute for Juvenile Research. “It’s not a bad thing to have anxiety,” she says. “It’s an cafemagazine.com 33

caféfilter | getahead emotion that brings us to action.”

But when does normal anxiety become a disorder?

Anxiety is commonly defined as excessive fear, worry or apprehension about real or imagined circumstances, Suarez says. When that anxiety is persistent, goes beyond what one would expect of a child of that age, and is so intense that it interferes with an individual’s overall ability to function, it becomes a problem.

There are different types of anxiety disorders, some of which tend to be specific to stages of development, according to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. These can interfere with school performance in a number of ways, Suarez says.

While the natural instinct may be to protect and soothe, proactive parents who teach their children to tackle challenges head-on raise more resilient children, says McGrath. “What builds a strong, successful child is not a lack of stress, it’s the experience of overcoming an obstacle. Kids who can handle the setbacks, come back from a failure—those are the strongest children.”

Seeing their child suffering is traumatic for parents.

But by trying to alleviate the child’s distress, sometimes parents let them get away with too much, Suarez cautions. “Parents have to walk a fine line between supporting a child, but at the same time pushing them slightly so they can overcome [their] fears.”

LESSONS IN STRESS

Liz Villaseñor, a third-grade bilingual teacher at John R. Tibbott Elementary School in Bolingbrook, Ill., says the third grade sets the foundation for new and more challenging material. While the first half of the year is mostly a review of skills learned at earlier levels, such as phonics and basic addition and subtraction, the second half introduces students to more advanced subjects and skills, such as multiplication, division and working in groups, that will follow them throughout their education.

Fifth grade marks another important milestone: It’s the last year before entering the brave new world of middle school. “They are excited yet nervous. They were at the top of the pyramid before,” Villaseñor says.

Seventh-graders are caught in a similar limbo, says Stephanie Medina, a seventh grade teacher at Jose de Diego Community Academy in Humboldt Park. “As the year progresses, there’s a shift from seeing themselves as kids to basically becoming teenagers,” Medina says.

In the No Child Left Behind era, the pressure placed on schools to perform at a certain level trickles down from Washington to the teachers to the students, she says. “We are evaluated on how our students do on testing,” Medina says. “Then the issue comes up: Are we just teaching to the test?”

After winter break, teachers everywhere start drilling kids on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test, she says. “Kids end up getting stressed out. I definitely think there is pressure, especially for kids that aren’t really good test takers. Is it really fair to base so much on that one test?”

While standardized tests can send any student into 34 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

SIGNS OF ANXIETY IN KIDS • Difficulty concentrating • Overreaction to relatively minor events • Memory problems • Worry • Irritability • Perfectionism • Rigid thinking • Hyper vigilance • Fear of losing control • Fear of failure • Difficulty with problem solving • Difficulty academic performance Source: National Association of School Psychologists

panic mode, they can be particularly painful for children with anxiety disorders as well as their parents. “Not only do they have to be able to master the [material] but also master their emotions,” says Suarez. “It takes a toll on them emotionally and psychologically.” Around the time when standardized testing is scheduled, children tend to be more depressed, anxious and even suicidal in extreme cases, she says.

In her classroom, Medina tries to create a sense of community among her students, a safe space where they can tackle fears and concerns as a group. If a problem appears to be more serious than just the occasional stress, Medina seeks help: “That’s when I get together with my colleagues, such as the school psychologist, and start working as a team.”

In addition to the typical academic and social pressures, many students in Medina’s mostly Latino classroom carry additional responsibilities: “They are responsible for translating for families, taking care of younger siblings or cousins,” Medina says. “They are alone for long periods of time at home while their parents are working, and a lot of times they don’t have anyone to help them with their homework.”

The proverbial struggle to “fit in” is much more challenging for Latino students who don’t quite seem to fit in at home or at school, Suarez says. “They have a clash of cultures. They are trying not to stand out. That’s what kids do.”

WHERE TO GO FOR HELP: Anxiety Disorders Association of America: www.adaa.org U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: mentalhealth.samhsa.gov Child Anxiety Network: www.childanxiety.net National Institute of Mental Health: www.nimh.nih.gov The Colbeth Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic at the Institute for Juvenile Research, University of Illinois at Chicago: www.psych.uic.edu/clinical/child.htm

“ I will use my degree in public policy to help make the city we call home a little safer for all of us.”

NLU

I got it here.

Marisa Buscaglia MA in Public Policy MA in Adult Education

www.nl.edu

caféXXXXX | XXXXXXX caféfilter

The Ultimate Academic

Challenge Question: How do you build a college fund?

Answer: One paycheck at a time

words

Angélica Herrera

Jennifer and Jasmin Cotton were still toddlers when their Puerto Rican parents, Marisol and Sergio, began saving for college.

At the time, the couple’s modest salary didn’t yield much of a college fund. Yet, they managed to set aside $25 a week per child. Any extra cash was also promptly deposited into the two separate savings accounts used solely for the girls’ college fund. And as their salaries increased, so did the Cotton children’s college fund.

“To this day, we sit down and calculate our expenses and make a budget so we know where every penny goes,” says Marisol. “Even with very little income, people can do a lot with their money if they budget well and live below their means.”

Living below their means meant being able to save more for their daughters’ future — without it ever feeling like a sacrifice or a burden. “Sure, we could have owned a bigger home or driven nicer cars, but we [didn’t] have those things and still managed to live comfortably,” Marisol says.

As a result, by the time Jen and Jasmin were approaching the end of elementary school, their parents had saved enough money to begin investing in a then new concept: a pre-paid college tuition program called College Illinois!, the only pre-paid program of its kind operated by the state designed to help families set aside funds for future college costs in the state of Illinois. Using the $12,000 they had managed to save for Jen — and the $5,000 for Jasmin — the Cotton’s found a way to avoid the increasing tuition rates by locking in at the 2001 rate.

Considering that tuition costs have been steadily climbing at an average of eight to 10 percent a year for the past five years — and financial aid programs and grants are being slashed — parents are increasingly nervous about being able to afford to send their 36 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

kids to college.

In the late nineties, pre-paid and savings programs sprouted across the country in efforts to help parents ease their growing concern over rising college costs. Today, there are two types of 529 plans available nationwide, usually categorized as either a pre-paid or savings plan.

A savings plan like the one offered by Bright Start Savings Program works much like a 401K or IRA by investing contributions in mutual funds or similar investments. The plan offers several investment options from which to choose. Based on the performance of the particular option selected, an account will either go up or down in value.

Unlike the savings plan, a pre-paid plan — like College Illinois! — allows people to pre-pay all or part of the costs of a public college education without investing in the stock market.

According to Executive Director Andrew Davis at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), the biggest benefit of having a 529 plan is having a tax advantage and being able to transfer the risk from the individual to the state, which he says allows a parent to invest in their child’s future without being exposed to the risk.

“You don’t have to worry about the stock market going up and down because people who invest in pre-paid programs don’t lose money when the stock market goes down,” Davis says.

Since tuition will continue to increase, Davis says investing in a 529 plan is the ideal way to lock in tuition at the rate for the year the plan is purchased. In addition, the plan gives parents the option to use funds for college costs at any accredited in-state public and private university, as well as out-of-state colleges.

MONEYMATTERS

State of Illinois 529 Plans Bright Directions College Savings Program: www.brightdirections.com Bright Start College Savings Program Advisor-sold Plan: www.brightstartadvisor.com Bright Start College Savings Program - Direct-sold Plan: www.brightstartsavings.com College Illinois! 529 Prepaid Tuition Program: www.collegeillinois.com

Five Tips for Choosing a College Investment Plan 1.

For most 529 plans, where a student goes to school isn’t affected by the state the plan is from.

For example, someone can live in Illinois, invest in a California school and send their child to college in New York. However, rules can differ from state to state and may vary depending on the school, as the Cotton’s quickly discovered when Jen and Jasmin decided to attend Carleton College, a private school in Northfield, Minn.

“If you take our benefit to a public university in Illinois, we guarantee to make the tuition,” Davis says. “But, if you take it to a non-public institution in Illinois or elsewhere, we pay up to the rate we would have covered if the student would have gone to public in-state university.”

Because the Cotton’s pre-paid plan benefits weren’t compatible with the much higher cost to attend the private college the girls chose, the rate was adjusted to pay up to the guaranteed rate. If the Cotton’s could have foreseen their children would attend a private school, they would have been better off investing in the Independent 529 plan, the only 529 institution-sponsored pre-paid plan available for private colleges.

Even though the tuition rate was adjusted, Carleton College accepted the Cotton’s pre-paid 529 plans, which they say greatly helps offset the estimated family contribution each semester. “Because we invested in a pre-paid plan, every time we receive an invoice, we [can afford] to pay the difference,” Marisol says. “So instead of having to pay $8,000 a semester for both, we pay $4,000 instead.”

Not having to stress about money is a blessing for Jasmin. Although the 20 year-old college junior has a 10-hour a week work-study job, Jasmin says

keep pace with tuition inflation

Tuition increases average 8% to 9% annually. she’s grateful she doesn’t have Make sure you account for these increases. to work more hours — or 2. Evaluate tax implications have to work a second job to IRS-designated 529 plans offer tax benefits. put herself through college.

Consult your tax advisor for more information, “I have friends who are on including tax breaks and specific deductions. their own, who struggle to 3. Examine the risks balance sometimes two jobs Mitigate risk and seek security with a legallyand school work — and still binding contract while meeting tuition needs. scramble for money,” she says.

4. Evaluate the flexibility When Jasmin graduates, Can it be utilized at any institution, public or she says she will have a feasible private, in-state or out-of-state? $20,000 loan to pay back, a 5. account for the “what if’s?” modest amount compared Is there an “out” option for the investor if the to what she would owe if her child receives a scholarship or doesn’t attend parents hadn’t invested in a college? Can you change beneficiaries? Can you increase or decrease plan amounts or college fund. As a result, a change plan types? sound financial future appears promising, she adds.

Although her parents dismiss the college fund as a product of good budgeting, Jasmin says they have sacrificed more than they let on. “When we were young, I know they kept jobs they weren’t crazy about because they wanted to ensure we went to college,” Jasmin says.

Lacking the support and the means, neither Marisol nor Sergio Cotton attended college. Nonetheless, both were adamant about having a college fund to instill in their children that college isn’t an option, but a given.

“The earlier you start investing in your child’s future, the more money you have to pay [the tuition] in full,” Marisol says. “Having a plan to pay for college motivates them, encourages them and puts an expectation on them to attend college, which empowers them to want more for themselves.”

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38 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

artdepartment congusto

Fire up that grill and give yourself a meaty taste of summer! words photo

Christina Chavez Weitman alBerto Treviño

Best cuts for grilling Grilling adds a unique flavor and texture to beef. Tenderness is key in determining which cuts are better suited for grilling. Cuts such as loin steaks are "marbled" with fat for maximum tenderness and juiciness, but they tend to be more expensive. Tougher cuts, such as skirt steak, are less expensive but may require marinating and quick cooking on the outside to enjoy their beefy flavor.

Chuck: Chuck Eye Steak (boneless), Shoulder Top Blade Steak (boneless), Shoulder Center Steak, Shoulder Tender Petite Steak, Shoulder Steak (boneless)*, Chuck 7-Bone Steak*, Chuck Mock Tender Steak*

Rib: Rib Steak, Rib Roast, Ribeye Steak, Ribeye Roast Loin: Porterhouse, T-Bone Steak, Top Loin (Strip) Steak, Tenderloin Steak, Top Loin Roast, Tenderloin Roast

Sirloin: Sirloin Steak, Trip-Tip Steak, Trip-Tip Roast, Top Sirloin Steak (boneless)

Round: Sirloin Tip Center Steak, Top Round Steak*, Eye Round Steak*, Sirloin Tip Side Steak*, Bottom Round Steak*

Plate and Flank: Skirt Steak*, Flank Steak*

Other cuts: Ground beef for hamburgers, beef for kabobs *Requires marinating Source: The Beef Checkoff, beefitswhatsfordinner.com

Call it grilling, barbacoa, parrillada or asado: Latinos love to cook outside, especially when the weather is warm and the days are long and beautiful. Whether it's in the backyard, a city park or at the beach, grilling is a favorite way to gather family and friends for a meal full of flavor and tradition.

The debate rages over whether charcoal is better than gas, but grillers agree that a good rub or marinade is essential before putting anything on the fire. Flank steak, marinated and cooked quickly over high heat, is a delicious and economical choice no matter what the size of your gathering. Add skewered farmer’s market vegetables rubbed with chili powder and lime, plus luscious fruit kabobs brushed with a rum glaze, and you’ve got summertime on the grill.

THE RIGHT WINE

Get out of the barbecue-and-beer rut and try some great wines next time you grill. Generally, light foods such as grilled fish, vegetables and fruit go with light wines. Heavier, spicier grilled foods hold up better with full-bodied wines. However, there is one definite rule to remember when pairing grilled food with wine: Drink what you enjoy!

Sparkling Wines, Prosecco or Cava Those tiny little bubbles cleanse the palate when eating all kinds of grilled food, from seafood to heavily sauced ribs and chicken.

Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc Crisp, aromatic and highly acidic, these white wines work wonderfully with grilled vegetables and shellfish.

French Chablis, Italian Pinot Grigio Crisp, fruity wines with a hint of steel or flint bring a nice balance to garlicky grilled chicken and lightly sauced pulled pork or baby back ribs.

Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon The spicy flavor, with hints of pepper, makes these the perfect wines for beef ribs or other meats basted with tomato-based barbecue sauces.

Rioja The bold flavors in these wines, with their subtle oak barrel aging, pair nicely with smoked meat and sauceless grilled meat.

Serve Riojas a little cooler to enhance the flavor of the wine and the food.

Merlot, Pinot Noir These reds are light and fruity enough to blend with the subtle flamed flavors of grilled pork spare ribs or lamb chops.

Chianti This dry red wine with a wild berry aroma and spicy earthiness is a refreshing compliment to pork and beef ribs.

cafemagazine.com 39

caféfilter

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40 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

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I’m a movie director.

You can be one too.

Televisión, Internet, Teléfono !y acción!

Hay cosas que nos unen.

Nuevo CableLatino de Comcast With Nuevo CableLatino you get 100% digital channels to enjoy with your family. Watch your favorite local broadcast networks, news and area sports coverage and kids’ programs without interruption. Also, get Nuevo CableLatino with more than 60 channels with the best in Spanish-language programming.

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Call 1.800.819.8023 Offer expires June 21, 2009. Not available in all areas and is limited to residential customers satisfying applicable eligibility criteria. Limited to Nuevo CableLatino, 1.0 Mbps Internet and Comcast Digital Voice® with More™ service and requires subscription to all 3 services. Pricing subject to change. Digital Cable and Internet service limited to a single outlet. Subject to Comcast standard terms and conditions. Prices shown do not include equipment and installation charges, taxes, franchise fees, the Regulatory Recovery Fee, or other applicable charges (e.g., international calling or per-call charges). $29.95 activation fee applies to Comcast Local with More™. Cable Service: Certain services available separately or as a part of other levels of service. Basic Service subscription required to receive other levels of service. Converter and remote required for On Demand services. On Demand selections subject to charge indicated at time of purchase. Not all programming available in all areas. Internet Service: Speed comparison between Comcast 1 Mbps and 56 Kbps dial-up (downloads only). Many factors affect speed. Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed. Comcast Digital Voice® Local with More™ : Pricing applies only to direct-dialed local calls from home to locations covered by the plan. Please call Comcast for coverage areas. Applicable charges apply for all other calls. No separate long distance carrier connection available. Comcast Digital Voice service (including 911/emergency services) may not function after an extended power outage. EMTA required ($3.00/month). Ability to keep existing telephone number not always available. Pricing subject to change. Call for restrictions and complete details, or visit www.comcast.com. ©2009 cafemagazine.com 42 Comcast. All rights reserved.

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coverstory

In the name of

Allah Latino Muslims endure the pain of rejection by their families while rejoicing in their newfound faith words photos

Margaret Ramirez Stacey Freudenberg and Eve Rivera

Hazel Gomez converted to Islam when she was in high school. | photo stacey freudenberg |

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B

onded by background and religious beliefs, a crowd of young Latino Muslims is grooving to hip-hop beats inside the Parkway Ballroom on Chicago’s South Side.

Soon rapper and singer Liza Garza takes the stage, a striking blend of Muslim and Latina. Her head is wrapped in a violet kerchief, a denim jacket covers a lime green peasant dress and purple leg warmers slouch around her green Nike sneakers. Then Liza sings in Spanish, crying out a heartbreaking ballad of unity, love and pain. For some, these are the emotions of Latino Muslims: “Lágrimas de sangre lloro y, por eso, canto de amor,” she sings. “Para mi gente, [el] color no importa, porque todos [los] hermanos duelen de algo (sic), y por ellos (sic) que siempre encuentran pena, pero nunca lloran una lágrima.”

(I cry blood tears and that’s why I sing about love.

For my people, color does not matter because all brothers hurt, they always find pain although they never shed a tear.)

44 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

Liza Garza performing at the CommUnity Cafe event put on by the Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) | photo eve rivera |

In the crowd, Naadhera Rodriguez, 31, feels the connection. She’s a Mexican-American who left behind her clubbing days for a Muslim lifestyle where she found a new sisterhood.

Hazel Gomez feels it, too. A 24-year-old graduate student raised by her Puerto Rican grandparents, Hazel converted to Islam in high school, leaving her Catholic abuelo in tears. “In high school, I remember seeing Muslim girls fasting during Ramadan and I couldn’t believe how happy they were.

I wanted to have that happiness in my life,” she said. “I felt my heart being drawn to it.”

Beyond Chicago and across the U.S., more Latinos like Hazel and Naadhera are increasingly converting to Islam, changing the face of Muslim America. Through conversion, Latinos are also discovering the link between hip-hop culture and the Muslim faith that several rappers and artists have embraced. [SEE SIDEBAR ON PAGE 47.]

There are no firm numbers on the Latino Muslim community, however religion scholars estimate there are more than 70,000 Latino Muslims in the U.S. The majority of all converts to Islam are African-Americans. However, Latino Muslims have emerged as a rising phenomenon. Among Hispanic Muslims, the majority of converts are college-educated women between 20 and 30 years old.

coverstory “Today, you can find Latinos in almost every mosque throughout the United States,” said Juan Galvan, a Latino Muslim in Florida and founder of the Latino American Dawah Organization (LADO).

Sara Gazi, 39, who converted three years ago after marrying a Pakistani, said her mother ridiculed her veil. “My mother looked at me and said, ‘¡Ayyy, mira quién llegó! ¡La Virgen María! … Look who just arrived! The Virgin Mary!’ ” she said.

As the Latino Muslim community grows, especially in Chicago, New York, Miami and Los Angeles, many have begun carving out a culture for themselves that fuses Latino traditions with their newfound Muslim faith. To celebrate the end of Ramadan known as Eid al-Fitr, Latino Muslims now plan big Eid fiestas with tamales, arroz con habichuelas and piñatas.

(This year, the holy month of Ramadan begins Aug. 21 and ends Sept. 21.) Off the menu: pernil, cerveza and shots of tequila, due to Islam’s prohibition of pork and alcohol.

To provide support, some early Latino Muslim converts formed networks where new Muslims could find friends and ask questions about the religion. One of the first groups established in 1997 was LADO, which maintains a Web site and has a presence in nearly every major U.S. city. In Chicago, Rebecca Barrientes Abuqaoud formed a Latina Muslim women’s network in 2001 that started Islamic classes in Spanish and holds an annual women’s gathering. For younger Muslims, the InnerCity Muslim Action Network (IMAN) holds a monthly Community Café gathering, with music and spoken-word performances, that has become a hot social scene for Muslims of all ethnicities, especially African-Americans and Latinos.

“We’re not your typical Muslims,” said Rebecca Barrientes Abuqaoud, who is originally from Lima, Peru, and converted in Chicago. “We were raised in a different culture with different traditions, and sometimes those Latino traditions clash with our new faith.”

But for Latino Muslims, the spiritual journey can be painful as many confront disapproval and hostility from family members with little knowledge of Islam beyond fundamentalism and terrorism. Other Latino Muslims often find themselves alone and isolated after conversion, feeling lost in a mosque with unfamiliar faces and a new world of lilting Arabic prayers. Latina women who decide to cover their heads with the hijab face a tough time explaining their new beliefs to family and friends.

When Hazel Gomez walked through her heavily Puerto Rican Humboldt Park neighborhood with a hijab for the first time, she was taunted and given dirty looks. “As soon as I walked out, I would get la mirada de muerte,” she said — “the look of death.”

Most Latinos who convert to Islam come from Roman Catholic roots and have piercing questions about their faith. Many speak negatively about the church hierarchy and say they seek a more direct relationship to God. Latino Catholics are also attracted by the fact that Muslims believe in the Virgin Mary and accept Jesus as a prophet.

Muslim rapper Hamza Perez said some Latino men are initially drawn to the revolutionary and spiritual aspects that resemble those of Che Guevara and Jesus Christ. “When you put those two characteristics together, you come up with a character similar to the Prophet Muhammad,” he said.

Other Latino converts trace their ancestry back to the early 8th century when Muslims ruled Spain. They see their conversion as a return to their original faith, and for that reason prefer the term “reverts” instead of “converts.”

Idalia Nieves, Vilma Lopez, Rebecca Abuqaoud, Diana Peña, and Sara Gazi during a gathering at the Muslim Community Center in Chicago. | photo stacey freudenberg |

cafemagazine.com 45

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Hazel Gomez was raised in a strict Catholic home by her Puerto Rican grandparents. Now her cousin and sister are asking her about Islam. | photo stacey freudenberg |

DIRECT CONNECTION TO GOD For Hazel Gomez, the connection stemmed from a fairly conservative upbringing and emphasis on family that is embraced by both Latinos and Muslims.

believed in Jesus and the Virgin Mary. “I cried when he said that because I felt like I didn’t change that much about my beliefs. It was an affirmation that I still believed in Jesus, but in the proper way,” she said.

Slender and soft-spoken, Hazel was raised in a strict Catholic home by her Puerto Rican grandparents, yet she always had questions about the church. In high school, while many teenagers started dating and drinking, she became friends with a group of Muslim girls who were also raised in conservative homes.

Liza Garza, 30, the singer and poet who has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, was raised in Flint, Mich., as a Jehovah’s Witness. She began questioning her faith after the death of a loved one. She said one of the first things that attracted her to Islam was learning the Arabic word bismillah, which means “in the name of Allah.” Liza found consolation and beauty in how Islam placed God in every aspect of her life.

Hazel said she felt comfortable with them. As she learned about Islam, she found answers. “Confession was one of the things I never understood. How does a priest have power to forgive you?” she asked. “In Islam, they prayed and there was a direct connection to God.” Her decision to convert was sealed after she had a life-changing dream where she saw herself in a mosque praying. Shortly after, she took the shahadah, the declaration of faith that is recited upon conversion to Islam. On April 13, 2003, Hazel said: “I testify that there is no god but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

But the sheik who was with her at the time added one line at the end of the shahadah. He asked her to say that she also

46 Café July JULY | August2009 AUGUST2009

“When I learned this word, it was like magic to me. Bismillah!” Liza said. “So, I kiss my husband in the name of God. I begin my poems in the name of God. I dress in the name of God. It made God a part of my life as if my Lord was visible at all points.”

Though many Latinos find comfort after conversion, there is also loneliness. “New converts feel alone. That’s very typical,” said Shafiq Muhammad, a LADO co-founder formerly known as Juan Alvarado. “One of the most common questions from converts is if there is a Hispanic mosque, and there isn’t.”

“There are some Latinos who have been Muslim for 10 years

coverstory

and never been to a mosque because it’s just so lonely,” Muhammad said.

Those feelings of isolation are sometimes compounded by family reaction to the conversion.

Because Catholicism and Hispanic culture are so tightly woven, some relatives see conversion as abandonment of their heritage.

Hazel Gomez was terrified of what her grandparents would do when they found out she converted. Would they hit her? Would they throw her out of the house? Her grandfather’s reaction surprised her. “My grandmother was convinced it was a phase. My grandfather … well, he just sat down and started crying,” she said. “And even though that hurt, I knew they still loved me.”

After Sara Gazi told her family that she converted, her mother screamed in sadness about never being able to see her granddaughters in a white Communion dress. “She just kept crying and talking about their First Communion. She couldn’t understand why I was depriving them of that,” Sara said. “It was hard.”

Latina Muslims, like Gazi, who have married men from Middle Eastern or South Asian countries face the unique hardship of double disapproval from both families. In addition to her own family’s concerns, she said her husband’s family rejected her because she is not Pakistani and also because she is divorced.

“They don’t accept me as their daughter-in-law,” she said. “That makes it even harder for my side of the family to accept conversion.”

Tensions within families often continue as new Muslim beliefs conflict with long-held Latino traditions. Naadhera Rodriguez said she avoids bringing her children to some Latino family gatherings, especially Christmas and Easter, because she doesn’t want to confuse them.

“My mom thinks they’re missing out,” Naadhera said. “But I’m still getting my family comfortable with being Muslim. I want to focus on what they can do before talking about what they can’t.”

While some families struggle with tensions, others say their conversion has sparked interest in Islam among other members of their family. “It’s not only about an individual converting. It’s about entire families embracing Islam. This helps to explain how the Latino Muslim community grew so quickly within a few years,” Galvan said.

In her family, Hazel Gomez said her cousin and

Sara Gazi at the Muslim Community Center in Chicago’s far north side. | photo stacey freudenberg |

THE ‘New Muslim Cool’ In one of the opening scenes of the recently released documentary “New Muslim Cool,” Latino Muslim hip-hop artist Hamza Perez cooks chicken with his brother, Suliman. ”You got the adobo?” Suliman asks.

“Yeah,” Hamza answers.

Then, Hamza smiles and gives his fellow Muslims a lesson in Puerto Rican cooking. “This is for all you Arabs and Pakistanis, African-Americans, we’re teaching you the secret of Boricua Halal cooking.”

“New Muslim Cool” tells the provocative story of Hamza Perez — a former drug dealer who converted to Islam — and chronicles his struggles to build a Muslim community in Pittsburgh. By focusing on Perez, filmmaker Jennifer Maytorena Taylor sheds needed light on two major movements shaping today’s Muslim culture: the link between hip-hop and Islam and the growth of Latino Muslims.

The film takes an unexpected twist when his mosque is raided by the FBI and he must confront the realities of being Muslim in America. After the raid, Perez undergoes a spiritual transformation and deepening of his faith.

“At first … I had a real revolutionary mentality,” Perez said. “That’s not what Islam is about. Islam is not about revolution. Islam is about revival, reviving the spirit inside, reviving the spirit of God in the community.”

Perez said he hopes the film enlightens Latinos who know little about Islam. “I just want them to see the humanity of Islam, that we are just like regular people,” he said. “As a Latino, I haven’t abandoned my adobo and sofrito and my white rice and beans con huevo frito (fried egg) on top. We’re just regular people and this is just about a relationship between me and God.” For more information on the film, visit www.newmuslimcool.com.

sister are intrigued by the ways religion has impacted her life and are asking questions about converting to Islam. Even so, Hazel said she’s not pushing. “I just want them to meet more people, so they know it’s not just me,” she said.

cafemagazine.com 47

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LEARNING IN

DOS IDIOMAS

Proponents of dual-language education highlight the benefits of a new bilingual classroom model

words

Christina E. Rodríguez

photos

Lynda Guillú

When it comes to bilingual education, many people feel it is all one and the same. That is, as long as there are students, a teacher and two languages in the same classroom, then it must be a bilingual program, right? Wrong.

48 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

There are different types of programs: Transitional bilingual education allows native Spanish speakers to progress into an all-English classroom, while English as a Second Language is taught all in English.

And then there is the dual-language approach.

In a dual-language program, both native Spanish-speaking students and non-Spanish speakers receive instruction in both English and Spanish in the same classroom. Dual-lan-

artdepartment EDUCATION

At St. Procopius Elementary School in Pilsen, children learn in Spanish 90 percent of the day, eventually progressing to a 50/50 model in third grade.

guage learning emphasizes the idea that English and Spanish are equal languages and that there is not a movement from a lesser language to a better language, but that both are beneficial to learning.

Nohemi Ruiz, a kindergarten teacher at St. Procopius Elementary in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood and a Mexican native, says her school’s goal is to protect the native language. In her class, the children learn in Spanish 90 percent of the day in classes such as language arts, math, science and social studies, eventually progressing to a 50/50 model in third grade.

“English is very common outside of school,” Ruiz says in Spanish. “That’s why [Spanish] starts so strongly [in kindergarten] so that when they get to third grade, the transition is easier.”

The goal of the dual-language program is to graduate completely bilingual and bicultural students, says Adam Dufault, principal at St. Procopius. “We want them to read, write and speak Spanish and English well,” he says.

The dual-language approach is not to teach every subject in both languages. “That defeats the purpose of dual-language education,” says Karen Beeman, an education specialist at the Illinois Resource Center in Arlington Heights. It is a common misconception that this is a necessity.

For schools, this model is cheaper than other approaches because, instead of two separate teachers per subject, there is only one, she says.

When St. Procopius was on the verge of closing, the Jesuits increased enrollment by keeping the culture of the predomi-

nantly Mexican population as part of the curriculum. The administration of St. Procopius implemented the dual-language program in 1995 and established Cristo Rey Jesuit High School as a dual-language school. These two institutions are part of the “Pilsen Project,” whose ultimate goal is to use the strength of having a second language to keep Latinos on the path to educational success.

When the program was implemented at St. Procopius some 100 children were pulled out of the school. Beeman, who was principal at the time, says the parents of the children who were second- and third-generation Latinos didn’t understand the importance of being bilingual and saw a stigma associated with speaking Spanish. They felt that their children would be regressing in their ability to learn. But in spite of the backlash, 200 students were enrolled at St. Procopius within the next year.

Chicago Public Schools opened the Inter American Magnet School 30 years ago on Chicago’s North Side as a dual-language school. Acting Principal Susan Kilbain states that the school’s program benefits all students. In a school of 650 students, about half of the students do not speak Spanish before entering the program. All teachers are bilingual and, unlike St. Procopius, it does not reach the 50/50 point until seventh and eighth grade. “It’s a very successful program,” Kilbain says. “It’s a schoolwide commitment.”

Between kindergarten and sixth grade, students are taught what is called the curriculum of the Americas. Students in each grade level focus on a particular culture – such as the Inca, Maya or Aztec – and present their work at the end of the school year. Once they reach junior high, they integrate

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Teachers and educators believe that fully bilingual students develop critical thinking skills while maintaining their cultural roots.

their learning with world culture and history. “There’s a lot of value given to culture and language,” explains Kilbain, who has worked in the district for 17 years. “This is the most successful program that I’ve been a part of.”

A LONG BATTLE Teachers have to typically convince parents of the benefits of learning in both languages by showing them research, says Beeman, who was born and raised in Mexico City. “We need to elevate the status of Spanish,” she says. “[Having a] duallanguage program [means] you have to take on that responsibility because there are battles that you may have to fight and if you don’t fight them, your program will fail.”

Many second- and third-generation Latinos still feel that Spanish could hinder their children rather than help them, and tend to discourage learning in Spanish as a bad thing, says Beeman, although others are starting to see the benefits. Either way, teachers and administration must support the program in order to make it succeed.

Arlin Alicea and Vasilika Rraklli, second-grade bilingual teachers at Riley Elementary in Northlake, attended an Illinois Resource Center workshop on dual language implementation because their school wants to produce better test scores. They say their school now uses the transitional bilingual program.

With about 500 students, Riley’s population is approximately 95 percent Latino. Teachers there are expected to help students make the language transition in one year, a process that Beeman says is supposed to take five to seven years regardless of the program.

State proficiency standards for English-language learners outline the need for native Spanish speakers to be able to fully grasp content and concepts from the time they begin school.

Upon enrollment, students are given a language questionnaire

50 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

to be filled out by their parents. If they qualify for bilingual education, they are then given an English proficiency test to determine whether they belong in a bilingual program.

In Chicago Public Schools, transitional bilingual programming is only mandatory until the third grade, after which students are expected to function in an English-only curriculum. If this does not happen, district policy requires students to continue in a transitional bilingual classroom until they can perform successfully in an English-only classroom. This is the case at Tarkington Elementary on Chicago’s Southwest Side.

Margaret Kania, assistant principal and bilingual education teacher at Tarkington, says that in her school’s program there is an emphasis on English although many parents want to maintain both languages. “I wouldn’t mind doing [dual-language programming], but we don’t have it,” she says. “We want to make students more comfortable in English because that’s the language that’s going to move them forward.”

ANOTHER TOOL Marcelo Yunda teaches seventh- and eighth-graders at St. Procopius. The Ecuadorian native has been at the school for 12 years and says that fully bilingual students develop critical thinking skills and rise to a higher level.

“Kids learning in English-only [classrooms] are stunted in their abilities,” he says in Spanish. “[The dual-language students] come out with the advantage of keeping their language and their roots.”

The dual-language model has been spreading across Illinois, especially in suburbs like Evanston and Schaumburg. Not only do Latino parents want their kids to study both languages, but non-Latino parents want their students to be bilingual as well.

“Everyone wants to be bilingual,” says Beeman. “It elevates the status of the language.”

Biotechnology

Broadcasting

Nursing

P h a r m a c y Te c h

cafemagazine.com 51 Computer Assisted Design (CAD)

Te a c h i n g

cafégrande

Alejandro Riera, by gabriel bautista

IT'S A BIRD!

IT'S A PLANE!

* Do-it-yourself

words photos

Alejandro Riera Eddie Quiñones

It begins with that first issue of Batman, Spider-Man, Superman or X-Men. A cousin, a schoolmate, a neighbor may have lent it to you...

Perhaps you found it lying on a bus seat, left behind by a forgetful reader. It really doesn’t matter how it fell on your lap, what matters is that you are immediately hooked by the story, by the sheer energy in each of those panels, by the characters. You may have started the story midstream but that’s okay: like with any good 'telenovela' or regular TV serial like "The Sopranos," you can’t wait until next week or next month to find out what happens to your hero. Without realizing it, you have become a comic book fan for life.

52 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

artdepartment PROFILE

the chosen path You must now choose one of two paths: you become a reader and collector for life or, if you are more artistically inclined, a writer, penciller or letterer. If the latter, you dream of working as a full-time employee or freelancer for one of the four major publishing houses: DC, Marvel, Image and Dark Horse. Easier said than done. But, at least in this age of the Web, you can go DIY (Do-It-Yourself), that is, create, publish and even distribute your own comic book for hundreds and maybe thousands of readers to enjoy.

That was the path chosen by three local Latino comic book artists: Antonio Maldonado, Gabriel Bautista and Jose Mesarina. But whereas in the past, comic book artists may have ended up drawing dozens of pages, taken them to the neighborhood’s copy store, printed hundreds of copies, stapled them together and distributed them at conventions and local comic book stores, this trio taps into the resources the Internet provides to create and distribute their work and even exchange ideas with other artists. Maldonado and Bautista have even bypassed print publishing by creating and even illustrating webcomics that readers can immediately enjoy.

Bautista, alongside graphic artist and Web designer Kevin Birtcher, created Entervoid.com, a site where comic book artists could draw characters that would pretty much beat the hell out of other characters, and where visitors could vote on the best artwork and battle.

“We have now over 3,000 people registered and we have [about] 500 registered artists. It’s a big community of people who love to draw comics. It’s a great breeding ground for new comics artists,” says Bautista.

Thanks to Entervoid.com, the 28-year old Mexican-American artist has met other artists, like Australia’s Sheldon Vella, who have opened doors for him in the industry. Thanks to Vella’s contacts, Bautista wrote and illustrated “Amo jamón,” about a pig suffering from terminal cancer and its effect on his best friend, a crocodile, for volume 2 of the Image anthology “Popgun.”

Bautista also edits an anthology of his own for his printon-demand company Pulpo Press that’s distributed through Lulu.com. “Before, you had to raise five grand to print like a thousand black and white comics and distribute them on your own," says Bautista. "It was tough to be an independent comic [writer]. Thanks to the Internet, we are on our fourth antholo-

Besides running Entervoid.com, Gabriel Bautista edits a comics anthology for his own print-on-demand company and is working on a couple of projects for Image.

gy now, 200-300 pages long with a good 10-15 stories. Some are from 14-year-old kids and others by 39-year-old men, doing what they love.”

Bautista started drawing his first characters at the age of 11. In the beginning, he was into indie comics like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and later was seduced by more mainstream fare. In high school, he discovered Japanese manga and anime: “It was nothing like [what] I had ever experienced before. American comics lay it out for you with those word balloons, but with manga, I actually looked at the art and studied it.”

Bautista dreamed of making it big in the comic book world, but he immediately had a reality check: he knew there was no way in heaven that he could make a living making comics. So after high school, Bautista decided that finding a full-time job and doing comics on the side would be the safest course of action. He found work as a software tester for a now defunct company, a job that provided him the opportunity to develop his graphic design skills.

“I didn’t want comics to turn into a job,” says Bautista, who is studying animation at the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg. “I don’t want to feel every morning that I have to wake up and draw comics and it sucks," he says. "I want to be able to go to work, say 'This job sucks,' then come home and go, 'Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh, comics!'”

cafemagazine.com 53

cafégrande

Wizard World Chicago When: Aug. 6-9 Where: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Rd., Rosemont Info: www.wizardworld.com

Windy City Comicon When: Sept. 19 Where: Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted Ave., Chicago Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Info: windycitycomicon.com Antonio Maldonado is currently working on two webcomics — "Chicago 1968" and "Lab Bratz"— and is putting the final touches to a graphic novel written by Rafael Nieves.

CHILDLIKE LOVE Antonio Maldonado fell in love with superhero comics at a very young age. But even though he would sketch images on copy paper his mother would bring home for him — and went as far as declaring in his 8th-grade yearbook that he would grow up to be a cartoonist – Maldonado did not actually start drawing his first comics until he was 19.

“I have friends who would study them and tear them apart to see what pages went where," confesses the 38-year-old Chicago-born artist of Puerto Rican descent. "I did not do that.

I held onto that childlike love for so long that it took me a while longer to understand what went into them.”

Maldonado wanted to draw Wolverine and other superhero comics, but got a rude awakening when he and two friends, also aspiring artists, attended a seminar taught by his now friend, fellow writer and artist Rafael Nieves and by artist Norm Dwyer. More than attended – crashed: the seminar was actually designed for elementary and high school students.

“This was a course taught through Marwen [an institute created to provide arts courses to underserved young people] and I wanted to walk right out because we were gonna get busted," recalls Maldonado.

"I was sporting a goatee! And they [Nieves and Dwyer] didn’t say anything… Afterwards, they said they were going

54 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

to need some help cleaning up, and I’m like, ‘Okay, the gig is up.’ We went for a pizza, and they were trying to get a feel for what our strengths and weaknesses were. I carried a binder, and they looked at all my weird cartoony things and said, ‘Why would you want to be a mediocre superhero artist when your natural talent lies in cartoons?’ " At first, Maldonado resisted the advice. He wanted to do superheroes no matter what. But in the end, inspired by all those Saturday morning cartoons he loved, Maldonado saw the light and embraced his inner cartoon character.

His first short story was published in “Chilluns,” an anthology for Moonstone Books, and he later self-published “Cucos” the old-fashioned way: through Kinko’s. He has also designed CD covers and has worked on computer animation. Maldonado is currently working on two webcomics: “Chicago 1968,” about the now infamous riots at the Democratic Convention, and “Lab Bratz,” written by Edward Dunphy.

Maldonado hopes to put the final touches to a horror/comedy graphic novel written by Rafael Nieves, titled “Blackbirds,” and release it through Lulu.com in the fall. “Rafael is brilliant, and one of the things we agree on is that sometimes you have to use Latino characters," he says.

"They can’t all be Caucasians, they can’t all be blacks.

That’s why we use ourselves as the template for the characters in ‘Blackbirds.’ We ARE the characters.”

profile

DRAWN FROM LIFE Creating Latino characters for his comic books is second nature to Peruvian-American artist Jose “Nino” Mesarina. His philosophy: stick to what you know.

“People ask me, 'How come you use so many Latino characters?' And it’s because they are the people I know, says Mesarina. "Nobody asks Stan Lee [founder of Marvel Comics and co-creator of Spider-Man and The Fantastic Four], 'Why did you make a bunch of white characters?' Or a black artist, 'Why do you make black characters?' ” Mesarina is the creator, author and artist of “The Unbelievable Laundry Detergent Man” and “Ralphie Boy,” two independent series published by Instant Press. Intended originally as a SpiderMan spoof he designed as a birthday gift to best friend and Spidey fan Ralph Ramirez, “The Unbelievable Laundry Detergent Man” developed a life of its own as Mesarina worked on the concept, finding inspiration on his surroundings, his family and his own culture. “My character lives in Chicago with his abuelo, so I actually used pictures of my grandfather for the characters because he died before the book was printed,” explains

the 38-year-old artist. “The main character’s name is Jose Chalaco because people in the part of Peru where my family is from [Cuzco] are referred to as chalacos. He has a pet goldfish named Ceviche, and his girlfriend’s name is Linda Limena because she is from Lima, Peru.”

“Ralphie Boy,” on the other hand, is based on the teenage exploits of Ramirez, Mesarina and their best friend Norberto Rivera. “This [comic book] sold faster than my first issue of ‘Laundry Detergent Man,’" says Mesarina. "People were like, ‘That’s crazy, how did you come up with those characters?’ And, guess what? They are real people.”

Not only are Mesarina’s books peopled by Latino characters, but the owner of Instant Press is Latino (Rene Castellano) and so is one of the printers Mesarina uses in Florida (Jake Estrada).

“The Unbelievable Laundry Detergent Man” and “Ralphie World” are DIY books in the strictest sense of the word.

Mesarina writes the book, draws the images, sends them to a traditional printer and distributes them himself online. He also commissioned a mask and costume of Laundry Detergent Man to promote the title in conventions and comic book signings. He’s even created his very own convention: Table Con.

“I used to daydream in high school about characters and one day I started daydreaming about having my own convention: me and one table, that’s it," he recalls. "Over the years, I spoke to different people about it and they would think I was joking. Finally, I did a convention with [artist] Lamorris Richmond and I told him my idea and he said that it was crazy enough to actually work.”

Third Coast Comics on the North Side of Chicago lent Mesarina their space and he, in turn, invited both Morris and Antonio Maldonado, who also invited his friends. All of a sudden, Mesarina needed more than one table for his convention, which took place Jan. 31.

Mesarina plans another one before the end of the year.

Mesarina and Maldonado sometimes feel that they could earn a living drawing comics. But, like Maldonado says, “Sometimes it’s feast and famine. Sometimes I feel like I can do this forever and sometimes it’s like I have to go to Hollywood Video and ask, 'Are you hiring?'”

Maldonado’s ultimate dream is “to walk into a restaurant and see some kid wearing a T-shirt with one of my characters, just to see someone I don’t know enjoying something I did. That’s part of why you want to tell stories.”

Comics on the Web Antonio Maldonado: thelonelyricechronicles.blogspot.com Lab Bratz: labbratz.comicgenesis.com Rafael Nieves: rafwrites.blogspot.com Gabriel Bautista: galvo.respark.net Chicago1968: www.webcomicsnation. com/lenkody/chicago1968/series. php?view=single&ID=132679 Pulpo Press: www.entervoid.com/ pulpopress Jose Mesarina: www.myspace.com/ uldmcomics.com

Jose Mesarina's comics are pure DIY: he writes, draws and distributes them himself.

"The Apocalypse Plan" (Rafael Nieves’ new graphic novel): apocalypseplan.blogspot.com Deviant Art (an online community of artists ranging from literature to comics to manga): www.deviantart.com Zuda Comics (online competition run

by DC Comics): www.zudacomics.com

cafégrande

Leagues of Their Own From kids’ programs to adult teams, Latinos live and breathe soccer in Chicago words

Christina E. Rodríguez

photos

Abel Arciniega

At 13, Danny Muñoz was facing problems at home. His parents were hitting a major rough spot and his 19-year-old sister had just moved out with her boyfriend. All Muñoz wanted to do was to escape those problems.

He started playing soccer as a way to stay sane.

“As soon as I started playing soccer, my life changed,” says Muñoz, now 24 and a St. Xavier University graduate. “It was all about soccer. It was an outlet; more [like a] therapy.”

More than simply a way to release stress, soccer became an excuse to stay away from the woes plaguing his family. “I would just spend all day at the park playing pickup games with younger guys, older guys, kids, anyone,” says Muñoz. “I was there just playing, [even] eating at the park.”

56 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

While attending De La Salle Institute on Chicago’s South Side, his soccer team began playing at ChiTown Futbol, an indoor facility in the Pilsen neighborhood. Once he started playing there, he couldn’t get away. “From that point on, I’ve been on teams and now I work here,” he says.

Muñoz is a coach for Lil’ Kickers, a program geared towards children from 18 months to 9 years old, and has been working at ChiTown for the last 2 1/2 years. His boss, Jose Perez, calls him an adopted son and is usually teased for treating

sports

For Danny Muñoz, soccer was, at first, a refuge from family troubles; now, it’s a way of life for this kids’ coach.

cafemagazine.com 57

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Jose Perez (right) is the co-owner of ChiTown Futbol, an indoor facility open seven days a week. ChiTown hosts five leagues with about 36 teams in each league.

him better than he does his own three sons.

Perez became co-owner of ChiTown in 2003, two years after it opened. Because of his experience playing the game, Perez has adopted soccer as an outlet and way of life. “Soccer is not a sport, it’s a religion,” says Perez, who has been playing since he was 5. “Once you start playing soccer and you understand it, you can’t give it up. It’s that simple.”

The indoor soccer facility is open seven days a week and has three fields: two large ones and one small one for the youth groups. Whistles blow constantly and cheers from the sidelines bounce off the walls. People from all walks of life gather to cheer, socialize and play their weekly games. A line forms at La Cascarita, the food court, and arcade games line the walls.

ChiTown hosts five leagues with about 36 teams in each league. Each team holds about 15 players, give or take a few, mostly adults. The biggest days for the children’s leagues are over the weekend.

“Once you learn and grow with it, it becomes 58 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

a passion,” says Perez, who will turn 51 this summer. “[My son] doesn’t want to get up and go to school [during] the week, but he was here with me at 6:30 in the morning [on a Saturday].”

UNIVERSAL APPEAL

According to Judith McLean, executive director of the Illinois State Soccer Association (ISSA), a significant number of Latino leagues operate in the area although not all are affiliated with ISSA (ChiTown being an example), and Latinos do play within teams that are not distinctly Latino.

Rigoberto Barajas, 23, plays for Real Michoacán, a team run by the Chicago Latin American Soccer Association, which affiliated with ISSA in 1972. He also plays for the B-H Lilies, a Bosnian team affiliated with ISSA’s National Soccer League. “It’s a lot more competitive,” says Barajas. “It’s more European, while CLASA is all Hispanic.”

He and his brother Fernando have been playing soccer since they were 5 years old because their father introduced them to the sport. “It kept us off

sports

the streets,” says Rigoberto. “Growing up in Cicero, if you hung out on the streets a gang would find you.”

When it comes to playing soccer among European players, Barajas says that he’s never felt out of the loop on the Lilies; although it’s a Bosnian team that speaks a different language, teammates translate for him. “You start to pick it up and kind of understand what they’re talking about,” he says.

ISSA is comprised of more than 27 leagues, 400 teams and about 55,000 participants, while CLASA is comprised of 130 clubs, 340 teams, 7,000 registered players and 20,000 associates in the Chicagoland area. But the Barajas brothers say the sport is still growing. Across the United States, an estimated 18 million people play soccer, according to the 2003 Superstudy of Sports Participation.

“Soccer doesn’t take much equipment, it requires fluidity of thought and movement from everyone on the field,” says ISSA’s McLean, “and it is cheaper than most sports.”

Among other attractions to the sport, McLean says the social aspect keeps people in the game. Perez makes friends with those he plays with. He has been on teams with his sons as well, mixing the ages and talent of the individuals.

If the game keeps people active, social and virtually in love, why is it that mainstream USA doesn’t pay attention to the fact that this is one of the biggest participatory sports in the country? ”While more people are playing soccer, it has not necessarily meant more people are watching it on mainstream TV,” says McLean. “Certainly the media coverage [and] interest is not traditionally there.”

However, to Perez the issue is much simpler. “Americans have a hard time [because they are] controlling,” says Perez. “If they don’t play by their rules, they don’t want to play.” The global organization FIFA, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association, governs the sport. It keeps the guidelines and the rules, and has the last say in any dispute within the soccer world.

“The Americans don’t like that,” says Perez “They want to change the rules. So FIFA said, ‘Make your own league,’ which is the MLS.” In Major League Soccer, teams can play under American guidelines.

But because the World Cup is FIFA’s product, the United States has to be affiliated with FIFA in order to participate, therefore changing their rules back to match the universal ones we see on television. That’s what makes the sport so universal. Anywhere you play, from Brazil to China, the same rules are used.

Soccer has been in the United States for decades.

The ISSA has records of teams and leagues being formed in Illinois as early as 1890, primarily by immigrants from Western Europe.

“By the early 1970s Latino players from all over

Central and South America Mayor’s Cup Youth were playing in significant Soccer Tournament numbers,” says McLean.

When: July 18 “The most organized league Where: Lincoln Park at at that time was CLASA, Montrose Harbor, Chicago which still consists of primarAdmission: Free ily Mexican-born players.”

In this day and age, Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. the world continues to Info: cityofchicago.org/ specialevents grow smaller, especially in the soccer realm. “On any given night, you see English uniforms, German uniforms, Netherland uniforms, Mexican uniforms,” says Perez about ChiTown. “That only shows you how small the world has gotten. You’re no longer watching just one league; you’re watching the whole world.”

“More diverse leagues … have incorporated players and teams of all ethnicity, background and every conceivable socioeconomic group to highlight one of soccer’s strengths,” McLean explains, “that it is truly a world sport and that it transcends all the usual boundaries.”

Muñoz claims that soccer is the universal sport. When you ask him who his favorite player is, he asks, “From which league?”

And when he’s not playing or working, he’s watching soccer. “[My schedule is] work, workout, soccer and the same thing the next day,” he says. “One way or another, it turns out to be soccer.”

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Yolanda Cruz has been running her stand for nearly two months, on the corner of Clark and Greenleaf. | photo jillian sipkins |

60 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

phototessay

Every Sunday on Milwaukee Ave., Rogelio Gutierrez sells from his Pick Up truck fresh produce he buys from farmers. | photo alberto trevi単o |

SUMMERTREATS Latino street vendors satisfy the cravings of the seasonal revelers Jillian Sipkins, Elia Alamillo alBerto Trevi単o

photos and

They are on every corner of every street of every neighborhood. They walk, or even bike, around our many parks selling cold fruity delights such as ice cream and pirag端as (snow cones) or warmer, spicier ones as the elotes. These street vendors are as much a part of our summer landscape as the many festivals we enjoy throughout the season.

Javier Cruz has been selling watermelons at the corner of Clark and Chase for four years. | photo jillian sipkins |

cafemagazine.com 61

cafégrande | photoessay

Veronica Canderos has the usual variety of items like fresh cut fruit, elotes and real fruit juice, near the 2200 block of Milwaukee. | photo alberto treviño |

Feel a sudden craving for ice cream while cruising Chicago’s south side? Stop at the corner of 51st and Kedzie to enjoy come cool goodness. | photo elia alamillo |

An unknown street vendor at the Metronome street festival in Logan Square, Chicago. | photo alberto treviño |

62 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

Moises Merado, migrates from Mexico to Chicago durring the summer to ride and sell paletas around Logan Square. | photo alberto treviño |

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“To call it a remodeling is not enough: it’s a whole new facility,” says Stefan Huba, the Vice President of Non-Gaming Operations at Horseshoe.

The level of care that went into building each aspect of the new casino — much like the impressive Asian Gaming Area — is truly a reflection of Horseshoe’s commitment to creating a space that feels real. Conceptualized by T. Murao Design Inc. and TM & SK Design Co. and inspired by the historical Chinese Silk Road, visitors at the entrance of the Asian Gaming pit are greeted by the sound of water trickling down a large etched glass window nestled in a classic rosewood-stained cabinet.

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Harrah’s Entertainment CEO Gary Loveman took the vision to create a $500 million expansion that combined top name entertainment and world-class gambling to build the largest casino and entertainment destination in the Midwest, all within a 20 minute car ride from Chicago. The Freidmutter Group in Las Vegas was responsible for making Huba’s, Horseshoe Regional President and General Manager Rick Mazer’s and Assistant General Manager Kevin Kline’s design dreams a reality. Now, the casino boasts a space six

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Unveiled last August, the expansion was a labor of love for many people, including Huba. “It was hectic, exhilarating and amazingly fun,” Huba says in one breath.

Huba was part of a dedicated team of people who worked around the clock to open the casino’s doors leading to warm tones of copper, chocolate and Horseshoe gold, elaborate moldings, ornate sconces and hand-plastered walls. Ornate columns reach to the ceilings of the spaciously elegant widestone aisles covered with lush wool carpeting.

Oversized vintage photographs provide a glimpse into Las Vegas’ rich and colorful history, while works from artists like Itzchak Tarkay, Max, Alfred Gockel, Anatole Krasnyansky and Linda Le Kinff line the walls. Detailed work, like the handblown glass flowers created by Italian artisans, may be found in the High Limit Table area.

“We focused a lot of our energies on the small things,” Huba said. “Many don’t notice them but we can tell you everything down to the wallpaper and the decisions behind it.”

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Kitchen revolutionary

Jose Zapata, Horseshoe Casino Banquet Chef, has years of culinary experience at places like the Bellagio in Las Vegas and the Union League Club in Chicago.

A distant relative of Emiliano Zapata, Jose Zapata is also a revolutionary, but in the kitchen.

Majoring in engineering at Moraine Valley Community College in Illinois, Jose Zapata busted his chops preparing food at the Odyssey Country Club in Tinley Park at the age of 19. Like many others who unknowingly start off in the restaurant trenches by working a part-time gig, he too fell prey to the adrenaline highs of the trade. So, Zapata restructured his career path and began taking culinary classes at Kendall College.

Naturally, his parents, who were born in Mexico, shook their heads in disapproval when Zapata told them his new dream was to engineer fine, succulent, savory dishes. Unlike in Europe, where being a culinary chef is as prestigious as being a doctor or a lawyer, to Zapata’s parents his newfound profession could only mean one thing — their son was going to die of hunger.

“They weren’t happy,” Zapata says with a laugh. “They would say, ‘There’s no money in it. Why do you want to do it?’ And I would respond, ‘Because it makes me happy.’”

And happy it’s made him, even though chef Roland Liccioni, currently at Miramar Bistro in Highwood and former chef of Le Francais, humbled and broke him down. “He screamed, he yelled...” recalls Zapata, the Banquet Chef at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind. Sitting across the table in the Jack Binion Steakhouse at the Horseshoe, Zapata pauses when he notices the raised eyebrows. “A lot of people don’t understand old school [cuisine],” he explains. “Now, Liccioni is like my daddy and I call him ‘Pa”.

Not long after Zapata’s ‘Pa took him under his wing, he intro-

duced Zapata to the “woman” who would become his wife. “My wife is my job. I love what I do,” Zapata says. “So, I say I’m married, married to my job.”

If Zapata is married to his job, then the dowry is equivalent to the opportunity to work alongside top French chefs John Jean Banchete and Patrick Schaubert, who influenced Zapata to go on to put his fine dining skills to the test.

Zapata represented the United States in the Bocuse D’Or. The contest, which the 5’4” soccer goalie likens to “the World Cup of Cooking,” is one of the most prestigious culinary contests in existence. Out of 20,000 applicants, the top 20 are chosen; then the top 9 applicants from those 20 are picked to represent the United States.

In 2000, Zapata competed as Chef Fred Ramos’ assistant and took home sixth place. Three years later, Zapata qualified on his own and says he “came in fifth place in a competition dominated by the French, where you have to serve and arrange enough fish and meat dishes to feed 12 people.” Unlike the Iron Chef, Bocuse D’Or contestants have only five hours to cook — and there is no room for mistakes.

With years of cooking experience at places like the Bellagio in Las Vegas, the Union League Club in Chicago and other hotels and casinos, the 33 year-old’s parents no longer worry he will go hungry.

However, Zapata admits he doesn’t eat entire meals because he usually picks at food when he’s cooking at work. And, since juice and water are the sole occupants of Zapata’s fridge, he rarely cooks at home.

Even with all of his training and expertise, there’s one dish Zapata divulges he can’t master: his mother’s arroz. “I try to imitate her Spanish rice, but I still can’t get it and will never understand how to get it right.”

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caféblend

TOdotosí

The Wauconda Rodeo showcases professional contestants from around the country.

Fun Is In the Air words

Marilia Gutiérrez and Alejandro Riera

It’s the season for art and county fairs, for outdoor concerts and dancing, and maybe a movie under the stars

Summers may be short in Chicagoland but they are oh so sweet. Every single city neighborhood, every suburb, offers its residents and visitors a wide variety of free and affordable outdoor activities. Some of these festivals may have scaled back in size, but they still offer a great bang for your buck.

They also give you and your family the opportunity to listen to music you may have never heard before, taste flavors you may have never tasted before or appreciate artwork you may have never seen before. Or, in the case of the Chicago Air and Water Show, sights and sounds that thrill over and over again, year after year.

Let Café magazine be your guide this summer. Check www.cafemagazine.com for updates on these and many other events. cafemagazine.com 69

caféBLEND Admission: Free Info: www.chicagodancingfestival.com

The Gold Coast Art Fair attracts more than half a million enthusiasts from around the world.

ART FAIRS Lincolnshire Art Festival When: July 11-12 What: Ranked in the top 100 nationally by Sunshine Artist Magazine, the festival hosts 150 juried artists from across the country representing every genre of fine art and crafts. Live music, food and fun activities for kids.

Where: Village Green, Milwaukee Ave. and Old Half Day Road, Lincolnshire Admission: Free Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Info: (847) 926-4300, www.amdurproductions.com Buffalo Grove International Fine Art Festival When: July 18-19 What: This festival features art of all mediums including an impressive selection of Judaica.

The festival will host a Youth Art Division, showcasing the work of young artists ages 18 and under. Latino artists featured in the event include Enrique Suarez and Geraldo Valerio.

Where: Buffalo Grove Town Center, Lake Cook Road and Route 83, Buffalo Grove Admission: Free Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Info: (847) 926-4300, www.amdurproductions.com

North Shore Festival of Art When: July 25-26 What: The North Shore Festival of Art showcases the work of the country’s finest artists in a variety of mediums, including painting, photography, fiber, wood and mixed media. This year the Taste of Skokie will take place in conjunction with the festival, providing visitors the opportunity to sample dishes from a wide array of restaurants.

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Where: Westfield Old Orchard, 4999 Old Orchard Center, Skokie Admission: Free Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Info: (847) 926-4300, www.amdurproductions.com Gold Coast Art Fair When: July 31-Aug. 2 Where: One of the top 25 art festivals in the country and the third oldest in Chicago attracts more than 300 juried artists and more than half a million art enthusiasts from around the world.

Latino artists featured include Enrique Suarez, Armando Pedroso and Oscar Matos Linares.

Where: River North neighborhood, Superior, Huron and Erie Streets from Clark to Wells, Chicago Admission: Free Hours: July 31, noon-5 p.m.; Aug. 1 and 2, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Info: (847) 926-4300, www.amdurproductions.com DANCE Chicago Dancing Festival When: Aug. 18-22, 7:30 p.m.

What: The festival kicks off Aug. 18 with “New Voices,” a showcase for some of the country’s new choreographers, and continues Aug. 20 with “Modern Masters,” featuring works by the likes of Alvin Ailey and Jerome Robbins performed by dancers from The Joffrey Ballet and Luna Negra Dance Theater, among others. The festival concludes on Aug. 22 with “A Celebration of American Dance.”

Where: Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. (Aug, 18 and 20); Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park, Randolph and Michigan Ave. (Aug. 22), Chicago

MUSIC Nortec/Mexican Institute of Sound When: July 11, 8 p.m.

What: Established in 1999 as a multimedia collective based in Tijuana, Nortec has successfully fused electronica with the more traditional sounds of the Mexican banda and norteño music. The Mexican Institute of Sound is the electronica project spearheaded by music producer and DJ Camilo Lara.

The Argentine electro-tango group Otros Aires will open.

Where: Congress Chicago, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago Admission: $17 Info: (312) 388-7625, www.congresschicago.com Grant Park Music Festival: Luna Negra Dance Theater and Luciana Souza When: July 22 and 24, 6:30 p.m.

What: A match made in heaven as the Grant Park Orchestra is joined by Brazilian jazz singer Luciana Souza and Chicago’s own Luna Negra Dance Theater.

Where: Pritzker Pavilion, Michigan and Randolph, Chicago Admission: Free Info: (312) 742-1168, http://www.millenniumpark.org Music Without Borders: Novalima/Issa Bagayogo When: July 23, 6:30 p.m.

What: Novalima’s pioneering blend of soulful Afro-Peruvian melodies with reggae, electronica and a Latin beat creates an irresistible match of old-school traditions and modern trends. The night opens with West African artist Issa Bagayogo, nicknamed “Techno Issa” for his blending of native Mali sounds with electronic techniques.

Where: Pritzker Pavilion, Michigan and Randolph, Chicago Admission: Free Info: (312) 742-1168, http://www.millenniumpark.org Sir James Galway and Tiempo Libre When: Aug. 11, 8 p.m.

What: The Irish flutist joins forces with the Cuban band to perform selections from their joint album “O’Reilly Street.”

Where: Ravinia Festival, 418 Sheridan Road, Highland Park Admission: Pavilion, $55; lawn, $15

todotosí Info: www.ravinia.org

Information: (773) 728-6000

Babasónicos When: Aug. 28, 8 p.m.

What: The Argentine band will be performing tracks from their new album “Mucho+,” their most straightforward rock album to date.

Where: Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago Admission: $15 Info: www.congresschicago.com

46th Annual Wauconda Rodeo When: July 11-12 What: Cowboys and cowgirls, get ready for the traditional annual Wauconda Rodeo, showcasing professional contestants from around the country who compete in bull riding, bareback bronco riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronco riding, calf roping and more.

Where: Golden Oaks Rodeo Grounds, Route 12 at Case Road, Wauconda Admission: Adults, $15; children 5-10 years, $6. Parking $6 Hours: July 11, 7 p.m.; July 12, 3 p.m. Gates open two hours before events.

Info: www.waucondarodeo.com

OUTDOOR FESTIVALS 13th Annual Chicago Summer Dance When: Ends Aug. 23 What: Learn how to dance salsa, tango, swing, ballroom, even polka for free and then show off your new skills. Or just come for the music. If you can’t make it downtown don’t worry: the Department of Cultural Affairs in association with the Chicago Park District takes Summer Dance to a park near you on Wednesdays beginning July 1st. Among the Latino artists scheduled to perform downtown: Sones de Mexico (July 16); SalsaChicago Mambo All Stars (Aug. 1); Salsa Celtica (Aug. 6); Papo Santiago y Orquesta Infraverde (Aug. 7); and Mannix Martinez y su Orquesta (Aug. 14) Where: Spirit of Music Garden, 601 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago Admission: Free Hours: Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, dance lessons at 6 p.m., live music at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, dance lessons at 4 p.m., live music at 5 p.m.

Info: (312) 742-4007, www.ChicagoSummerDance.org. For Chicago Summer Dance in the Parks, call (312) 742-7529 The 12th Annual Chicago Folks & Roots Festival When: July 11-12 What: Produced by the Old Town School of Folk Music, this popular festival offers a robust program of world music across six stages.

Highlights at the main stage include: Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole, Maestros del Joropo Oriental and Karsh Kale. Don’t miss the Nuestra Música stage, featuring live performances and dance workshops stemming from a 2005 research project conducted by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and cosponsored by the Old Town School.

Where: Welles Park, 4400 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago Admission: $8 suggested donation for adults, $4 suggested donation for seniors and children Hours: noon-10 p.m.

Chicago Outdoor Film Festival When: July 14- Aug. 25 What: Remember those days when you and your family used to drive to the local drive-in to catch the latest double bill under the stars? Maybe you can’t drive your car onto Butler Field, but you will still be able to catch some classics on the big screen, in good company and with the Chicago skyline as a splendid backdrop. This year’s program includes: “Sunset Boulevard” (July 14), “Duck Soup” (July 21), “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” (July 28), “Born Yesterday” (Aug. 4), “Psycho” (Aug. 11), “Young Mr. Lincoln” (Aug. 18) and “Tootsie” (Aug. 25). The movies start at dusk.

Where: Butler Field in Grant Park, Lake Shore Drive at Monroe Drive, Chicago Admission: Free Info: (312) 744-3315, www.cityofchicago. org/specialevents Kane County Fair and Industry Expo When: July 15-19 What: The most popular summer event in the Fox Valley is back with entertainment for the whole family. Enjoy exhibitions, vendors, rides, motorcross races, rodeo, magic and talent shows, as well as music on the Miller Lite Sound Stage, food and more.

Where: Kane County Fairgrounds, 525 S. Randall Road, St. Charles Admission: Children under 5, free; ages 5 and up, $1 (Wednesday), $5 (Thursday through Sunday); seniors, free (Wednesday), $5 (Thursday through Sunday). Season tickets, $20. Rides and grandstand shows priced separately.

Hours: July 15-16, noon-11 p.m.; July 17-18, noon-midnight; July 19, noon-10 p.m.

Info: www.kanecountyfair.com

Pitchfork Music Festival When: July 17-19 What: Built to Spill, Tortoise and The Flaming Lips headline this festival organized by the renowned Internet publication devoted to independent music.

Where: Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph St., Chicago Admission: $35 per day; $60 for two-day pass Info: www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com Fiesta in the Park When: July 19 What: Live salsa music, mariachis and folkloric dancers draw Latinos from Chicago and the suburbs to this lively event at the premier horse-racing track in the northwest suburbs.

Where: Arlington Race Park, 2200 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights Admission: Adults, $6 (purchased online), $7 (at the gate); children under 17, free.

Hours: 11:15 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Info: www.apfiesta.com DuPage County Fair When: July 22-26 What: Five days of carnival rides, fireworks, kids’ activities, great food and live performances. Grandstand entertainment includes Los Lobos on July 22 at 8 p.m.

Where: 2015 W. Manchester Road, Wheaton Info: www.dupagecountyfair.org Venetian Night When: July 25 What: The longest-running event produced by the City of Chicago features a parade of more than 30 boats decorated with lights and props as they sail along Lake Michigan between the Shedd Aquarium and the Chicago Yacht Club.

Where: Lake Shore Drive and Congress Parkway, Chicago Admission: Free Info: (312) 744-3315, www.cityofchicago. org/specialevents Puerto Rican Festival and Parade When: July 25-26 What: The Aurora Puerto Rican Cultural Council hosts the Puerto Rican Festival and Parade, an annual event that offers authentic food and music along with fun and games for the kids.

Where: Downtown Aurora Admission: Free Hours: July 25, 2-10 p.m.; July 26, 1-9 p.m.

Info: www.aurora-prcc.org

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Celebrate Clark Street When: July 26 What: The Rogers Park neighborhood celebrates its accomplishments and diversity with this day-long festival featuring world music, food, art, crafts and activities for the whole family.

Where: Clark St. between Morse Ave. and Tuohy Ave., Chicago Admission: Free Hours: 1-11 p.m.

Info: (773) 508-5885, http://www.rogers-park.com 81st Annual Lake County Fair When: July 29-Aug. 2 What: Live entertainment, livestock shows, monster trucks and a battle of the bands are among the many events scheduled for the Lake County Fair, which will be held this year in a brand new $20 million location in Grayslake.

Where: 1060 E. Peterson Road (at Midlothian Road), Grayslake Admission: Children under 4, free; children ages 5-12, $5; youth and adults over 13, $10; seniors over 65, $5. Season pass, $35.

Rides and shows priced separately.

Hours: Gates open every day at 8 a.m. Exhibit and expo hours: July 29-Aug. 1, 10 a.m.10 p.m.; Aug. 2, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Info: www.lakecountyfairassoc.com Fiesta del Sol When: July 30-Aug. 2 What: Founded 37 years ago as a block party to raise funds for the construction of Benito Juarez High School, Fiesta del Sol is now one of the largest alcohol- and tobacco-free Latino festivals in the country. Besides loads of entertainment and family fun, Fiesta del Sol offers visitors a health fair, where they can obtain free blood tests and information, as well as an education fair and an art pavilion.

Where: 1400 W. Cermak Road, Chicago Admission: Free Hours: July 30, 5-10 p.m.; July 31 and Aug. 1, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Aug. 2, 11 a.m-10 p.m.

Info: (312) 666-2663, www.fiestadelsol.org Kendall County Fair and 4-H Show When: July 30-Aug. 2 What: The fair comes to Kendall County with live music, exhibit halls, rodeo, demolition derby, carnival, great food and more.

Where: 10826 State Route 71, Yorkville Hours: July 30, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.; July 31, 8 a.m.-10:30 p.m.; Aug. 1, 8 a.m.-11 p.m.; Aug. 2, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Info: www.kendallcountyfair.com

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The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will again headline the Chicago Air and Water Show.

Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival When: July 31-Aug. 2 What: Want to participate in a domino tournament and enjoy some local art and music at the same time? This three-day festival celebrates the diverse ethnic communities that have made Logan Square and Wicker Park their home for so many years. Activities include a farmers market, children’s arts and crafts and music by local musicians.

Where: 2600 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago Admission: Free Hours: 12-11 p.m.

Info: (773) 365-3535, www.reycolon.org McHenry County Fair When: Aug. 5-9 What: The McHenry County Fair celebrates its 60th anniversary with concerts, antiques, horse show, truck and tractor pulls, food booths, and 4-H events for the whole family.

Where: Illinois Route 47 and Country Club Road, Woodstock Info: www.mchenrycountyfair.com Lollapalooza 2009 When: Aug. 7-9 What: More than 100 acts will once again turn Grant Park into a musical oasis for fans of alternative rock, hip-hop, dance and electronic music. Among the highlights: Depeche Mode, Tool, The Killers, Jane’s Addiction, Beastie Boys, Kings of Leon, Lou Reed, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, Animal Collective and Federico Aubele.

Where: Grant Park, Columbus Drive and Congress Pkwy., Chicago Admission: Advance three-day pass, $190 Info: www.lollapalooza.com/tickets/index.html

BoriquaFest When: Aug. 15 What: The Puerto Rican Heritage Foundation hosts BoriquaFest, a festival designed to offer the general public an opportunity to learn about the Puerto Rican culture through live entertainment, music, food and arts and crafts.

Where: 130 S. Grove Ave., Elgin Admission: Free Hours: 1-11 p.m.

Info: www.prho.org Chicago Air & Water Show When: Aug. 15-16 What: The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will once again headline this popular show. Be thrilled by the perilous stunts of airmen and seamen alike.

But make sure to reserve your spot along the lakefront early in the morning.

Where: North Avenue Beach, Chicago Admission: Free Hours: Water show starts at 9 a.m., air show at 11 a.m.

Info: (312) 744-3315, www.cityofchicago. org/specialevents ¡Viva! Chicago Latin Music Festival When: Aug. 29-30 What: Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning artists have graced the stage of the Petrillo Bandshell in the past. This year’s lineup includes a tribute to Manny Oquendo and Orquesta Libre featuring Andy González and Jimmy Bosch, Aterciopelados and Lila Downs.

Where: Grant Park, Columbus Drive and Jackson Blvd., Chicago Admission: Free Info: (312) 744-3315, www.cityofchicago. org/specialevents

A Borin-Chicago

original

The Café team goes out on the town in search of the perfect Jibarito sandwich words

Gina Santana photo alBerto Treviño

Chicago has always been known for great food and innovation in the culinary world, and its Latino community has made a notable contribution to the city’s list of originals.

The Jibarito, a Puerto Rican signature dish born in Chicago, is a unique treat: tender seasoned steak, lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, cheese and mayonnaise piled into a sandwich composed of two crispy strips of fried, green plantains smeared with garlic sauce.

Juan “Pete” Figueroa invented the Jibarito at his restaurant, Borinquen, in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. He drew his inspiration for the sandwich from many different Puerto Rican recipes. The sandwich has become so popular that it is now a staple in most Chicago Latin American restaurants that serve sandwiches.

Figueroa doesn’t seem to mind other restaurants copying and selling his delicious 74 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

creation. “The way I see it, I’m never going to be able to feed the whole city,” he says.

“So I’m content with my share. Also, I’m humbled by the fact that so many restaurants have adopted my idea — as long as they do good work.”

The lesser-known mate to the Jibarito is the yet-to-be-famous Jibarita: with all the delicious ingredients as its ‘male’ counterpart, it’s made with sweet plantains and requires a knife and fork to enjoy it.

Café enlisted a team of in-house tasters (and some friends and relatives) to go out and taste the city’s various Jibaritos.

The following is an evaluation of a select list of restaurants serving this original sandwich. They took into consideration six key elements when rating the sandwiches: the freshness and crispness of the plantain, the garlic sauce, the freshness of the vegetables, the tenderness and seasoning of the steak, the use of cheese and the messy factor.

dining

The vegetarian Jibarito.

The chicken breast Jibarito.

The roasted pork (lechón) Jibarito

Café Team of Tasters: Gina Santana, Julian Posada, Jenille Ramos, Alejandro Riera, Marilia Gutiérrez, Ariel Gutiérrez-Hall, Alberto Treviño, Vera Napoleon, Denise Carrasco and Jeremy Volk

Café’s magazine’s best Jibarito sandwich restaurant

Cocina Boricua

2420 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago (773) 235-7377

Borinquen Restaurant

1720 N. California Ave., Chicago (773) 227-6038 www.borinquenjibaro. com

Papa’s Cache Sabroso

2517 W. Division St., Chicago (773) 862-8313

Ponce Place

(formerly El Vigia) 3612 W. North Ave., Chicago (773) 698-8314

plátano Served quickly and hot, but not crispy and a little too oily. It also lacked flavor.

sauce

steak

The sauce for some of our Cafeteros was too oily for their liking, although others enjoyed the excess sauce.

The steak had little juice and was a little fatty but still tender.

Some found the steak to be “lowquality taco style” but good.

vegetables

cheese

One of our tasters We loved the did not like the white cheese small pieces of used. lettuce because they got soggy fast. Others found the vegetables very fresh.

messy factor

rating

The sandwich was cut in half and was very difficult to handle.

One of our tasters had to restack the sandwich several times. Others did not mind the mess and enjoyed the extra mayo.

The plaintain was well seasoned, crispy on the outside, but a bit too greasy.

We loved its thickness.

The garlic oil sauce was used and, although it provided extra flavor, it contributed to the greasy factor.

The steak was well seasoned and tender, but was overwhelmed by the garlic sauce, the cheese and the mayo.

Crispy and fresh lettuce and tomato provided a necessary balance.

More than flavor, the yellow American cheese mostly provided texture. Some of us are not exactly sure if it was necessary, some of us did not mind its presence at all.

It’s a sandwich made with tostones, of course it’s going to be messy!

But the overall flavor makes up for it. On our second visit there was no slipping and sliding of ingredients.

The thin plaintains were cooked to perfection: crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

No special garlic oil sauce was detected. Not that it needed it, though. The overall flavor was well balanced.

Kudos for the addition of the caramelized onions on our second visit.

Juicy, tender, thin and well seasoned, the steak ruled this sandwich.

Fresh, crispy and plenty.

On our first visit, our Jibarito was served with yellow American cheese, which did not overpower the flavors. A week later, white American cheese was used but the flavor was barely detected.

Considering how well the elements come together, how there is virtually no garlic sauce, we were surprised at how the steak seemed to slip away from the sandwich.

Came out hot and fresh, but was not crisp enough and quickly fell apart upon raising the sandwich to take a bite. The thickness was good, and it was perfectly ripened for a rich, natural flavor.

A pasty spread as opposed to a chopped garlic and oil mixture.

Very tasty. Good balance of oil to garlic ratio.

A very generous portion of meat piled high. It was dry, yet tender.

The flavor was rather bland.

Lettuce and tomato were fresh and tasty. Lettuce was chopped and plentiful, which made the Jibarito slippery.

No cheese, instead there was a generous helping of delicious grilled onions.

This was one very slippery and sloppy Jibarito.

After the third bite and five napkins, we had to completely give up and use fork and knife.

Not much for presentation.

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chimichurri) and some rather interesting hybrids of Cuban, Italian and even Middle Eastern sandwiches.

Los Moles | photo alberto treviño |

Dig in!

Three new Mexican restaurants join our ever growing restaurant guide. One of them, Los Moles, is the latest project by the tireless King of ‘Mole’ himself, Geno Bahena. On top of that, a new Brasilian restaurant in Oak Park will give foodies a different taste of that country’s rich cuisine. Como siempre, ¡buen provecho!

Note: This section does not include every Latin American or Spanish restaurant in Chicago or the suburbs. It contains a selection of Café magazine’s favorites. We invite you to submit your favorites to readers@cafemagazine.com.

BYOB

ATM

Cash only

CENTRAL AMERICAN Irazú 1865 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago (773) 252-5687, www.irazuchicago.com Try the chicken casado, served with gallo pinto (rice and beans), sweet plantains, an over-easy egg and a cabbage salad. Big and delicious burritos and sandwiches also served. People swear by the oatmeal shakes.

Pupusería Las Delicias 3300 W. Montrose Ave., Chicago (773) 267-5346 Variety of pupusas (stuffed cornmeal cakes toasted, not fried, on a flat griddle); the zucchini and cheese with tomatoes and onions is popular.

Other flavors include chipilin (herb particular to El Salvador) and cheese, pescado (tilapia) and la revuelta (pork, chicken, cheese and beans). The combination platter comes with two pupusas, black beans, rice

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Credit cards accepted

and plátano maduro (sweet fried plantains).

Tickie’s Belizean Cuisine 7605 N. Paulina St. (773) 973-3919 For something different try the oxtail with red beans and spicy rice; the dukunuisas (tamales made with fresh corn, filled with pork and steamed in foil) and the panades (tiny fish-filled crescent-shaped pastries). Plenty of chicken, pork and vegetarian options.

CUBAN 90 Miles Cuban Café 3101 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago (773) 248-2822 www.90milescubancafe.com This is Cuban sandwich heaven: from the medianoche, the traditional Cuban sandwich or even the timba (guava and Swiss cheese) and the restaurant’s own sandwich de lechón, your cravings will be fully satisfied.

Accessible

Music

There are also more substantial plates like ropa vieja.

Cafe 28 1800 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago (773) 528-2883, www.cafe28.org Great mojitos and caipirinhas.

Go for the “Taste of Cuba” appetizer. Leave some room for the ropa vieja, arroz con pollo, grilled shrimp quesadillas or chipotle grilled chicken and green tamales in this intimate cafe. Wash it all down with the traditional café cubano.

Cafecito 26 E. Congress Pkwy., Chicago (312) 922-2233 A restaurant for people who work in downtown or are visiting one of its many museums and attractions and suddenly develop an urgent craving for a sandwich cubano. Try the sandwich de palomilla, the choripán (Spanish chorizo with grilled onions and

MEXICAN Estrella Negra 2346 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago (773) 227-5993, www.estrellanegra.com Mexico’s Day of the Dead is celebrated all year in this new addition to the Bucktown art and food scenes. Each table carries a Day of the Dead motif created by local artists. The menu includes traditional tacos and tamales, as well as some unique spins on the same. The homemade chicken pozole is a must.

Fuego Mexican Grill & Margarita Bar 2047 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago (773) 252-1122 www.fuegomexicangrill.com Remember that old outpost in the border between Bucktown and Logan Square which used to house nightclubs like Club P.M. and Tropicana D’Cache? The owners of the Arlington Heights restaurant have taken over the main floor to offer city denizens a taste of their menu, including such unique dishes as the red snapper in cilantro sauce and salmon with mole blanco.

La Fonda del Gusto 1408 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago (773) 278-6100 What once used to be a popular taquería is now a full-grown restaurant. You will find such traditional fare as tacos, tortas and burritos as well as more seasonal food such as the albóndigas de Jalisco (meatballs in a rich herb/tomato broth) and seared red snapper with Veracruz sauce.

RESTAURANTGUIDE Los Moles 3140 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago (773) 935-9620 The Mole Master is at it again.

Geno Bahena is behind this mole-only Mexican restaurant in the Lakeview neighborhood. The menu will be seasonal, offering a wide array of meats and special moles.

SushiSamba Rio 504 N. Wells St., Chicago (312) 595-2300, www.sushisamba.com International fusion of Japanese, American, Nuevo Latino and South American all rolled into one! El Topo, Samba Rio and Rainbow Dragon sushi rolls are crowd pleasers.

Pancho Pistolas 700 W. 31st St., Chicago (312) 225-8808, www.panchopistolas.com Good place to go before or after a White Sox game at U.S. Cellular Field. Go for the chicken flautas and tacos; excellent margaritas.

south american Galapagos Cafe 3213 W Irving Park Rd., Chicago (773) 754-8265 The cultures of Ecuador and Japan join forces in this restaurant. Kick things off with their cheese empanadas or the llapingachos (thick fried mashed plaintain or potatoe cakes filled with chese). Entrees include pescado encocado (fish cooked in coconut sauce) and the Galapagos fried rice, as well as a wide variety of sushis.

NUEVO LATINO/ LATIN FUSION Cuatro 2030 S. Wabash Ave., Chicago (312) 842-8856, www.cuatro-chicago.com Serves up the best of Latin American favorites: spicy pinchos de pollo (chicken kabobs); black beans and rice; plátano maduro (sweet fried plantains); mashed yucca; tender, flavorful steaks; interesting desserts, like sweet potato upside-down cake; and good drinks – mojitos, sangria, etc.

La Pinta 25 Calendar Court, La Grange (708) 354-8100, www.la-pinta.com Offers a variety of ceviches: shrimp, tilapia and salmon. Good chile relleno: poblano pepper stuffed with shrimp, scallops and gouda cheese on top of a bed of refried black beans covered in a chipotle coconut sauce.

El Llano 3941 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago (773) 327-1659, www.elllanorestaurant.com If you’re hungry go for the bandeja paisa: a huge plate of rice, beans, chicharrones, avocado, plátano maduro (sweet plantain), arepa (thick cornmeal tortilla), yucca fries, a fried egg and steak.

Taste of Brasil 966 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park (708) 383-3350 This small suburban restaurant specializes in salgadinhos, small pastries that could very well be considered distant cousins of the Spanish and Cuban croquetas.

Try as many as you want: from the coxinhas de frango (chicken croquettes with onion and olives) to the risoles (croquettes with fillings including shrimp with tomato and beef with cream cheese).

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Candice Marut, Jessica Johnson and Megan Bentley

Daniel Hall and Chester L. Bell, Jr.

CAFÉ in Reel time photos alBerto

María Jiménez, Edna Uribe, Veronika Moroian, Lucy Salgado and Eric Salcido

Alejandro Riera and Diego Luna

78 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

Treviño and Jillian Sipkins

It was quite an exciting week for Café Media. First, los cafeteros hosted two parties for the price of one at Martini Park, 151 W. Erie St., the night of April 29: the pickup party for our May/June edition and the Chicago Latino Film Festival’s Closing Night after-party. Later that week, our editor-in-chief Alejandro Riera moderated a Q&A with actor Diego Luna and director Carlos Cuarón from “Rudo y Cursi” after a private screening May 1 at the Landmark Century Center, 2828 N. Clark St. He interviewed them earlier for www.cafemagazine.com.

Diego Luna and Carlos Cuarón

sociales

RETRO NIGHT photos Jillian

Sipkins

Vintage cars, James Dean look-alikes and trenchcoated reporters were some of the highlights of Christopher House’s gala held at the Ravenswood Billboard Factory, 4043 N. Ravenswood Ave., on April 25. The event raised $335,000 for this organization that services low-income families.

Ben Hoban, Jennifer Kushto, Suneer Mahesawary, Laura Forster

| photos Danny Rico |

Rodrigo Esponda and Michael Kutza Alex Balestrieri

Stephen Dale and Nina O’Keefe

Al and Micheline Bonavolonta

AVANT GARDE photos

Elizabeth Rodriguez

Chicago ARTEAhora, an international art fair that showcases contemporary Latin American art, held its VIP Opening reception May 1 at the River North main Art Gallery District, 233 W. Huron St. Among the artists invited to this year’s event: Chicago’s very own Marcos Raya, Antuan from Cuba, Luisa Elena Betancourt from Venezuela and Carolina Sardi from Argentina.

Tania Valdes, Conchita Valdes, Vicente Serrano and Aldo Castillo

Model wearing designer James de Colón’s dress tribute to Rita Moreno Marcos Raya

Claudia Garcia, Ximena Melo Bravo, Amparo Rodriguez and Javier Lara

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I

was born in Mexico, but I’ve been living in Chicago since I was five years old. My parents taught me that I should speak Spanish at home and English on the street. I never understood why. But my mom would say: “Mi’ja, you would not like to be in a country where nobody understood you.” Now, I feel so proud that I can read, write and speak Spanish. It may not be perfect, but it’s enough. There are so many people who can’t speak English at all and who can be taken advantage of. The other day I helped a woman with her shopping because she couldn’t communicate with the cashier. I am now a mother of three and I also say: “Spanish at home and English on the street!” Everyone must know where they come from and be proud of their origins.

–Violeta Avila, Chicago

Log on to www.cafemagazine.com to submit your “A mí me enseñaron” stories. The best story submitted and published by December 2009 will win two roundtrip Southwest Airlines tickets.

80 Café JULY | AUGUST2009

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Diversity is an integral part of our strategy.

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