Chamber of Commerce

As mentioned in a previous post, one of our New Year's Resolutions is to get more connected with the community via Chamber of Commerce. Last week we went to a business after hours at Ivy in Wheaton. They had a delicious spread of food for us to enjoy and we learned who has been nominated for Best of Wheaton. Some of our favorite businesses are in the line up. You can vote for your faves here.

While mingling, we met interesting entrepreneurs. Dick O'Gorman, the owner of Ivy, was one of the most intriguing. His passion for food and entertaining is palpable. You can tell that he wants people to feel like they are coming to a friend's house when they eat there. We also met a cool cat, Frank Curiale. He owns We Know Tickets. He knows the ticket market in and out, so if you are looking for those hard to snag tickets, he is the man with a plan. He watches the ticket market as intensely as a stock broker watches the Dow. Frank said that he can help people figure out when to purchase in order to get the best price.

As our faithful customers know, we love highlighting local wineries and breweries in our cuisine, so we were happy to discover that Dry City Brewery is part of the Chamber. Chef Darrin went to school with one of the Ebel's, so we have an allegiance to Two Brothers, but we will definitely stop by Dry City Brewery and see what we can weave into our menus.

After the event, we headed over to Lynfred Winery. We treasure that place and we are looking forward to doing a wine and food pairing event with them on April 28th. I will fill you in our connection to them and give details about the pairing soon.

All in all, we learned that connecting with the community will be like nurturing a garden. Thriving vegetables don't pop up over night. It takes time, commitment and a desire to make our community a better place. Fortunately, Wheaton is a great place to sow roots. The businesses around here are long lasting and service oriented. We look forward to the relationships that we will develop with fellow entrepreneurs.

For the love of food,
Chef Jeanine

I resolve to...

oh! Happy New Year! 

It is a refreshing time of year. I can clearly vision my "better self". Feelings of optimism are flowing. I also sense a battle rumbling. One with my own integrity! Who will be victorious? The new me? Or my old self? When considering resolutions for the business, I decided to stack odds in my favor by selecting ones that simultaneously make me happy and create a positive butterfly effect. 

Sow roots in our community

Chef Darrin and I want to support and collaborate with the businesses in the area.  The Chamber of Commerce in Wheaton seems like a good start. Their goal is to foster business relationships, advocate for local economy, and develop business education and opportunities. I just registered oh! and I look forward to getting to know fellow business owners very soon.

Organize an effort

The question, "What are you doing for others?" regularly pops up in my mind. Darrin and I intend to create an avenue for community members to join us in donating food to civil service workers to thank them. We plan to put together a team to serve the underprivileged. This is a tough one because we are in the beginning stages of organzing. But where there is will, there is a way. 

Cultivate a garden

This one is personal. I interned at an organic farm and I managed personal garden beds when I lived in Austin, TX. Gardening is tedious in terms of prepping the soil, properly planting the seeds, weeding, and fertilizing. But the grand prize of harvesting fresh vegetables is so delicious! Having a garden inspries me as a chef, so it is a win-win for my home meals and oh!'s menu development.




For the love of food,
Chef Jeanine