Issues
Ghostlight’s New Home
Mayor Bob Barnett (right) joins Ghostlight’s founding partners – William Hunter Evans, Colleen Gibbons, Micki Doherty, Carolina Menapace, and Alex Bahaveolos – at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for their new space. Doherty, Ghostlight’s artistic director, said, “We are so excited to be in downtown Downers, and the welcome from the community has been incredible… So many…
Read MoreGhostlight Educational Theatre Collective continues to give back to the community
Two Years and Counting BY VALERIE HARDY | Photos by CM Stage Photography Drive through Downers Grove and surrounding suburbs and you will see the hallmark yellow, black, and white logo of the Ghostlight Educational Theatre Collective (ETC) on yard signs and window decals. Celebrating its second anniversary this month, Ghostlight may be one of…
Read MoreSnapshot: Davanti Enoteca
47 East Chicago Avenue in downtown Naperville www.davantienoteca.com Be transported to the Italian countryside. From the moment you enter Davanti Enoteca in Naperville, guests enjoy an authentic atmosphere that provides an exceptional dining experience. This lively wine bar and restaurant offers shareable, contemporary twists on rustic Italian cuisine so patrons experience the different regions of…
Read MoreAll Heart: District 58 teacher Jon Belonio spreads his love of art
By Valerie Hardy Around Downers Grove, Jon Belonio is somewhat of a celebrity, especially among the 12 and under crowd. Wherever he goes in town, Mr. Belonio (as he’s known to his students) is likely to run into a child he has taught in art class at some point during their elementary school years. In…
Read MoreGrand Finale: Downers Grove North band director Brayer Teague will leave a lasting legacy when he retires
BY VALERIE HARDY | Photos courtesy of Brayer Teague For District 99 students, school will soon be out for the summer, but for Downers Grove North High School’s longtime band director and fine arts department chairman Brayer Teague, school is about to be out forever. Teague is set to retire at the end of the…
Read MoreGaining Momentum – Hinsdale Alum Cathy Richardson
By Scott Jonlich | Photos by Victor Hilitski Cathy Richardson is one of Hinsdale Central’s most famous Hall of Fame members. She lived in Burr Ridge while attending Hinsdale Central and graduated in 1987. To quote her induction statement as a 2020 Hall of Fame inductee, “Her music career was in full swing at Central,…
Read MoreNeat Kitchen and Bar
neatkitchenandbar.com 246 North Cass Avenue downtown Westmont Lifelong friends John Taylor and Matt Verde, owners of Neat Kitchen and Bar in Westmont, met in sixth grade at Immaculate Conception Grade School in Elmhurst. After graduating together from high school, their careers took them separate ways, but both pursued careers in the restaurant industry. Between John’s…
Read MoreTaurasi
taurasirestaurant.com 14 North Cass Avenue downtown Westmont Raffaele Cirillo, the owner of Taurasi, was born in Gragnano, Italy – two miles from the Sorrento coast – into an entrepreneurial family with a passion for hospitality and cooking. Born into the hospitality business, his father began Raffaele’s cooking lessons at the age of nine and declared,…
Read MoreSnapshot: Vasili’s
VASILISMEDITERRANEAN.COM 135 WATER STREET DOWNTOWN NAPERVILLE Authentic. This word aptly describes Scott Harris Hospitality’s Vasili’s Mediterranean restaurant, nestled in Naperville’s downtown riverwalk. Named after the father-in-law of the renowned restauranteur Scott Harris (Papou is Greek for grandfather), the restaurant pays homage to the warmth and charm of Papou, whose legacy inspires Vasili’s hearth-fired Mediterranean fare.…
Read MoreHome & Design: A Slice of Americana
Sears Homes offer a glimpse of a past that will stand well into the future By Maureen Callahan | Photos by 726 Visuals Instead of looking online or working with a realtor to find your ideal home, imagine being able to order it from a catalog. Choose the number of bedrooms, room dimensions and finishes…
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