Dan Kelch and Laura Van Dorf, Evanston Lulu’s and Taco Diablo
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t’s hard to believe, but this fall will mark the 20th anniversary of Lulu’s Dim Sum in Evanston. And to celebrate, chef/owners Dan and Laura Kelch opened Taco Diablo in April: same owners, same town, craveable food, but completely different feel. Dan, originally from Kankakee, met Wilmette native and then Kendall Culinary College student Laura
when she did her kitchen internship at the Everest Room, where Dan was Jean Joho’s sous chef. Sparks flew, and soon they were talking about working and living together. Looking at locations, they quickly settled on Evanston, which “just seemed like an area that needed restaurants,” remembers Kelch. Lulu’s opened on the site of a funky hot dog dive. And it