My Holiday Home, 2014

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F O R E S T PA R K

JOURNAL REVIEW W E D N E S D A Y

Holiday HOME

NOVEMBER 2014

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WEDNESDAY JOURNAL | FOREST PARK REVIEW | LANDMARK

Holiday Open House November 14-16, 2014

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Contents B4 Special gifts

HOLIDAY DAY SHOPPING B10

Getting cozy and warm

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Decorating Tips

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Holiday Housewalk

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Holiday History

Staff Editor Brad Spencer Shopping Sarah Corbin Editorial Design Manager Claire Innes Editorial Designers Janquinete Baldwin ,Sky Hatter Online Editor Ashley Lisenby IT and Digital Developer Mike Risher Staff Photographer David Pierini Advertising Production Manager Philip Soell Advertising Design Manager Andrew Mead Advertising Designers Mark Maroney, Debbie Becker Advertising Director Dawn Ferencak Display Advertising Sales Marc Stopeck, Missy Laurell Communications & Marketing Project Manager Alicia Plomin Circulation Manager Kathy Hansen Distribution Coordinator Jill Wagner

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Publisher Dan Haley VP/Director of Operations Andrew Johnston

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Published by Wednesday Journal, Inc., 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 (708) 524-8300 | OakPark.com

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WEDNESDAY JOURNAL | FOREST PARK REVIEW | LANDMARK

Where to find that special gift Refind Home in Forest Park offers vintage and handmade wares

(1) A beverage station, festively decorated with lights and holiday candies, is a handy way for guests to help themselves. (2) Desert table. (3) Criss-cross runners create place matts for the mix and match table setting. (4) Coffee cups and plates are transformed into a multi-tiered serving dish. Stick Tac can be used to keep plates affixed to the cups.

DAVID PIERINI/Staff Photographer STYLED BY ANNE DOWD/Refind Home

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By BRAD SPENCER Contributing Writer

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emember when the word “handmade” meant something, or a personalized gift for someone held such an emotional wallop? Well, Refind Home in Forest Park is trying to bring back that concept with a flourish before the holiday season.

The home specialty shop, located at 7511 Madison St., sells handmade, vintage and eco-friendly items in all sorts of categories. Anne Dowd, who opened Refind Home in 2014 with her husband Douglas, says the store is gearing up to showcase its interesting and unique wares for the holidays.

“We are bringing in new products left and right so we have a variety to choose from for the holidays,” she says. “We’re all about the local, sustainable, and affordable elements to our products and this season we’re excited to showcase some truly exclusive merchandise.”

From cork coasters made in Melrose Park to distinctive Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and Elijah McCoy print portraits created right around the corner from the store, Dowd says Refind Home has things people can’t find anywhere else.

“These are the things that aren’t in the big box stores. We have things like eco-friendly kids products such as a play-dough alternative called Eco Dough. We have flasks made from real wood and artistically designed pillows handmade in Chicago, along with ceramic lamps and oak copper tube candle holders.”

The Dowds, who are Oak Park natives, say they know how the holidays can get busy for a lot of people, so they’ve streamlined efficiency and convenience by incorporating timefriendly features to their business.

“We have made it easy for people to shop from home for the holidays with in-store pickups and packaged and bundled items,” says

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WEDNESDAY JOURNAL | FOREST PARK REVIEW | LANDMARK

Holiday HOME

November 12, 2014

3 Anne. “The bundled items provide savings for our customers. We also provide gift bags and boxes complimentary for holidays, and same-day pickup. It’s great for people who are working and don’t have a whole lot of time to shop but they want to shop locally, and find gifts that are unique.”

Anne adds that Refind Home is stocked with distinctive dishware, which many people need in abundance during the holidays. She favors the eclectic look during the holidays.

“Not everything has to match. It’s important to keep accessories to a minimum, and not allow the décor

to overwhelm the plates and the food during a holiday party or dinner. I’m all about the mix and the match of the holidays.”

Refind Home will again be participating in the Forest Park Holiday Walk slated for Dec. 5, and Anne says the store will feature a live window display.

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WEDNESDAY ESDAY JOURNAL | FFOREST ORE O OR REESSTT P R PA PARK AR A RK R REVIEW EVIEW | LANDMARK

Decorating with style From glitter to pheasant feathers, local florists know how to go all out for the holidays stuck in a rut and expecting company or entertaining this holiday season, three area florists are here to help take holiday decorating up a notch.

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Writer

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f your holiday tradition consists of putting a tree in the corner while accessorizing with some green and red, or putting a menorah on the mantle and calling it a day, it’s possible your home is calling out for a little something more. If you’re

Tulipia Floral Design In River Forest, Tulipia Floral Design owner Peter Kingston really gets into the holiday spirit and wants his clients to do the same.

“We have the best holiday décor of any-

one around. We clear the entire store out, and it’s full of holiday items. We have the kind of stuff that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s our busiest time of the year, and we’re open seven days a week starting in November.”

Tulipia offers full service decorating for the holidays, including mantles, trees and outdoor planters. Kingston says his team works to provide something that complements a home and the homeowner’s sense

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of style.

“It’s all geared to the homeowners themselves. Some like a natural look with spruce, evergreens and berries. Others want a more glitzed up look with ribbons, glitter on pinecones and shiny ornaments.”

Some clients come to Tulipia looking for a holiday centerpiece or an arrangement for a hostess gift, and Kingston is happy to provide higher end flowers such as amaryllis or orchids to help dress a table or entryway. He also offers extensive home decorating, including a design plan.

“We’ll go into the house and see what sort of decorations they have and what we can incorporate, and we tie the two together,” says Kingston. “Some clients like to go in stages and have us set up their tree one year, and then work on their mantle the next, until they have the entire house set up. Our items are very collectible and last for a long time, so for repeat clients who are looking for something new, we might switch up the locations of certain items to give things a new look.”

This year Tulipia celebrates 10 years in River Forest. The business is known for its spirited holiday window displays. This season, Kingston says, customers can look for a polar bear theme to dress up the store front on Lake Street.

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Carriage Flowers Stacey Haynes, assistant manager at Carriage Flowers in Oak Park, says one of Carriage’s biggest sellers during the holidays is centerpieces. They design extravagant centerpieces accented with candles to allow table conversation.

“People often pop in the store for a last minute hostess gift or centerpiece, so we always keep a lot of poinsettias and gift items in stock,” she says.

Carriage also has clients who are looking for fullservice decorating, and Haynes says they are happy to help with a scheme that can last the entire holiday season.

“We’ve been a brand for sixty years, so clients know we’re professionals. Life is stressful these days. People are working more or perhaps they are aging and not comfortable climbing a ladder to decorate, so they call us. We take the stress away.

We can go in and do mantles, garlands and door lighting, as well as greenery.”

Moss Modern Flowers Like Kingston and Haynes, Chris Geoghegan, proprietor of Forest Park’s Moss Modern Flowers, strives to create a mood with her holiday decorating.

Geoghegan’s unique style emphasizes the natural world and interesting textures and artifacts. Her arrangements, wreaths and garlands typically use objects found in nature that can create a seasonal mood without being overtly holiday in theme.

For large scale arrangements, Geoghegan says she might use a big piece of Ponderosa pine or digger pine cones from California.

“We do things with a lot of texture.

Zebra pods, china berries, big pieces of eucalyptus and seed pods add a lot of interest to an arrangement,” she explains.

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“I might mix these things in with Japanese Ming pine, Norfolk pine or pieces of blue juniper for the holidays. I might add Dusty Miller, which is a whitish grey mix or pieces of white birch for an all new way of thinking about winter white.”

Geoghegan says she incorporates a rustic element to her containers, using weathered wood, birch pieces or tin to construct vessels for her arrangements.

For a masculine look that incorporates the outdoors, she says she might turn to deer antlers and pheasant feathers. She often incorporates southern magnolia leaves and pods into wreaths and garland.

Not a fan of the traditional red and green, she uses leather, reptile patterned ribbon or vintage velvets to hang her custom wreaths, which can be round or square and custom-made up to 6-feet across for a dramatic accent.

Some clients call on Geoghegan to decorate their entire homes for the holidays, and this year, she will be decorating homes on the Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society’s Holiday Housewalk.

“When I’m going to somebody’s home, I try to get a vibe for what the homeowner is like, or what their lifestyle is like. Some homes, I just work on the fireplace and mantles. Sometimes, I do the entire house, or sometimes people just want table arrangements for parties.”

Like Kingston, Geoghegan relishes creating an enticing window display for the community each holiday season.

“One year, I created an entire display with religious icons, and people really responded to the relics. Last year, I hung birch and used white scrim fabric as a background. I created a giant wreath of antlers and incorporated a 1930’s Italian terra cotta statue of the Christ child. It’s not your normal Christmas window.”

Moss is in its ninth year in Forest Park, and Geoghegan thinks like-minded people tend to seek her out for her design sense.

“Most people come in looking for something more unusual or something with an edge,” she says. “I only sell what I’m passionate about or what speaks to me, and I think that comes across.”

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House-walking on a grand scale Sweet 16 for Infant Welfare Society’s Annual Holiday Housewalk

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Writer

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is the season.

As soon as the last dish is wiped clean and the turkey is relegated to the leftover bin, the holiday season swings into action. With only a month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, holiday lovers are preparing to make the most of the season. One sure way to get inspired is to attend the Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society’s Annual Holiday Housewalk.

In its sixteenth year of showcasing beautiful Oak Park and River Forest homes decked out for the holidays, the walk and accompanying market are the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Infant Welfare Society. In benefitting the society’s Children’s Clinic, the event not only gives participants holiday decorating inspiration, but also provides much needed funding for medical services for children in need.

This year’s housewalk will feature five local homes—four in River Forest and one in Oak Park. While all of the homes were built in the 1920s or 1930s, they offer distinctive styles from traditional Tudor to more contemporary designs. Sarina Butler, one of three co-chairs for the housewalk, says it’s important the committee showcase a diverse group of homes each year.

“The five homes this year are very different,” she explains. “One of the things we strive for is to give different perspectives and architectural and design diversity. All of the homes have been rehabbed and all have been kept true to their original designs. In Oak Park and River Forest, we have people who value the beauty of space and who have adapted older homes to how people live today.”

INFANT WELFARE SOCIETY’S HOLIDAY HOUSEWALK Friday, Dec. 5, 5 p.m. - 9 p.m., Sat, Dec. 6, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Check in: Nineteenth Century Club in Oak Park For tickets go to www.childrenscliniciws. org or call (708) 848-0528 ext. 231.

All proceeds of the walk benefit the Infant Welfare Society’s Children’s Clinic, which offers children in need of medical, dental and behavioral health care. In 2014, more than 3,000 children received medical and dental care at the Children’s Clinic.

Sneak peak In Oak Park, Caitlin Mooney, frequent attendee of the holiday housewalk, was delighted to have her Tudor home included on this year’s tour.

“I’ve gone to the event forever, and I love it. Every year it gets better and better,” she says. “I was so happy to join this year’s walk. It’s a fabulous cause, and it’s local. I’m happy to do it for the kids who need health care. Also, I love my house at Christmas, and I love going the extra mile on my home.”

Mooney and her husband, Tim, along with their two sons, moved into their 1929-built home in 2002 when, according to Mooney, the home needed a “loving touch.”

“When we bought it, it was in bad shape,” she recalls. “It probably should have been condemned. We kept the home’s original footprint and reconfigured and restored the first floor.”

With the help of architect Jon Bergstrom and kitchen designer Jean Stoffer, the Mooneys renovated their kitchen, first floor family room and backyard. Throughout the process, they were careful to maintain the home’s Tudor originality in the form of wrought-iron stair rails, light fixtures and a decorative gate that flanks the doors to the dining room.

A self-professed flea market junkie, Mooney has filled the home with treasures found on her travels. The living room, home to her extensive portrait collection and an impressive stone fireplace, will soon boast a nine-foot Frazier Fur tree. The Mooneys will deck the halls with their extensive collection of vin-

Courtesy of the Infant Welfare Society

The classic Tudor home of the Mooney family (top photo) dons traditional decorations during the holiday season. Situated on one of the most picturesque and historic streets in River Forest, the Stelmach home (above) reveals unexpected touches especially suitable to the holiday season. tage decorations, including ornaments and nutcrackers, collected from around the world.

The walk experience Katie O’Brien, director of marketing and communications for the Infant Welfare Society, says that getting a glimpse into personal homes is part of the fun of the housewalk.

“One of the things we spotlight with the walk is the love and care that people put into

their homes here. It can be inspirational to see how other people take care of their homes as well as how they decorate for the holidays.”

Butler notes that the success of the walk has helped it grow over the years. “When the housewalk started, it was a one day event. It has now grown to encompass an entire weekend, and participants can enjoy our preview party on Thursday night, see the houses on Friday night or Saturday, and enjoy our

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Market to showcase more than 40 vendors In addition to the Infant Welfare Society’s Holiday Housewalk, the holiday market allows the festivities to continue all weekend. One of the co-chairs of the event, Liz Robinson, notes that the market has grown exponentially every year.

“This year we have over forty vendors, almost ten more than last year, due to the bigger space we have at the Nineteenth Century Club. We’re really trying to create an experience with the market.”

Jewelry, clothing, toys and home décor items are just a few items that will be on hand at the market. Robinson says a favorite booth from previous years featuring Parisian-style items will return, as well as favorite chefs providing treats from foie gras to soup.

The fun begins on Thursday night (Dec. 4) with a

preview party. Robinson says this is a great opportunity for people to get to the market and get that special item before it’s gone.

“Many of the items are one-of-a-kind, so once it’s gone, it’s gone,” she says.

“Thursday night is a great time to come over with some friends to shop and enjoy cocktails and appetizers.”

Tickets for the market preview party are $15 for individuals, or $10 an individual for a group of five or more.

Robinson adds that the following night will also be a great time for couples to shop the market as elves will be on hand to help spouses choose and wrap that special gift. A whiskey tasting, as well as festive cocktails and food make the evening a great start to the weekend.

On Saturday, the holiday market is partnering with

Downtown Oak Park’s Annual Cookie Walk and will be a stop on the walk.

Throughout the weekend, the Holiday Market will display five celebration tablescapes that are awarded to the winners of a raffle benefitting the Infant Welfare Society. This year’s themes offer something for every attendee to enjoy. From a Girls’ Night In, Farm to Table, Christmas, Loving Frank and A Moveable Feast, the tablescapes offer a bit of local and holiday flair. Five winners will go home with a complete tablescape, including linens, china, glassware, flatware, centerpieces and accessories.

Entrance to the holiday market on Friday and Saturday is included in the purchase of a housewalk ticket. A one day pass for the market only may be purchased for $5.

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Courtesy of the Infant Welfare Society

The home of the DeGroffs is an ideal setting for the theme of “Classic Christmas Stories.”

Each room of this lovely home built in 1939 spotlights the theme of one of the family’s favorite Christmas stories.

Holiday Market from Thursday through Saturday. When people come through the homes on the walk, there’s always an ‘a-ha’ moment, when they get excited about something they see. This makes the walk special.”

Participants are welcome into the homes on Friday, Dec. 5 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and on Saturday, Dec. 6 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. On Friday night, the exterior of the homes will feature carolers or musicians, and on Saturday each home’s kitchen will have a little treat provided by a local restaurant or shop. During the

weekend of the walk, local restaurants, such as Autre Monde, Cucina Paradiso, Duckfat, Hemingway’s Bistro, Maya del Sol and Wineberie’s, will donate 10 percent of walk participants’ purchases to the Children’s Clinic.

“It’s an entire community effort, from the homeowners who open their houses to society members who volunteer their time, to the local merchants who also give so generously,” says Butler. “It’s an effort by a lot of people saying that the Children’s Clinic matters and the work of the society matters.”

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WEDNESDAY JOURNAL | FOREST PARK REVIEW | LANDMARK

A history of the holidays A time when decorating began on Christmas Eve, trees were a needless extravagance

By DOUG DUECHLER Contributing Writer

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hroughout our local history there were definite waves or trends in what folks did to brighten their homes and their community during the holiday season.

In the 1840s and ‘50s pioneer period, cabins and cottages were often bedecked with evergreen boughs. Though a wreath made from fir branches was historically a pagan symbol used to ward off evil spirits during the winter, by the mid-19th century the tradition had blurred into a common Yuletide practice so early settlers often hung wreaths on their front doors. Many even “trimmed” their windows with evergreen garland and hung greenery, holly, and ivy around their homes. Extra candles were placed in windows to light up the darkest time of the year.

Though Christmas trees were considered a needless extravagance in the earliest days of our villages, an increasing influx of

Attribution for all: Photos courtesy of the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest

Holiday stockings once consisted of real socks that were stuffed with nuts, hard candies, and shiny new pennies, and sparkling thin strips made from lead hung from the trees as tinsel.

German immigrants into northern Illinois helped popularize them.

But the first decorated trees were short ones that stood on tables.

By trees mon. trees

the 1890s large Christmas were becoming more comMany people trimmed their with hand-made ornaments,

small musical instruments, plus lots of edibles like wrapped chocolates, candy canes, cookies, hard candies tied in squares of colored tissue paper, apples, painted walnuts, and yards and yards of strung white popcorn and red cranberries.

Stockings, as “The Night Before Christmas” poem tells us, “were hung by the chimney with care.”

As anyone today can tell you, “stocking stuffers” can be quite pricey. But in the late 19th century, children’s stockings (real socks, so for starters they were smaller) were usually filled with nuts, hard candies, a tangerine, perhaps, or shiny new pennies.

Evergreen branches were strung over banisters, around fireplace mantels, and there were ropes of evergreen garland even along the borders of doors and windows.

In some of the larger homes in the villages, the Christmas tree was often kept behind closed doors until Christmas Eve. Then the pocket doors would be slid open dramatically to reveal the tree in all its glory.

Although almost no decorating

appeared until Christmas Eve, holiday preparations would commence several weeks before. In the 1900s laundry delivery wagons in the area would pick up “flat work” (tablecloths) and whisk them off to be cleaned and pressed. Large Boston ferns and poinsettias would be ordered. The bright red poinsettia plant, native to Mexico, became popular around 1910.

From the 19th century until the early 1920s folks used small candles to decorate their Christmas trees. Trees were fresh-cut so they were never dangerously dried out and combustible. Tiny metal clip candle-holders clamped on the ends of the branches. Candles were lit for only a few minutes per evening while the family might sing “Silent Night” or “Oh Little

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Attribution for all: Photos courtesy of the Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest

A small village of tiny white cardboard houses at the foot of the Christmas tree often provided the children with hours of amusement.

Town of Bethlehem.” Father watched vigilantly with a bucket of water or sand ready nearby. Then the candles were quickly snuffed out as soon as the caroling finished.

Today, of course, people often leave their Christmas tree lights on all evening.

Even with all the safety precautions, however, no matter how vigilant a family was while candles burned brightly on their tree, catastrophes occurred. By 1908 most insurance companies would no longer pay for fires resulting from Christmas tree candles. In 1913 a string of electric lights cost $12, which would be around $300 in today’s money.

Many families liked to display doily-lined cornucopias filled with nuts and candies in the 1900s. These could be hung on the wall or used on the dinner table as a center piece.

Paper chains made from strips of green and red construction paper were hung around the dining room.

A shopping mecca With the rise of consumer culture, by 1910 there was an increasing number of merchants decorating their businesses for what had become their busiest shopping month of the year. The bigger department stores featured a new holiday theme every year.

From the late 1920s through the mid-1960s, Oak Park was a major regional shopping center that boomed during the pre-holiday season. The village offered the largest shopping district from west of the Loop all the way out to the Mississippi River. The intersection of Harlem Avenue and Lake Street would become so crowded there were extra policemen posted every evening, blowing their whistles to stop traffic so the hordes of shoppers could cross from Marshall Field’s to Wieboldt’s.

By the 1930s most families had developed their own traditions in holiday decorating. A small village of tiny white cardboard houses at the foot of the Christmas tree often provided the children with hours of amusement.

Protestant families in the U. S. rarely displayed nativity scenes until the 1930s when dime stores like Woolworth’s started selling cardboard stables and 10-cent figurines to go with them. Many families would set up all their painted figures—wise men, shepherds, and all—but would not add the baby Jesus until Christmas Eve. Early in December the boxes of tinsel, the ornaments, and the Creche would come down from the attic. Tinsel was re-used and often ironed annually to smooth it out.

Holiday decorations were passed down from generation to generation, with some special ornaments added each year.

Tinsel, sparkling thin strips made from lead that were supposed to emulate icicles, were designated a health hazard and prohibited after 1972. The tinsel now sold is made from mylar film or a Saran type of plastic.

Christmas decorating really took off after the shortages of World War II were over.

The huge F. W. Woolworth’s on Lake Street just east of Harlem carried several “seasonal aisles” crowded with affordable decorations. Smaller competing dime stores, like Kresge’s, Newberry’s, and Ben Franklin, sold items like cardboard “red-brick fireplaces.” These were widely popular among villagers whose homes or apartments lacked a real hearth for hanging stockings.

During the 1950s and ‘60s strings of colored electric lights were now used outside, running along the roof lines and porch railings to outline local homes. Outdoor displays of holiday lighting became a status symbol and often brought out a competitive spirit among neighbors. Many families drove around the villages to see all the Christmas lights and decorations. This became a common holiday outing.

Since December is the darkest month with the shortest days, Yuletide decorating down through the decades has been a much enjoyed, festive way of brightening the last portion of the year.

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WEDNESDAY JOURNAL | FOREST PARK REVIEW | LANDMARK

Food for thought: leave it to the pros Oak Park caterer, Food Obsession, offers a little of everything for everyone

By BRAD SPENCER Contributing Writer

T

he holidays don’t have to be stressful.

Food and party preparation doesn’t have to be time consuming and nerveracking. Not when there’s a local food catering company that can take the hassle out of the holidays so you can enjoy them like they are meant to be enjoyed.

Food Obsession in Oak Park, owned and operated by chef and village resident Daniel Vogel, can help make the holidays anxiety-free.

The catering business, stationed at 809 South Blvd., will fix all the sides for Thanksgiving and cater your most glamorous holiday party.

Vogel says some of the Thanksgiving fixings his business has offered in year’s past include cream cheese mashed potatoes—Vogel’s grandmother’s recipe—as well as an assortment of casseroles made from scratch.

“We offer a bunch of different sides, and people can pick and choose what they want,” he says. “They pick up on Wednesday, and heat up and serve on Thanksgiving Thursday. It’s the same for Christmas where in the past we’ve offered a tenderloin and different sides and customers pick-up the day before. It makes things a whole lot easier over the holidays.”

Food Obsession also provides full-service catering, which might entail a simple-drop off of their products or being on hand for an elaborate party.

“Last year we did an extravagant 250-person holiday party in River Forest where we handled the entire thing including food, equipment and bar,” says Vogel, who has classical French cuisine training and formally worked for Blue Plate Catering and Phil Stefani Signature restaurants. “We also offer a popular program, Weekly Obsession, where we email out a streamlined item that customers can swing by and pick-up for that week. We basically offer a little of everything for everyone, customizing every menu to fit the occasion, the season, and the needs of any customer.”

Vogel adds that he didn’t want Food Ob-

Photos courtesy of Food Obession

Food Obsession owner Daniel Vogel says his catering business customizes menus based on a customer’s needs. session to be thought of as providing one basic service.

“That’s not what we’re about. We customize based on seasonality, and we’re constantly creating new items,” he says. “We wanted to get away from this is all we have, all we can do, and make it much more about the customer. We wanted that one-on-one interaction to get a good idea of what the client is going for.”

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One client Vogel took on was obsessed with Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, so he flew in the precise bread from Philadelphia for the party. “We take that next step in order to give our clients a unique experience.”

Vogel says some of the early trends he’s seeing for the upcoming holidays are nostalgic foods such as Whoopie Pies, Apple Cider Beignets, and Peanut Butter Fudge.

“Also, people are leaning more towards

heavy hors d’ oeuvres stations, and less towards heavy dinner buffets,” he says.

Happy Holidays from

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Just a flip of the switch Local landscaping company makes holiday lighting easy

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Writer

W

hen the holidays in your neck of the woods tend to coincide with words like polar vortex and blizzard, and the sun sets at 4:30 p.m. every day, it’s nice to have something outdoors to look forward to.

Sure your beautiful garden may not be visible under inches of snow and ice, and your backyard patio might not be getting much use, but there is still a way to experience joy on the outside of your home—even in the winter. West suburban landscape company Dig Right In makes it easy for customers to bring light and warmth to a home’s exterior throughout the holiday season.

Jeff Swano, president of Dig Right In, says the holiday season inspires many of his customers to want to make a statement, while leaving the heavy lifting to the professionals.

“Clients are looking for big Christmas joy.

They remember what they did as kids at the holidays, and they want their kids to have that joy,” he says. “They also don’t want to go up ladders when it’s 30 degrees or colder out, so they turn to us.”

Many of Dig Right In’s holiday lighting

clients are also landscape customers. Swano notes that clients who have had his company install or maintain landscaping are typically looking for someone with design expertise to create a holiday lighting scheme that can go up right after Thanksgiving and stay up through the colder months, adding brightness to a bleak landscape.

One of the hallmarks of Dig Right In’s lighting installations is the design expertise of their staff. Swano notes that designers like Britny King, who manages the holiday lighting, brings a designer’s eye to every project.

“Our designers bring a technical expertise that you won’t get from everyone else.

They really understand depth of field, and how to light up a house while working with background and foreground to provide a pleasing effect.”

When a client calls looking for a holiday lighting plan, King will visit the home, measure, take photos and come up with a design and a quote on the spot. According to Swano this approach insures that Dig Right In protects and highlights the landscaping as well as the architecture of the home.

King notes that working with a landscape designer provides peace of mind for many customers.

File photo

“A lot of homeowners have problems with big lighting companies because they aren’t respectful of the existing landscape,” she says. “We are careful not to harm the landscaping and work to protect and highlight elements that the homeowners are proud of.”

Beyond lighting, a full-service landscaping company like Dig Right In can provide wreaths, garlands and containers for clients and work with clients on integrating design elements such as the use of spotlights.

Swano says that in areas like Oak Park and River Forest with older housing stock, it’s important to troubleshoot for electrical issues.

“In older homes, the electrical systems can for sure cause problems. More and more, we’re trying to design with LED lights because they won’t explode or pop an electrical breaker.”

See HOLIDAY LIGHTING on page B19

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HOLIDAY LIGHTING

Better lights, energy savings from page B17 While some are critical of the cool light cast by LED lighting, Swano notes that the color selection is constantly improving and provides warmer tones than LED lighting did when it was first introduced. With improved aesthetics and safety, LED lights also offer substantial savings.

“The energy savings are great,” he says.

“As a sustainable landscape company, we really promote tthis.” his. hi Among a few lights for Am mo on ng simply hanging ha clients, Dig Right Righ In also offers an allinclusive holiday lighting package. The package includes design, installation, inclu troubleshooting troubleshooti and take down. Prices start at around $1200 for a package aro and go up depending on a homeowner’s needs. ne “This isn’t a Craigslist install.

We have hav trained professionals with wit insurance climbing on your you roof or decorating your giant tree. We work to be completely hassle free,” c says say Swano. “We own all of the materials, and we store them the for you during the off season. The homeowner doesn’t have to do anything. If a bulb goes

File photo

out, we’re there within 24 hours to replace it.”

King adds, “We all know what a pain it can be just to take out and unwind all of your

lights every year, so our services takes that hassle away.”

Swano says clients are booking installa-

tions now, and once the set-up is complete, all a client has to do is flip a switch to start the holiday season.

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