The North Shore Weekend, March 20, 2021

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SATURDAY MARCH 20 | SUNDAY MARCH 21 2021

SUNDAY BREAKFAST

Restaurateur and former Glenbrook North hockey player Nick Drivas nets funds for range of causes P18

WEEKEND WEATHER

Saturday, Sunny, high 51. Saturday night, Low 37. Sunday, Morning sun giving way to clouds, high 59.

NORTH SHORE FOODIE

Slow-roast brisket, Texas style P14 FOLLOW US:

NO. 440 | A JWC MEDIA PUBLICATION

AMATEUR ELITE FORMER WEEKEND WARRIOR STEVE WORTH CONTINUES TO MIX IT UP WITH CONSIDERABLY YOUNGER ENDURANCE RACERS AS AN ELITE 50-YEAR-OLD ATHLETE.

BY BILL MCLEAN THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

In 2015, while on summer vacation in Neenah, Wisconsin, Steve Worth awoke on a postcard day and decided to run three miles. The Lake Forest resident and tech company executive completed the jog.

“Barely,” recalls Worth, now 50.

“That was the year of my halfContinued on PG 10

Steve Worth competes in the American Birkebeiner ski race in Wisconsin. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARATHONFOTO

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THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

BEFORE

BEFOR E

We don’t just LOVE what we do...

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A FT E R

AFTER

BEFORE & AFTER

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The WOW house 4200 Walters Ave, Northbrook

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**Top 1% ranking based on closed sales volume in the North Shore and Chicago area, all companies. Based on information from MRED LLC for the period 01/1/2014-11/01/2020. ***Top 1% in State of Illinois by Real Trends 2015-2020. This data is informational and cannot be guaranteed accurate. Data maintained by MRED LLC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market ****Awarded by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of their 2018 & 2019 Notable Residential.

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THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Thank You!

Thanks so much to my wonderful clients for entrusting me to help them successfully reach their real estate goals! I’m especially honored to work with repeat clients & be referred to their friends.

Love what I do!

847.913.3662 chrisveech@atproperties.com

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THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Global Vision. Local Insight. Personal Touch.

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Engel & Völkers Chicago North Shore

566 Chestnut Street, 2 Floor • Winnetka, Illinois 90093 • 847.441.5730 • chicagonorthshore.evrealestate.com nd

Some sales sold while affiliated with another brokerage. ©2020 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principles of the Fair Housing Act.

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INDEX

LIFESTYLE & ARTS 14 north shore foodie

Cook up a taste of Texas with this slowroast brisket recipe

John Conatser FOUNDER & PUBLISHER

ADVERTISING Jennifer Sturgeon

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Wendy Franzen, Dustin O'Regan, Kemmie Ryan, Sherry Thomas, Megan Weisberg

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Monica Kass Rogers, Bill McLean

LAST BUT NOT LEAST 18 sunday breakfast We grill North Shore restaurateur Nick Drivas; he answers, sharing acts of kindness

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NEWS AMATEUR ELITE

From PG 1

hearted attempts to get healthier and in better shape. That was an eye-opener, struggling to make it to three miles. It was a real catalyst for me. I knew, f rom that day forward, I had to get serious about training on a regular basis.”

Worth got spooked around that time too when f riends of his began to develop serious health issues in their mid40s. Too young, he thought. Friends suffered heart attacks. Scary, he thought.

Reality opened his eyes even wider.

He conjured up the faint memories of what it felt like to run quickly with ease 25 years earlier.

Fast forward to 2021. In the last couple of years, Worth has competed in sprint duathlons (2.5-kilometer run, 20k cycling leg, 5k run) and finished first overall in three of them. This led to a #1 national ranking f rom USA Triathlon for the 50-54 age group. Mixed in with duathlon were a variety of other events such as 5ks, 10ks, half marathon, and more. 2020 was the year of “Breaking 5 at 50.” In August, in a timed mile held at his nephew’s high school in Wisconsin, Worth zipped to a time of 4 minutes, 53 seconds—an elite clocking for a man his age.

“I spent the first half of the last five years working on strength, general fitness, and rebuilding my endurance base, then I was able to introduce racing and ambitious goals. I then took the weekend warrior sports approach to the next level, adopting a ‘light ’ version of a professional plan and learning along the way,” Worth, also a competitive cross-country skier, says of his regimen since that choppy, highly demanding run in Neenah. “I started gradually, training about 300 hours in that first year and increasing that time by about 15 percent each year since. Certain levels of physical ability and training are commonly known prerequisites in endurance sports, but what people don’t see or may not realize is that there are large doses of planning, strategy, focused execution, attention to detail, and consistency.”

Worth’s main competitors in duathlon races, remarkably, are men between the ages of 20 and 34. He’s not “gramps” to them yet; he is their swift and age-defying “uncle.” Worth—known as “Camo Man” in some circles because his bicycle f rame sports a camouflage motif, as his clothes often do—shows up at starting lines and now induces more than a few “uh-ohs” f rom his daunted foes.

“If I’m going up against, say, a 28-year-old in a duathlon, and I know he’s potentially a faster runner than I am, I’m calculating while riding my bike in the race, how much faster I have to ride to create a lead and put myself in a favorable position for the second running leg. As much as I love

10

the outdoors, I’m not just looking at the scenery while riding along! You can do that another day.”

Worth, a Wisconsin native, had to look for a replacement sport for basketball in high school after realizing his career in hoops was “slowly and steadily declining.” He found cross country ski-

race motivation. He has made a tradition of the American Birkebeiner ski race in the north woods of Wisconsin each February. He recently completed his fourth year of the largest nordic ski race in North America. The “Birkie” draws thousands of skiers and Worth has been concentrating on the 18-mile

Steve Worth of Lake Forest.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MONICA KASS ROGERS

ing, thrived atop snow, and continued his ascent in the grueling sport while at Cornell University. Worth admits he was a very mediocre skier by NCAA standards but was enamored with the sport and the outdoor time it required.

The chance to ski race again, not the other sports, was actually the initial

classic technique event where he has worked his way up f rom top 35 overall to top 5 this year.

Following his years at Cornell, Worth earned his law degree and MBA at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He met his future wife, Sheridan Road Editor-in-Chief Dustin O’Regan, in

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law school, and they have lived in Lake Forest since 1998. They have a daughter, Redding, who attends The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.

“Redding is the star of the family,” insists Worth, who, along with his wife, have been heavily involved in charitable organizations over the years. Worth focuses on outdoor conservation groups and efforts supporting Veterans’ causes.

The latter is something he shares with Redding who has had a passion for thanking Veterans f rom an early age.

She has been a driver of their involvement with the Lake County Honor Flight where she has taken multiple flights as a Guardian.

Last Fall, Worth helped raise money for the organization with a Half Million Steps Challenge in the month leading up to Veterans Day. On the holiday itself, he decided to top off the campaign with 50,000 steps. He chose to run on the Des Plaines River Trail for the entire length of Lake County f rom the Wisconsin border down to Lake Cook Road, about 33 miles. “It was a bit of a last-minute plan,” Worth notes “but I enlisted a f riend to ride his bike alongside to keep me company and carry some water as all water sources were shut down during the pandemic.”

Motivated by thoughts of Lake County Honor Flight veterans, Worth covered the county in about 4 hours and he later learned that this was the fastest known time recorded for that route.

So does Worth have the endurance to keep racking up impressive results in his 50s and beyond? Look for those to continue for years.

“I hope to inspire people to become more active, to keep moving,” says Worth, who sets yearly athletic goals and wants to melt time off that 4:53 mile. “Get outside; we have wonderful forest preserves around here. Committing to getting in shape and racing at a high level has changed my life for the better. This winter I met a lot of new and returning skiers at the Lake Bluff golf course—a big shout out to the Lake Bluff Nordic Ski Club. So whether you have your sights set on a daily walk or the Chicago marathon, set some small goals, achieve them, and see where it takes you.”

“Training is a process and a long journey. But people are interested in the latest race results and often look puzzled at the concept of driving six hours (or across the country) to subject yourself to a tough event. However, the allure of racing for me is much deeper.”

He concludes, “Racing is a great test of strategy, execution, and grit; but more importantly it is a celebration of all your training!”

You can follow Worth on Instagram: @ worthmovin.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

WE ARE

neighbors

NO MATTER THE DISTANCE The spring market is here! Thinking of selling your home?

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Call me to talk real estate or just to chat!

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8 4 7. 8 0 7. 3 6 6 0 W W W. D A W N M C K E N N A G R O U P. C O M | @ T H E D A W N M C K E N N A G R O U P The property information herein is derived from various sources that may include, but not be limited to, county records and the Multiple Listing Service, and it may include approximations. Although the information is believed to be accurate, it is not warranted and you should not rely upon it without personal verification. Affiliated real estate agents are independent contractor sales associates, not employees. ©2021 Coldwell Banker. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logos are trademarks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.

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THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

W E A R E YO U R

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8 4 7. 8 0 7. 3 6 6 0 W W W. D A W N M C K E N N A G R O U P. C O M | @ T H E D A W N M C K E N N A G R O U P The Coldwell Banker® System is comprised of company owned offices which are owned by a subsidiary of Realogy Brokerage Group LLC and franchised offices which are independently owned and operated. The Coldwell Banker System fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Not intended as a solicitation if your property is already listed by another broker. *Source: Within Coldwell Banker Realty ranked by Wall Street Journal RealTrends The Thousand 2020 | Based on closed transactions from the Midwest Real Estate Data and Southwest Florida MLS and other internal sources 1/1/2020 – 12/31/2020.

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LIFESTYLE & ARTS

NORTH SHORE FOODIE

TEXAS SLOW-ROAST BBQ BRISKET Yes, you can use the oven to make a good Texas Slow-Roast BBQ brisket!

It’s not quite the same as the melt-inyour mouth meats that came out of my Aunt Barbara's backyard smoker in Jacinto City, Texas. But slow roast anything for a good long while and add a sauce with soaked and pureed ancho and chipotle peppers and you get delicious eats. To make this brisket, you’ll wrap the meat in bacon, which then becomes part of the thick and zesty sauce.

If you have brisket left over, it makes great BBQ sandwiches when chopped fine and served with the extra sauce.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BBQ DRY RUB (Store extra in jar for future use) 2 Tbsp brown sugar 2 Tbsp paprika 1 Tbsp dry mustard powder 1 Tbsp fresh cracked black pepper 1 Tbsp salt 2 tsp garlic powder 1 Tbsp ground cumin 1 tsp Chipotle chili powder ½ tsp oregano 1 tsp dried minced onion FOR THE BBQ BRISKET ½ cup dry rub mix 1, 5 lb beef brisket

RECIPE AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY MONICA KASS ROGERS

1 lb nitrate free bacon

METHOD

FOR THE BBQ SAUCE

ROAST THE BRISKET: Place oven rack in middle position. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Rub the brisket with ½ cup of the dry-rub spice blend. In a large Dutch oven, lay out half of the bacon strips, side by side. Place brisket fat side down on bacon, fold the bacon ends over to wrap the brisket. Place the remaining strips of bacon over the top of the brisket, tucking ends under so that you have a brisket completely wrapped in bacon. Cover the Dutch oven with the lid. Place in preheated oven and roast for 4 hours. Turn oven heat off, leaving brisket in oven to rest while you make the sauce.

8 dried ancho chilis 4 chipotle chilis 1 white onion, chopped to make 1 cup ½ cup cider vinegar 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed 1/2 cup tomato paste 1 cup meat juices from the cooked brisket 1 ½ cups chicken broth

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MAKE THE SAUCE: Remove and discard seeds from the dried ancho and chipotle chilies.

Break the dried chilies up and place in medium bowl. Pour ½ cup boiling water over all and set aside for 15 minutes until very soft. While chilies soften, scoop 2 Tbsp of bacon fat from the Dutch oven into saute pan. Saute onion in fat over medium heat until soft. Mix vinegar and brown sugar and add to the onion in the pan, stirring for three minutes until syrupy. Remove brisket from oven. Pour accumulated juices into a bowl; skim off and discard fat. Unwrap bacon from brisket; chop bacon and add to the onion

| SATURDAY MARCH 20 | SUNDAY MARCH 21 2021

and syrup in the saute pan. Drain the ancho and chipotle chili pulp; blend until smooth.

Add with the tomato paste to saute pan, over medium heat, stirring to incorporate. Add beef juices and chicken broth to the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place all in a blender, or, use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.

FINISH BRISKET: Turn oven setting to broil.

Brush brisket with 1 cup of sauce. Watching carefully, broil just until top is charred a bit, and fat crisps. Place brisket on cutting board; slice.

Serve immediately with extra sauce.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

GRIFFITH, GRANT & LACKIE A Real Connection. A Real Advantage. www . GGL reaLty . com

Andy Mrowiec & Marina Carney

Elizabeth Wieneke

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR TOP PRODUCING BROKERS!

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2020 was a record year for our company. We look forward to the remainder of 2021 with a great deal of optimism as life returns to normal and concerns of the pandemic are in our rear view mirror. We are pleased to congratulate our top performing agents for their outstanding contributions to our success in 2020! With the support of our dedicated professional staff, Griffith, Grant & Lackie Realtors achieved the highest production per agent in Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.

We would like to thank all of our clients for their continued trust.

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608.320.9833 Ivy + Slate is a team of Real Estate agents affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed Real Estate broker with a principal office in Chicago, IL and abides by all applicable Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only, is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, and changes without notice. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of Real Estate brokerage.

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S U N D AY B R E A K FA S T

WHAT DRIVES DRIVAS NORTH SHORE RESTAURATEUR NICK DRIVAS IS COMMITTED TO SERVING FRESH FOOD TO DINERS AND VITAL FUNDS TO ORGANIZATIONS.

BY BILL MCLEAN ILLUSTRATION BY BARRY BLITT

Nick Drivas might own the distinction for being the youngest busboy ever.

He was 5—perhaps fresh off learning the difference between a triangle and a rectangle in kindergarten—when he first cleared tables for his father/boss, Aris, at Aris’s restaurant in the Chicago neighborhood Edison Park.

Promotions followed. Drivas waited tables; Drivas handled money as a cashier; Drivas worked in the kitchen.

“I grew up in the restaurant business,” says Drivas, now 46, the owner of two restaurants (Backyard Grill in Highland Park and Grill House in Northbrook), and no doubt sharp enough to teach an advanced geometry class.

“When I got in trouble at work, I had to peel the onions.

“But I only had to do that once.”

What grown-up Nick Drivas will never be accused of doing just once: giving. To schools. To nonprofits. To first responders.

To churches and synagogues. To students.

It took the pandemic for Drivas to learn students in Northbrook and surrounding suburbs relied on subsidized lunches during the school year. The fact shocked him and saddened him. So, Nick Drivas being Saint Nick, did something about it, contacting local school districts and eventually providing 100 $10 gift cards to students—forced to learn remotely for most of 2020—who had qualified for assisted-meal programs when schools were open.

One of Drivas’s Dine and Donate initiatives works like this: on a designated day, a student—say, from Edgewood Middle School in Highland Park—enters one of Drivas’s restaurants and orders a meal. The student mentions their school. Drivas then donates 20 percent of the bill to Edgewood.

“My parents, Aris and Marina, moved to Northbrook because of the village’s education system,” says Drivas, a 1993 Glenbrook North High School graduate. “Education was an important part of my upbringing. A strong school district strengthens the community.

“I can’t think of anything better than doing what you love to do for a living and also being able to give back to the community.

It’s important to give. We all need to do our part.”

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Among the beneficiaries of Drivas’s chronic generosity: Autism Speaks; Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation; Alzheimer’s Association; Bernie’s Book Bank in Lake Bluff; Youth Services of Northbrook and Glenview; first responders every 9-11, when they receive free lunches; cancer organizations; Hadassah, an American Jewish volunteer women’s organization; and school districts in Northbrook, Glenview, Highland Park,

I can’t think of anything better than doing what you love to do for a living and also being able to give back to the community. It’s important to give. We all need to do our part.

Nick Drivas

and Deerfield.

Drivas played right wing for Glenbrook North’s hockey club and relished every period of every Chicago Blackhawks game he attended with his father at the old Chicago Stadium. Drivas enrolled at North Park University in Chicago, where he majored in marketing. He worked briefly in computer sales shortly after graduating, knowing the tug of a career in the restaurant industry would be impossible to resist. He essentially earned his Ph.D. in running a restaurant at Nick’s (an eatery named after his grandfather) in Elk Grove Village from ages 22-26.

“I learned so much there,” says Drivas, who has two younger brothers, one (Gus) who works with him and one ( John) who’s a banker. “What a good, valuable experience that was for me in a number of ways, especially seeing what goes on behind the scenes.

You need a good work ethic in this field, something I learned at a young age.

The days … they’re long ones at times. But I

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still find the job gratifying.”

Drivas opened Backyard Grill in 2014, and welcomed his first diner at Grill House in 2017.

Backyard Grill offers burgers and gyros and a slew of other hearty eats, plus salads that rival the creativity found at most art museums. Grill House features a wide range of comfort foods and salads and Drivas’s favorite menu item, Roasted Greek Chicken—quality poultry that’s herb- and spice-brined for 30 hours.

Homemade recipes from way back in 1979 still sate in 2021 at Drivas’s restaurants.

“It was tough throughout 2020, not being able to see customers eating in our restaurants because of the pandemic,” Drivas says. “We offered a lot of family deals early on and introduced a text program to reach out to members in the community.

The text program not only helped our restaurants; we also used it to alert customers on the days we had designated to aid a certain organization.

“One of the many rewards of owning a restaurant is seeing a diner sit down in your restaurant and enjoy that first bite,” adds Drivas, who lives in Northbrook with his wife, Washington Elementary School teacher Ria, and their three children, ages 13, 12, and 10. “I missed that familiarity at work; we all did. We also missed the routine of interacting indoors with our customers. We’re grateful that most of what was normal in 2019 is gradually returning.”

Grateful for Highland Park and Northbrook and their dwellers, too. Drivas shudders at what would have happened to his eateries without their support.

“I can’t think of better towns to be in than in Northbrook and Highland Park,” Drivas says. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to give back to communities that treat you as well as those two do?

The entire North Shore is a wonderful, caring area. When you need something, anything, the North Shore is there for you.”

Northbrook native Ian Braverman was there for Drivas and several other local restaurateurs during the holiday season late last year. Drivas and his employees were having a rough day when Braverman entered Grill House with a bulky envelope. The restaurant’s sprinkler system had malfunctioned.

“Water was everywhere,” Drivas recalls.

Braverman navigated around the indoor ponds and handed the envelope to Drivas. Inside: $600, in cash. Braverman’s friendly order to Drivas: “Spend it any way you want to spend it.” The 30-something Braverman had raised the money through his “Northbrook Restaurant Support” GoFundMe campaign.

“Our day got better, right away,” Drivas says.

“What Ian did made our day.”

Drivas didn’t spend a cent of the gift. He gave it all away, surprising absolutely nobody.

“I paid it forward,” Drivas says.

Priceless gesture from a priceless man.

Backyard Grill, 847-681-8400 is located at 1825 2nd Street in Highland Park; Grill House, 847-205-2200, stands at 3061 Dundee Road in Northbrook.

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

Broker Consultant 847.751.0516 katietraines@atproperties.com

Whether You Are Upsizing or Downsizing,

I’ve Got You Covered!

UNDER CONTRACT IN 3 DAYS! *

1125 Elm Ridge, Glencoe $899,000

SOLD **

1414 Longvalley Road, Glenview $1,275,000

SOLD **

*

851 Long Road, Glenview $431,600 *Source: MLS, Listing Market Time for 1125 Elm Ridge, Glencoe: 1.20.21-1.23.21 ** Represented Buyer

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SATURDAY MARCH 20 | SUNDAY MARCH 21 2021 |

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LAKEFRONT PROPERTY

233

SHERIDAN ROAD KENILWORTH 7 bed, 7.2 bath // $9,975,000 UNDER CONTRACT

UNDER CONTRACT

970 SHERIDAN ROAD, GLENCOE

1133 MICHIGAN AVENUE, WILMETTE

There’s still time to customize your dream home...

819 HUMBOLDT AVENUE, WINNETKA

6 bedrooms, 5.1 baths • $2,375,000

6 bedrooms, 7.1 baths • $4,175,000

6 bedrooms, 6.2 baths • $4,175,000

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Milena Birov 847.962.1200 MILENA@ATPROPERTIES.COM

H E R I TAG E LU X U R Y. C O M

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| SATURDAY MARCH 20 | SUNDAY MARCH 21 2021

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