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vol. 5 no. 1

MARCH/APRIL 2021

PROTECTING THE WILDLIFE CULINARY DELIGHTS MUSEUM REOPENS

SPRING ARRIVES ON THE

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Spirit IS A PUBLICATION OF

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Sue Z. Lange EDITOR IN CHIEF

Ed Nadolski EDITOR

Volo Auto Museum

Tracy Ouellette ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Vicki Vanderwerff CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Heidi Schulz

SECTION DESIGNER

Jennifer DeGroot SALES

readies to roar back

Pete Hansen Tamera Hamilton

Upcoming eBay auction to feature iconic film cars; proceeds will offset dino park, other new exhibit costs he pandemic life has not been an idle one for crews at the Volo Auto Museum. When the doors at 27582 Volo Village Road reopen, fans of the museum will surely marvel at the many transformations. Opening day is set for May 14, rain or shine, as long as the region is in Coronavirus Response Phase 4 or better. Among the monumental upgrades taking root here since March 2020 has been an indoor Jurassic Gardens adventure featuring several dozen lifelike – and many life-size – animatronic dinosaurs, plus a gift shop, arcade,

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fossil dig and “lab.” That’s not to mention the jaw-dropping 1920s carousel and music machine hall, the re-engineered entryway or the high-tech admissions system that will both cut wait times and allow ticket holders to come and go at multiple points of entry. Speaking of which, one new point of entry should especially appeal to lovers of modern muscle. Showroom 5’s vintage car collection is giving way to late-model Mustangs, Challengers, Vipers and ’vettes. All in all, there will be roughly 28,000 square feet of newly constructed or completely

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top: Volo Auto Museum Director Brian Grams talks about the mechanics of a 1920s Herschell carousel featured in the museum’s new carousel and music hall. Crews are gearing the museum up for a May reopening, as long as the region is in Phase 4 or better of the state’s coronavirus response plan.

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on the cover: The Barred Owl lives primarily in old forests. They are known for their hooting sounds

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which can be heard echoing through the forest. The Stillman Nature Center in South Barrington often cares for injured owls and other birds. Read more about the center on Page 7. PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER SCHWARZ Spirit of the Lakes

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renovated interior space to explore. It’s a multimillion-dollar investment, said museum Director Brian Grams. And that could spell a sweet opportunity for collectors of the sort of rare, film-famous cars for which the Volo Auto Museum is known. “To pay for all of the improvements we have been making while we have been closed,” Grams said, “we are going to be parting with some film-car collector gold.” Up for no-reserve eBay auction April 14-21 will be a 1963 Corvette Grand Sport replica, a car used by Paul Walker and Vin Diesel in “Fast 5”; a 1966 Ferrari replica that was screen-used in the epic “Ford v Ferrari”; a 1965 Econoline van from “Ford v Ferrari”; a 1958 Chevy Nomad featured prominently throughout the 2020 film “Let Him Go,” starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane; a 1973 Ferrari Daytona replica used in the TV series “9-1-1” as well as in an upcoming Bradley Cooper film called “Soggy Bottom”; a 1966 Chrysler Imperial Black Beauty from “The Green Hornet”; and a 1981 Cadillac hearse ordered by Sony to promote the 2016 “Ghostbusters” movie that featured Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon. Other vehicles and museum assets also will be sold, including a Von Dutch-Ed Roth car and an eight-passenger electric trolley from Disney World. “These are some incredible collector pieces for the right buyers,” Grams said. “The newer Ecto-mobile is a ton of fun. The ‘Fast Five’ ’vette is an iconic part of film franchise history. And you might be surprised at the amount of buzz the van gets.” Referring to the blue van with white lettering that was used to depict a Shelby American shop van in “Ford v Ferrari,” Grams said diehard car guys are enamored with both the Carroll Shelby legend and the movie. “That’s easily the best car movie of our generation,” he said. Grams noted that an actual Ferrari driven in the 1966 LeMans – the race on which the movie is based – recently sold for $40 million. “For a fraction of that price, someone will own some really cool pieces of TV and movie car history this spring,” Grams said. “And we’ll use the auction proceeds to offset the cost of the improvements we’ve been working on for the past year.” Find more details about the items available in the auction at www.volocars.com/theattraction/Auction-Movie-Cars-and-More. For other information, call 815-3853644, visit volo-cars.com or find Volo Auto Museum on Facebook.

Top: This Ferrari replica from the movie “Ford v Ferrari” is among Volo Auto Museum assets that will be sold during an eBay auction April 14 to 21 to offset costs of extensive renovations made while the museum has been closed due to the pandemic. Above: Volo Auto Museum Director Brian Grams talks about the ongoing transformation of a former antiques mall building into what is becoming Jurassic Gardens, an indoor dinosaur park featuring dozens of animatronic dinosaurs, a fossil dig, gift shop, arcade and more. SUBMITTED PHOTOS Spirit of the Lakes

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The snowy owl is an arctic owl. This one, which is cared for at Stillman Nature Center, is a female as seen by the dark flecking on her body. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAN SIMPSON Spirit of the Lakes

by Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT

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SPIRIT of THE LAKES

Taking a walk in the woods is always exciting, but taking that walk in early spring when the beauty of the area is again coming to life is a very special time. With the early spring flowers, in whites, yellows and blues, poking their heads through the gray remnants of the last snowfall, trees beginning to bud, and brown grasses returning to green, nature’s splendor is in full view. It is not only the plants making their way into spring. The sight of birds, both those returning from their winter migrations and those that remain here through the winter can also be spotted flying through the air, or in the trees, searching for food to eat and materials to build their nest. Now is a time to enjoy nature renewing itself for another season. Early spring is a perfect time for a visit to Stillman Nature Center to view first hand this

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marvelous transition from winter to spring. Stillman Nature Center is at 33 Penny Road in South Barrington and welcomes visitors when open to the public, to experience nature at its best. The center is a private, non-profit located on 80 acres of woods and prairie, with a lake attracting a variety of wildlife. The land was the gift of Alexander Stillman, a local resident who had owned a large estate in the area. Upon his death in 1984, Stillman willed the property to the Chicago Audubon Society to be maintained as a wildlife habitat. He did not however leave any funds to be used to develop and maintain the center. “He actually did leave another 20 acres of land on the north side of Penny Road, which was allowed to be sold,” said Susan Allman, who has been the President of the Stillman Nature Center for the past 20 years. “They were sold to provide a fund to pay the expenses of turning this private estate into the Nature Center it is today and to help continue to fund it.” The Audubon Society developed sub chapters in the suburbs and this land went to a local chapter. Neither they nor the local park district or forest preserves were interested in developing it along the lines of Stillman’s dreams perhaps because of the cost or having other projects to develop, Allman said. So, without any government revenue,

Stillman Nature Center was developed, according to their website, by “individual contributions and thousands of hours of volunteer labor.” It was a difficult job turning what was once a family estate into a private Nature Center. With perseverance and much hard work the group managed to clear overgrown land, and develop a 3-mile hiking trail through the property for visitors to be able to enjoy nature at its best. The hiking trail takes visitors past a variety of habitats from shady forest areas to blooming prairies as it follows the shore of a small lake on the property past several observation docks, a place to enjoy the beauty of the lake and the wildlife which makes its home here. A large cattail marsh and a bird blind are among the popular places to observe nature along the shore of the lake. The trail will also take visitors through the raptor habitat, three homes, known as mews. These habitats house some birds of prey who have suffered injuries and although they have been returned to health, their disabilities prevent them from being safely released into the wild. Caring for the injured Mark Spreyer has been the executive director of Stillman Nature Center for about 25 years and is an expert on working with raptors so it is not surprising that raptors

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play an important role in the teaching programs offered at Stillman. “We have taken in some raptors that have been injured so severely that even after being rehabbed are unable to return to the wild due to their disabilities,” Spreyer said. “We currently have nine raptors that we house and feed and use in many of our nature programs, making us a sort of raptor assisted living.” The raptors currently being cared for onsite include a Snowy Owl, a Barn Owl, a Broad Winged Hawk, an Eastern Screech Owl, a Turkey Vulture, a Peregrine Falcon, a Red Shouldered Hawk, a Barred Owl and a Great Horned Owl. The animals are cared for in their own individual habitats, which have been built by Stillman volunteers. Each bird has the amount of space needed and each habitat includes a place to hide, just as they would find out in the wild. The volunteers clean their habitats, replacing soiled gravel, which is a washed gravel without sharp edges to protect the feathers from injury. Raptors are so called because they are birds of prey. In the wild they hunt for small animals such as mice, small birds, or insects. The Turkey Vulture does not search for live prey but feeds on carrion, dead and

decaying animals. For these injured raptors, food is purchased for them and fed to them by the staff and volunteers. The volunteers also work with the birds, taking them out for onsite or offsite programs. Many of those giving programs are teachers who may have exchanged the classroom for an open-air environment. Walking around the mews, each bird can be viewed in its living space. “However, the raptors can only be viewed while standing outside the habitats. No one is allowed within the owls living space,” Spreyer said. The Snowy Owl is one of the most beautiful of the owls. The Snowy Owl housed at Stillman’s is a female and was found at O’Hare Airport and thought to have been injured by the turbulence from an airplane. It was returned to health but due to its residual injuries could not be released to the wild as it would become a target for larger birds of prey. Many of the raptors at Stillman’s have wing or leg injuries, but they also have a red screech owl with a hearing deficit. “This screech owl screeches even louder than most screech owls do, probably to hear itself,” one of the volunteers explained. While the Snowy Owl is considered the

largest owl by weight, coming in at 4 to 5 pounds it is not the largest in size. It has a large wingspan of 52 inches but is only 23 inches in height. The Great Gray Owl has a slightly larger wingspan and checks in at a height of 27 inches. However, it only weighs about 2.5 pounds. Volunteering their time The volunteers at Stillman are a close and friendly group who seem to enjoy not only the nature center and the animals but also seem to enjoy working with each other. Along with caring for the raptors, volunteers provide landscaping duties such as trail clearing and tree planting. They teach programs providing information about environmental education. The center is always looking for volunteers so anyone interested is invited to contact them for more information. Stillman has hired college interns in the past and hopes to hire three for this year. Being an intern is hard work and requires physical labor out of doors during the hot summer. The interns work 20 hours a week for 10 weeks and do receive some compensation. To apply send a resume and field of study to Spreyer at Stillman.

above: `Michelle Emerson, a current volunteer handles a broad winged hawk while presenting a program. Emerson was a former intern at Stillman. PETER SCHWARZ Spirit of the Lakes

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Sharing with the community Stillman offers a variety of onsite and offsite programs, which bring live owls either to a school, garden club, or wildlife conference. Spreyer and his volunteers will bring four or five of the raptors to the program to share knowledge of these beautiful birds. This past year with the pandemic, fewer programs were given off site in schools but it is hoped that this year, as schools return to normal, more programs will be given to share knowledge about nature’s ecosystems. Programs are offered on a variety of subjects including wildflower walks, bird banding, bird walks, bugs and butterflies, snakes and turtles, tree identification, solar observing and bats. Check the center’s website for current programs and fees. While most are offered free of charge, there are minimal fees for some. Walk the trail For those looking to take a walk-in nature, the Thursday Trekkers invite you to tag along as they travel the trail through Stillman and enjoy nature. The Thursday Trekker program is usually held on the first Thursday of the month at 9:30 a.m., but checking the website to assure it is being held is always a good idea. Meandering down the trail, it is not unusual to see and hear laughs and giggles from a group of children gathered along the shore with a naturalist, dipping small nets into the water and extracting a variety of water, tadpoles, and just plain debris from the bottom of the pond giving them some knowledge of the ecosystems that make up the lake. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks are required when on the grounds at the center and virus mitigation measures like social

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARK SPREYER, DIRECTOR OF STILLMAN NATURE CENTER Spirit of the Lakes

distancing, hand sanitizing, and continuous cleaning are also being employed. Stillman Nature Center is a public, tax exempt, privately owned nature center and return that depends on memberships and donations to continue their work. While many of their programs are offered free of charge, they are always grateful for donations to help feed the

PHOTO COURTESY OF DAN SIMPSON Spirit of the Lakes

raptors and maintain the center. Or consider a membership and become involved in assuring that this jewel of nature continues to be available. The Stillman Nature Center is at 33 West Penny Road, Barrington, Illinois. Phone 847-428- OWLS (6957). To learn more about Stillman, make a donation or to volunteer, visit www.stillmannc.org.

above: A small group of children gather around a net filled from the pond to learn what can be found in the water. left: The red-shouldered hawk at the Stillman Nature Center is majestic looking with its beautiful red coloring makes it stand out.

SPIRIT of THE LAKES

What’s cooking?

College of Lake County offers culinary school by Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT

his past year has caused a change in most of our lives as we have spent more time at home due to restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, one of the biggest changes has been the cooking most meals at home rather than dining out at a favorite restaurant. With the return to home cooking many have become bored with their repertoire of recipes and may be considering attending a culinary school to learn better techniques and new ways of producing flavorful meals or baking tasty breads and rolls or creating elegant desserts. While others who have been off work

because of COVID closures, may be considering a change in professions and moving into the culinary and hospitality field. The Culinary and Hospitality Program at the College of Lake County, with a fine reputation and located close to home, may be the place to learn more about cooking or baking. Earn an associate degree or certificate from here, and it may be your ticket to enter the culinary and hospitality field. The College of Lake County, which opened in 1969 with its principal campus located in Grayslake, now has two additional locations, Waukegan and Vernon Hills, where students gather to learn new skills and professions.

With a number of buildings spread over 226 acres in Grayslake, the comprehensive community college provides high quality education that is affordable to the residents of the area. Since its opening, more than 70,000 students have graduated with associate degrees or certificates in a variety of programs, as students work to achieve their personal and professional goals. While they offer a variety of educational programs, one of the very popular programs is the Hospitality and Culinary program. According to the National Restaurant Association the culinary and hospitality field are the second largest employers in the nation, employing 13.1 million people. Although the restaurant industry has had a

above: Chef William Vena puts the finishing touches on Osso Bucco, an Italian dish made from veal shanks, which have been braised with vegetables, broth and fragrant seasonings. SANDRA LANDEN MACHAJ Spirit of the Lakes

March • April 2021

difficult time this past year because of the pandemic, there is little doubt that the need for restaurant and hospitality workers will again increase as the virus begins to recede. “We currently have about 385 students enrolled in the program, which is less than we usually have. Some have taken time off either due to the pandemic or due to personal or family needs,” said Chef William Vena, co-chairperson of the Hospitality and Culinary program.

Learning to cook

Vena is the instructor for the culinary arts program, which focuses on culinary items that includes meats, seafoods, and other items that make up the many courses of a meal but does not include baking and pastry. Just as our lives have undergone changes during the pandemic, there have been changes as to how the classes are taught during this difficult time, according to Vena. “We are doing some remote learning, online or as Zoom classes, but some things need to be taught in person,” Vena said. “We have lowered the size of the classes for lab work, that is the actual food preparation classes, from 16 to eight per class. Some of the classes are even smaller. We often do morning, afternoon, and evening classes. There may be a lecture in the morning and then lab cooking in the afternoon and evening.” At a recent visit to one of Vena’s labs there were only three students attending that day in the small chef’s kitchen located on the lower level of Building A. Each student was dressed in their kitchen clothing, checked pants, white top and a white flat hat covering over their hair, as compared to Vena’s full-white outfit with his chef’s Toque on his head. The three students in the class all have had some culinary or hospitality experience having worked in restaurants prior to entering the culinary program and continuing to work in them while in the program. Face masks and gloves were worn by all in the kitchen working with the food. Each student immediately began working on their assignment, some chopping vegetables, another placing seasonings on a tray of vegetables ready to be cooked. Walking into the kitchen was a step into heaven as the fragrant aroma of cooking food permeated the air. On the stove a pan of Osso Bucco (veal shanks) was simmering as it finished cooking. Vena was beginning to prepare for his lesson of the day, teaching them the correct way to prepare veal scallopini slices. Students gathered around the gas stove as he preheated the pan instructing them

on the importance of heating the pan to the proper temperature before placing the meat into it. Because they were cooking veal, he emphasized the care needed in the meat’s preparation. “It just needs to be slightly browned and because it is thin sliced and tender it only takes a few minutes on each side,” he told the students. After deglazing the pan, removing the small pieces of flavorful meat that adhere to the pan when cooking, he added it in the butter sauce, which would top the scallopini slices. Vena reminded the students that the small things, such as tasting the sauce before pouring it on the meat, are crucially important.

“Once you pour it on the meat and serve it, it is too late to correct the seasonings,” he said.

Learning to bake

While Vena’s students work on the savory part of the meal, down the hall at the other kitchen, the other co-chairperson of the Hospitality and Culinary program, Chef Teresa Novinska works with the students in the Baking and Pastry Arts program. Here the students learn to produce quality breads and rolls to be enjoyed with dinner and those fancy, rich and exquisite desserts we can never pass up no matter how full we may claim to be. “When a simple bread or a fancy dessert does not turn out right, it is important

above: Culinary student Emily Olmas seasons fresh vegetables before roasting them. SANDRA LANDEN MACHAJ Spirit of the Lakes

SPIRIT of THE LAKES

above: Students gather around the kitchen as Chef Novinska offers instruction on today’s baking project. This photo was taken before the pandemic. Today the students and Chef Theresa Novinska would be wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLEGE OF LAKE COUNTY Spirit of the Lakes

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“There is more to food service than just preparing food; there is learning how to serve and to run a restaurant,” Novinska said. “To help students learn these managerial skills, we have had a student run restaurant in the building where students handle everything as they would in a private restaurant. Here they put what they have learned in classes into a real restaurant setting,” Novinska added.

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when tasting it to focus on what went wrong rather than what the student did wrong,” Novinska said. “Once they master the basics, the students move on to the upper levels which includes more complicated recipes.” Once they reach the higher levels the students are expected to focus on not only a well-made dessert, but need to think creatively to produce an attractive plate presentation and to use flavors and colors on the plate that will complement the dessert.

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The student restaurant on campus was called the Prairie and opened in 2012. This past year it, like other restaurants in the state, had to close because of the pandemic. Although they are sad that it had to close and students lost the experience that the restaurant offered, there are new plans for a restaurant in the future.

Moving to a new space

Because of an agreement with the Lake County Forest Preserves, the college will lease the Brae Loch Country Club Banquet space, which has been empty for 10 years. Located on Highway 45 in Grayslake, just across from the college, I the Brae Loch will become the home of the College of Lake County’s culinary program and a new and larger restaurant. That is after some major renovations. “Moving our culinary experience from building basement to Main Street will inspire a new generation of chefs,” Dr. Jeffrey Stomper, dean of business and social sciences, said. “The new space will be fitted with top-of-the-line kitchen equipment to better train our culinary students, while increasing community awareness of our program and how it prepares for the work force with the latest skills. The space will require about $1.5 million to renovate the facility. The school will create two new, larger, functional teaching kitchens, a larger dining space than they had at the Prairie and create new faculty offices all conforming to the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. Both Vena and Novinska said they are looking forward to having the additional space to teach and to provide more opportunities for students to display their talents to the community. Along with their new larger restaurant with fine upscale dining, they will be providing food service at the golf course snack shop during the golf season from May 1 through Oct. 31 each year. The College of Lake County, Grayslake Campus is at 19351 W. Washington St., Grayslake. For more information about the culinary program, visit www.clcillinois.edu. Chef Vena and Chef Novinska have shared a couple of the recipes (Page X) they use to teach students. Why not try something new in the kitchen and give these recipes a whirl?

Cutlets in the style of Milan BY CHEF WILLIAM VENA This recipe is native to the town of Milan and dates back to the Eleventh Century. Veal is the standard but pork is also used, due to its tenderness, flavor, and cost. Ingredients 4 cutlets, veal or pork, pounded thin (about 4 ounces each) Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup of flour 2 eggs, beaten 2 cups breadcrumbs 7 Tablespoons butter Lemon wedges and chopped parsley to garnish Directions Carefully pound the cutlets between parchment paper or plastic wrap to 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness. Season the cutlets with salt and pepper. Three-step bread the cutlets in this order: flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. Press bread crumbs into cutlet with your hands. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook cutlets for a few minutes on each side until they have a golden-brown appearance and a semi crisp texture. Garnish with lemon wedges and fresh chopped Italian parsley. Serve and enjoy.

Directions Line a tart pan with pastry dough. Pipe or spread an even layer of almond cream over the tart shell. Arrange apples in overlapping rows, covering the almond cream completely. Brush the top of the apples with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with granulated sugar. Bake at 375 degrees until the crust is done and the apples are a light brown. Allow the tart to cool to room temperature, then brush the top with apricot glaze.

Almond Cream Ingredients 8 ounces butter, softened, unsalted 1 pound granulated sugar 5 eggs 5 ounces all-purpose flour 12 ounces almonds, ground Directions Cream butter and sugar. Slowly add the eggs, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Stir the flour and almonds together, add to the butter mixture. Blend until no lumps remain. This will make 3 pounds of the cream, more than needed for the tart. Store the excess in the refrigerator for up to three weeks and use on other desserts.

French Apple Tart BY CHEF TERESA NOVINSKA Ingredients 1 pound Almond Cream (recipe below) Pastry dough/pie crust 4 to 5 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin 1 to 1-1/2 ounces of unsalted butter, melted Granulated sugar as needed Apricot glaze as needed

above: Chef Vena William gives individual attention to students as they prepare main courses. In keeping with covid regulations all students and the chef wear masks while in the kitchen. PHOTO COURTESY OF COLLEGE OF LAKE COUNTY Spirit of the Lakes

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