Naperville News Digest: Long Table Dinner to benefit West Suburban Community Pantry; Knox Church's garden walk raises $5,000 for food bank
The chefs of Water Street will prepare a six-course meal with a welcome cocktail and four wine pairings, a news release said. Music will be provided by Pete Ellman Jazz, and guests are asked to dress in all-white attire. A silent auction is part of the event.
Tickets for $195 each or $1,560 for a table of eight are on sale now. The deadline to make a reservation at aesbid.com/elp/water25 is Sept. 3.
Proceeds support the West Suburban Community Pantry, which serves 1,000 people each week in the Naperville area.
Knox Presbyterian Church in Naperville donated $5,000 to the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva as part of its annual Garden Walk fundraiser.
More than 300 people toured six Naperville-area gardens on July 12. The walk is sponsored by the Presbyterian Women of Knox Church.
Members of the Garden Walk committee presented a money to Northern Illinois Food Bank's Christine Fisher to assist the agency in supplying food to pantries across 11 counties, including Loaves & Fishes in Naperville, a news release said.
For every dollar donated, the food bank can buy $8 worth of groceries for Illinois families, according to the release.
The Naperville Cemetery gravestones for Pvt. William Barber, a Black Hawk War veteran, and Sgt. George E. Hall, a Civil War veteran, were replaced and rededicated thanks to a $2,500 grant and a private donor.
Barber was among 70 soldiers who died between April and August 1832. While few details are available, he may have been among the 12 militiamen killed during a retreat at the Battle of Stillman's Run in Illinois, a news release said.
Hall was born in England in 1839 and enlisted in Company D, 156th Illinois Infantry. Though he survived the Civil War, he died at the age of 40 in 1879.
Brenda Ajster, a veteran and member of the Fort Payne Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, provided a monetary gift for the gravestones.
Among the organizations attending the July 26 rededication ceremony were the Fort Payne Chapter NSDAR, based in Naperville, the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 and the Naperville Honor Guard.
Naperville Preservation Inc. is hosting a summer social from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, at the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873, 908 Jackson Ave.
The event is free to members but open to anyone interested in historic preservation. Tickets for nonmembers are $10 each. Membership to Naperville Preservation is $25.
Snacks and soft drinks will be served, and beer and wine available to buy.
The event serves as an opportunity to discuss historic preservation in Naperville, including the city's historic district, mid-century modern homes and downtown buildings, an event announcement said.
Architect Tom Ryan, Naperville Preservation's chief preservation officer, will talk about the '10 Commandments of Timeless Design for Houses of Any Age.'
For tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com. For questions about membership, email napervillepreservation@gmail.com.
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Chicago Tribune
7 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
They're here. They're queer. They're farming. New generation of LGBTQ farmers more visible and vocal.
Laid off by a bar during the COVID pandemic, Jarvi Schneider turned to the internet for job leads. The Chicago Botanic Garden was offering a training program for would-be farmers that included paid, hands-on experience, and Schneider signed up. That led to a business class and four years growing vegetables at a shared plot in Bronzeville. Now Schneider, who is transgender and uses they/them pronouns, is taking the next step with their spouse, Soraya Alem. The couple is leasing a 43-acre farm in McHenry County, with the intention to buy. 'Unlike a regular job that you go to, where maybe it's not what you want to be doing, it's rewarding to have a spiritual and emotional connection to what you're doing,' Schneider, 36, said of farming. 'And then it's also it's your business, and you're in charge of it.' Schneider and Alem are part of a new wave of LGBTQ farmers who are more visible and better organized than previous generations, with 'convergences' — or regional grassroots gatherings, support resources such as the Queer Farmer Network and farm websites that include the owners' LGBTQ identities. The Department of Agriculture's census of farmers and ranchers doesn't track gender or sexual orientation, so data is very limited. But enterprising researchers crunched the agriculture census numbers for two-person farms and found that 1.2% of those farmers were in same-sex marriages. That equates to about 24,000 LGBTQ farmers in the U.S. And that number is likely a big undercount because the findings, published in 2020 in the journal Society & Natural Resources, don't include LGBTQ farmers who aren't married, aren't living on two-person farms, aren't married to the person they farm with or are transgender or gender nonbinary. The only large U.S. survey, by the National Young Farmers Coalition, found that 24% of farmers age 40 and under don't identify as heterosexual, and 64% say they are not cisgender males. That survey of 3,300 farmers included participants reached through various organizations, and the findings may not be representative of farming as a whole. Still, the large numbers are in keeping with anecdotal reports from progressive places such as Chicago and Austin, Texas. 'It feels like there are so many more queer farmers,' said Chicago-area farmer Fresh Roberson, using the younger generations' preferred term for LGBTQ. Roberson, who is queer and owns Fresher Together, a collaborative food and farming project in Beaverville, said it's hard to know if there has been an actual numerical increase, or if queer farmers are just more visible, due to factors such as the rise of the internet. Either way, Roberson, 42, has noticed a big uptick, even in just the past seven years. Queer farmers — and young farmers in general — often don't come from established farm families that pass down big plots of land from generation to generation. Instead, they discover farming on their own, while navigating an industry that tends to be white, male and socially conservative. The American Farm Bureau, for instance, still defines family to include only blood relationships, legal adoption and 'marriage between male and female.' Schneider and Alem were already interested in sustainably grown food and how to make it accessible to more people when Schneider began their farm training program. In addition, both had childhood experiences at their grandparents' hobby farms: Schneider's grandfather had a horse ranch and vegetable farm in Michigan, and Alem's grandmother grew corn, tomatoes and cucumbers in Louisiana. 'We have the same passion for growing food and being outside, and the importance of getting in the dirt and connecting to the earth,' Alem said. Schneider's training at the Botanic Garden's Windy City Harvest apprenticeship program played a big role in their journey, allowing Schneider to get hands-on work experience. 'It was cool through the apprenticeship to see a couple of rounds of produce that I had either grown or our class had grown from start to finish,' Schneider said. 'It just always seemed (that) to operate that way, you needed a big team, you needed to have all these tools, and you had to have all this space. (But) you can actually do this with less space and you don't need all the tools and resources.' Scheider and Alem never thought they would be able to own a farm — the financial hurdles were just too great. But Schneider had a knack for the work, and was drawn to the idea of running their own business. The couple both took a business class after Schneider's apprenticeship — and then took the leap to farming at Windy City's incubator farm in Bronzeville. Their farm, Otter Oaks, is named for Schneider's grandfather's ranch. 'It's been a learning process every year,' Alem said with a laugh. 'We don't have employees. We're doing the labor, on top of running the business, and on top of having other jobs,' Schneider said. 'Fortunately, Windy City has so many resources that have allowed us to figure all this out — inch by inch,' Alem said. Roberson, who grew up in North Carolina and came to Chicago to attend college, also had family roots in farming: maternal grandparents who were sharecroppers growing tobacco, cotton and peanuts. 'I often say I feel like there is something ancestral that is calling me back to the land, that I don't quite understand,' said Roberson, who uses they/them and she/her pronouns. Growing up in a small town surrounded by farmland, Roberson said they had access to sweet potatoes harvested from a local field, and greens bought from a truck that would pull up in a parking lot. There were many steps on their long road from studying engineering and physics at Northwestern University, to culinary school, to full-time farming, but a big moment came when Roberson was a first-year college student. Roberson went to the store to buy pecans for pecan pie, but couldn't afford them. 'I was like, 'What?'' they said. Back home, their aunt had a pecan tree next to her house. 'I didn't realize how expensive this thing was — or how inaccessible.' As a chef Roberson made sure that they worked at restaurants where they could afford to eat, and today their customers include a local food bank. Farming is a tough business, with many farmers in the Young Farmers survey reporting barriers such as lack of access to land or capital and high health care costs. And LGBTQ people can face additional problems, including discrimination and social isolation, research indicates. President Donald Trump has added to the pressure on queer people in general by insisting that there are only two genders, and attempting to block gender-affirming health care for transgender teens. In March, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins brandished two triumphant scissor emojis on X in a post saying her department had terminated a $361,000 grant in New York City to support queer and transgender farmers and urban consumers. Chicago-area farmers, including Schneider and Alem, were directly affected by the Trump administration's attempt to freeze funding for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program, which increases profits for small farmers and provides fresh produce to communities in need. Schneider and Alem were set to participate in the program for the whole season, Schneider said. Then, all of a sudden, the funding stopped: 'That was really scary.' Some farmers did get money again for a short period, Schneider said, and recently there was more good news: The money would be back until Sept. 30. Schneider and Alem figured out how to keep selling their produce, although for less money than they had planned. Alem said they were heartened by the way small farmers worked together, sharing strategies and solutions. 'We've all been doing this for years, and we're not going to just stop,' Alem said. Being in Chicago has shielded the couple from outright discrimination, but there are times when they are clearly in the minority as farmers. 'I think as queer people — and I'm trans — you're around a lot of people who aren't those things and sometimes it's fine, it doesn't really matter, and other times you can feel like you're in a really traditional setting and it's like, 'Is it worth talking about this? Is it work bringing this up?'' Schneider said. 'For me, usually not — unless I'm in the company of people that are comfortable,' they said. 'There are not many queer people who own their own farms, and there are even less trans people.' Roberson has also noticed some self-censoring, in their case regarding clothing choices. 'I might not go into my USDA office as this Black, fat, queer person in my Dyke March shirt and sit down and talk. … Maybe they're cool, but I'm in Iroquois County. I don't know,' they said. Studies indicate that many queer farmers anticipate discrimination, and that fear of discrimination itself can have a real impact on peoples' lives. Michaela Hoffelmeyer, an assistant professor of public engagement in agriculture at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, recalled interviewing early-career queer farmers who worried that valuable internships and apprenticeships would place them in hostile work environments or unsafe communities. Queer farmers may also be forgoing good farmland because they want to avoid harassment, Hoffelmeyer said. Alem and Schneider arrived at their farm plot in Bronzeville in broad-brimmed hats and sturdy boots, ready to harvest zucchini and cucumber under a blazing summer sun. Schneider's enthusiasm was infectious as they delved into the specifics of mushroom cultivation, brushed aside the notion that farming is particularly hard work and jumped up to rescue a dragonfly from a puddle. Alem cheerfully described working a full-time job in digital publishing, but still managing to farm on some evenings and early mornings — and all day on Saturdays. 'For me, it's really fun to do something so productive,' Alem said of farming. 'It's the most productive thing I do.' Asked about the future of queer farming, Schneider was similarly upbeat. 'In 10 years, if I had to guess, they'll probably be a lot more queer folks who are farming and living sustainably, even if they don't own their own farm,' they said. 'It just seems that that is really popular.' The couple hope to help pave the way at their new farm in McHenry County. They want to host music events and workshops, renovate an old dairy barn so guests can stay there, and launch a farm incubator project, with space and support for early-career farmers. 'We really want to help people find their own journey with farming,' Alem said.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Boston Globe
We picked the best food spots in Greater Boston. Here's how you responded.
Sam LaGrassa's 'Sam Lagrassa's, best sandwiches in Boston!' Joe, Quincy 'Any 'best sandwich' list without Sam LaGrassa's on it, is not a credible list.' Guidebook, posted on Details: 44 Province Street, Boston, 617-357-6861, A Reuben sandwich from Sam LaGrassa's. Wendy Maeda/Globe staff / File 2015 Paulie's North End 'Paulie's on Salem Street in the North End. Best Lobster Rolls in the city!' Energy Guy , posted on 'Paulie's is the best hands down!!' jackelly, posted on Details: 65 Salem Street, Boston, 857-284-7064, Advertisement Market Basket 'Market Basket makes a great LG sandwich for $4.99 and they load it up as you like. More 4 ya dollah!' Schtunk , posted on 'Market Basket makes great subs at 1/3 the price.' Joe Shmo, posted on Details: 400 Somerville Avenue, Somerville, 617-666-2420, Readers praised the sandwiches from the Market Basket supermarket chain. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff Best Bakeries If you're like us, there's never a bad time for a sweet treat. Readers were eager to share their Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Drive-By Pies Bake Shop 'Drive-By Pies in Brookline … Best pies ever, especially cream pies.' beesnana , posted on Details: 248A Cypress Street, Brookline, 617-879-6210, A chocolate cream pie at Drive-By Pies. Craig F. Walker/Globe staff / File 2018 Verveine Cafe & Bakery 'Verveine Cafe and Bakery in Cambridge is the best gluten-free bakery in Boston. It is also a favorite of people who do not need to eat gluten-free. You must check it out.' D.J., Acton Details: 298 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617-395-3125, A breakfast sandwich at Verveine Cafe and Bakery in Cambridge. Brooke Elmore Michette 'Please, Michette in East Somerville! Another baker from France.' OccasionalWriter , posted on Details: 164 Broadway, Somerville, 339-241-2416, Related : Best Neighborhood Restaurants A Pleasant Cafe 'The Pleasant Cafe in Roslindale is the classic Boston-area neighborhood restaurant and it absolutely should be on this list.' TIM02144, posted on Details: 4515 Washington Street, Roslindale, 617-323-2111, The Pleasant Cafe won praise from readers for being a standout neighborhood restaurant, and its pizzas. John Tlumacki/Globe staff / File 2018 Galway House 'Galway House, serving up phenomenal, reasonably priced meals for decades in a wicked fun environment! Love that place and love their beers. So fun to watch sports there, too.' yogasong44, posted on Details: 710 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, 617-524-9677, Advertisement Moonshine 152 'Moonshine 152 in South Boston should definitely have made this list. If you have a chance, drop in for the amazing and creative food.' SouthEnd24, posted on Details: 152 Dorchester Avenue, South Boston, 617-752-4191, A vegetarian burger at Moonshine 152. From Moonshine 152 Best Doughnuts Readers spoke up for their favorite spots for Dunkin' 'Where's Dunky D's? Must be an oversight,' howsoonisnow posted on . Details: Various locations, 800-859-5339, A chocolate frosted donut from Dunkin'. From Dunkin' Linda's Donuts 'My go to is Linda's Donuts in Belmont. They are large, yeasty, and delicious. No frills classic favorites like honey dipped or chocolate glazed that are sure to satisfy cravings for a yummy donut.' 7-10 Split, posted on Details: 247 Belmont Street, Belmont, 617-484-9844, Lyndell's Bakery 'My Somerville folks, Lyndell's makes great donuts and you can get a donut and a small coffee for $5. My go to breakfast deal at the moment' gh74 , posted on 'Lindell's for Boston Cream!' mjaquith posted on Details: 720 Broadway, Somerville, 617-625-1793, Lyndell's Bakery in Somerville. Best Ice Cream The cherry on top. The happy ending to a hearty meal. We're talking about Gracie's Ice Cream 'No Gracie's? Their variety can't be beat!' AnnoyedEnoughToComment , posted on Details: 22 Union Square, Somerville, 617-764-5294, Gracie's Ice Cream in Somerville. Barry Chin/Globe staff / File 2016 Lazy Bear Creamery 'Lazy Bear in Dorchester is great.' CalFi_McC , posted on Details: 383 Neponset Avenue, Dorchester, 617-992-2597, Emack & Bolio's Ice Cream 'For over 40 years, it's been Emack & Bolios. Especially after a Sox game!' V-11, posted on Details: 290 Newbury Street, Boston, 617-536-7127, Boston Ice Cream Factory 'The Boston Ice Cream Factory in Dorchester has very good homemade ice cream. Their cherry vanilla is particularly good, and there are interesting flavors such as Guinness or Green Tea.' BostonKaren, posted on Details: 777 Morrissey Boulevard, 617-436-2189, Best Burgers Think you know Fin Point Oyster Bar & Grille 'Fin Point, best burger and hand cut fries. Outstanding $1.00 oysters from 2:00-5:00. Unbeatable!' Markar posted on Details: 89 Broad Street, Boston, 617-348-1234, Wheelhouse Boston 'Wheelhouse [at High Street Place Food Hall] belongs on ANY list of Boston's best burgers. The Breakfast Burger is my go to… Employees always remember regulars, FWIW. They are awesome. Side note: order the Breakfast Fried Rice and thank me later.' Kntmssnr , posted on Details: 100 High Street, Boston, 857-315-5138, Related : Best Pizza Our picks may have stirred up more division than putting pineapple on pizza. Here are a couple of reader picks for Pleasant Cafe 'How could you have missed the Pleasant Cafe in Roslindale!!!? A true classic.' User_4135498, posted on Details: 4515 Washington Street, Roslindale, 617-323-2111, Descendant Detroit Style Pizza 'Here's a newcomer to our Boston scene that I don't see mentioned here. Descendant Detroit Style Pizza [in the Prudential Center] is absolutely delicious! And this is coming from a New Haven native, who definitely loves New Haven pizza! Crispy edges, delicious sauce, cheese, and care taken to make the best toppings. Soooo good!!' yogasong44 , posted on Details: 800 Boylston Street #123, Boston, 617-544-0417, Kelly Broder can be reached at
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville News Digest: Long Table Dinner to benefit West Suburban Community Pantry; Knox Church's garden walk raises $5,000 for food bank
The 6th annual Long Table Dinner on Water Street will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, outside the Hotel Indigo in downtown Naperville. The chefs of Water Street will prepare a six-course meal with a welcome cocktail and four wine pairings, a news release said. Music will be provided by Pete Ellman Jazz, and guests are asked to dress in all-white attire. A silent auction is part of the event. Tickets for $195 each or $1,560 for a table of eight are on sale now. The deadline to make a reservation at is Sept. 3. Proceeds support the West Suburban Community Pantry, which serves 1,000 people each week in the Naperville area. Knox Presbyterian Church in Naperville donated $5,000 to the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva as part of its annual Garden Walk fundraiser. More than 300 people toured six Naperville-area gardens on July 12. The walk is sponsored by the Presbyterian Women of Knox Church. Members of the Garden Walk committee presented a money to Northern Illinois Food Bank's Christine Fisher to assist the agency in supplying food to pantries across 11 counties, including Loaves & Fishes in Naperville, a news release said. For every dollar donated, the food bank can buy $8 worth of groceries for Illinois families, according to the release. The Naperville Cemetery gravestones for Pvt. William Barber, a Black Hawk War veteran, and Sgt. George E. Hall, a Civil War veteran, were replaced and rededicated thanks to a $2,500 grant and a private donor. Barber was among 70 soldiers who died between April and August 1832. While few details are available, he may have been among the 12 militiamen killed during a retreat at the Battle of Stillman's Run in Illinois, a news release said. Hall was born in England in 1839 and enlisted in Company D, 156th Illinois Infantry. Though he survived the Civil War, he died at the age of 40 in 1879. Brenda Ajster, a veteran and member of the Fort Payne Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, provided a monetary gift for the gravestones. Among the organizations attending the July 26 rededication ceremony were the Fort Payne Chapter NSDAR, based in Naperville, the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 and the Naperville Honor Guard. Naperville Preservation Inc. is hosting a summer social from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, at the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873, 908 Jackson Ave. The event is free to members but open to anyone interested in historic preservation. Tickets for nonmembers are $10 each. Membership to Naperville Preservation is $25. Snacks and soft drinks will be served, and beer and wine available to buy. The event serves as an opportunity to discuss historic preservation in Naperville, including the city's historic district, mid-century modern homes and downtown buildings, an event announcement said. Architect Tom Ryan, Naperville Preservation's chief preservation officer, will talk about the '10 Commandments of Timeless Design for Houses of Any Age.' For tickets, go to For questions about membership, email napervillepreservation@
