This week Laura and Joelle are joined by broker and real estate consultant, Ellen Baren.  If you are interested in buying or selling in Chicago or the Northern Suburbs, working with Ellen you can expect a solid knowledge base of neighborhoods, homes and schools. Ellen’s grasp of the history and market along the lakefront and surrounding neighborhoods is unique. As one client said, “Ellen is stellar. She maintains a vast array of personal relationships that allow for organic and effective advertising. She sold our place in weeks…in the dead of winter! She was also a clear, concise communicator who made the process easy.”

Ellen Baren, realtor and real estate consultant, recording #AlwaysAndersonville: The Podcast at Transistor, Studio C.

Listen to Episode 87 with Ellen Baren!

Here are some references from Episode 87 that you may want to check out:

• Ellen grew up in Elmwood Park and Oak Park, and attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, studying photography, a skill that has proven valuable in her real estate career. For the last 19 years, she has lived in Rogers Park. She worked in sales for a long time at Second City where she learned valuable project management skills, while also receiving her real estate license. She has worked for a few real estate companies, but most recently has been with @Properties for 13 years.

• She puts lots of care in preparing a home for sale, and approaches it step-by-step. Ellen uses her design background to stage homes with what is already within them, and works to de-clutter and maximize the space with the most aesthetically pleasing compositions.
• Ellen is certified as a Seniors Real Estate Specialist, Certified Negotiation Expert, and Green Realtor. As a Green Realtor, she’s attuned to what green technology is available, and what is most cost efficient. For example, weighing the benefits and costs of certain kinds of water heaters, or whether to replace vs. insulate your windows. She likes to use what you have, and reduce the amount of waste that simply replacing something can cause. As a Senior Real Estate Specialist, this means she has extensive knowledge and experience working with people over the age of 55, and addressing their concerns and needs, whether it be health and/or family situation. Serving homeowners who have been in their home for decades is often emotional, and Ellen takes into consideration the time and care needed to serve people well. Ellen is soon to receive her designation as a Pricing Strategy Specialist as well. This will allow her to have more insight and knowledge in pricing and strategy for higher price-point properties. 

One of Ellen’s current listing in Uptown, at 4834 N Kenmore.

• Ellen has many stories of connecting with her clients, many of whom now feel like friends. She realizes that sometimes the circumstances around a home sale are very personal, and takes great care to be empathetic and caring throughout the process. “With kindness and care, that’s how you handle something like that,” she says. “Over and over, I’ve come to realize that we’re working with people – they’re not making a small purchase, these are people’s lives that we’re talking about. I’ve learned to be a support for people who are going through these things, and really help them.”

• Ellen has many amazing stories and testimonials, which you can find at www.ellenbaren.com.

• Home buying can be complicated, and there are so many people involved. Ellen helps through every step, which includes so many people! The buyers, sellers, their attorneys, mortgage professionals, assistants, appraisers, inspectors, and so on. Keeping track of all of them, and who they are working with is something Ellen does well.

• In Ellen’s opinion, if it is financially accessible, it is always better to own. There is a pride of ownership and sense of security that you may not have as a renter. In weaker markets, like in 2007, it is less likely for a homeowner to be displaced due to lost income that someone who rents. In stronger markets, like today, owning allows you to build equity and you receive a tax deduction for the interest (up to 10K.)
• Ellen’s homebuyer tips:
  1. Go to Ellenbaren.com!
  2. Get your finances in order.
  3. Make sure you have a pre-approval letter.
  4. Once you know your budget, start looking!

A Rogers Park property, sold by Ellen Baren.

• Ellen has sold over 150 properties, and she doesn’t necessarily have a favorite kind of property she like to sell, but rather she loves helping people and getting to know them, and serving them with her expertise. She has connected with so many, and has been able to personally connect. “Selling real estate, it’s not just selling houses and negotiating, it’s really getting to know people.”

• Ellen loves her job for so many reasons, she gets to work with amazing people, and it touches on so many different aspects – marketing, finance, management. She also gets to view really amazing properties, just for fun sometimes. Penthouses, high rises, it’s fun to see the architecture, art, and luxury!

• Advice to up and coming realtors: Research and interview and a few different companies to see which is the right fit for you, and find an office that provides training, who throws the best holiday parties…just kidding! She feels very lucky to at @Properties and enjoys its culture very much.

• If she could trade places with an Andersonville business for a day, it would be Women & Children First because she has watched them grow ever since they were under the train tracks on Elston, and then on Halsted. And, Hopleaf! With her background in entertainment, she’d have fun for a night there. But overall, she loves Andersonville and has enjoyed watching it grow. It’s relaxing, friendly, and high-quality.

Find Ellen Baren – Realtor and Broker on the following platforms:
Online: www.ellenbaren.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ellen.baren

This episode is brought to you by Foursided, the one-stop shop for cards, gifts, and vintage since 2005. And the brand new custom framing shop at 5111 N Clark you’re going to love. Come find your holiday spirit at Foursided and Foursided.com.

This week, Joelle and Laura are joined by Mark Bires and Trey Elder of Jerry’s Sandwiches. Known for their extensive beer and whiskey selection, great music, beautiful outdoor patio space, and humor, Jerry’s has been serving curious, thoughtful sandwiches in Andersonville since 2012 at 5419 N Clark. Jerry’s is also a featured stop for this weekend’s Andersonville Viking Pub Crawl!

Mark Bires and Trey Elder of Jerry’s Sandwiches recording #AlwaysAndersonville: The Podcast at Transistor, Studio C.

Listen to Episode 86 with Mark Bires and Trey Elder!

Here are some references from Episode 86 that you may want to check out:

• Mark Bires is Owner, Executive Chef, Bookkeeper and more at Jerry’s and has been in the food business his whole career, and with Jerry’s since 2002 when it opened as a small sandwich counter. Trey moved to Chicago originally in the music industry, then worked for Intelligentsia coffee, helped friends open their own food places, and after eating at Jerry’s consistently was asked by Mark and Mindy (owners) to come on board. Trey handles whiskey, music, cocktails, and filling the store.
• Jerry’s opened in 2002 on Madison Street, and Mark remembers that it was around the exact same time as the Democratic Convention. For the convention, Madison was redone, and the West Loop was starting to grow. So, they decided to open there. The concept for the name was that reflected their Jewish heritage, but didn’t want to use their actual name. So they landed on Jerry’s and joke that it’s really named for Jerry Garcia. It was originally “Jerry’s Sandwiches and Deli” but eventually they just used the name “Jerry’s.” 
• Many of the sandwiches are named after customers and celebrities. Mindy (Mark’s wife), has the “Mindy F” – blackened chicken, avo, cheddar and chutney. Others are Annie O, (for Annie Oakley, but also their original staff housekeeper.) Customers still can make their own creations. There are about 60+ options on the current menu. At one point there were 100! It got a little out of hand. The Harlan is the most popular, a fried chicken sandwich. Half Acre Daisycutter and Krankshaft Metropolitan. Mark tends to like the specials, Trey likes The Rachel (for Rachel Carson), turkey, avo, pesto. You can view the full menu here.
  

A little bit of everything at Jerry’s.

• They chose Andersonville as a location because Mark and Mindy used to visit for dinner, and as they were viewing second spaces, they looked at (former) The Stargaze on Clark. They decided to go with the space, and fully renovated. They dug a basement, and updated the back patio. Originally they envisioned opening in 4 months, and it took a year. Then, they opened in Lincoln Square four years ago. They were the first tenant there. Recently, they converted and added Geraldine’s in January 2019 next to Jerry’s in Lincoln Square. It allowed them to utilize the space and hire a pastry chef, Eileen Kerbal. The pumpkin cheesecake comes highly recommended! There are plans for pastry at the Andersonville location too  
• Jerry’s offers catering and event space rental. This is really their background, as they used to do weddings. They currently can cater to groups of about 20-30 is ideal. Their goal perhaps someday is to acquire more space to offer for larger parties. They’ve done small weddings, and acoustic music events. Their former Wicker Park location had music 7 nights a week. And interesting fact: Music -wise, they only play full albums, featuring Americana for the most part – rock, jazz, blues. Both their food and music is rooted in what people like.

Before Jerry’s, there was Stargaze.

• Change in the restaurant business over the years has been dramatic – case in point, their former location on Division. They watched restaurants clear out. There are many more small concepts now, in contrast with larger businesses like Lettuce Entertain You. For example, someone like Parachute. Mark shares, “There’s such dynamic dining now. You’ve got to really be sharp – and we’re aware of this. You have to know what you want to do, focus on it, execute it properly, and make sure it’s something your customers want.”Trey adds, “The word foodie hasn’t been around that long. There are whole YouTube and Food Network channels dedicated to food. The general public’s perception of the food that they eat is different. Obviously chains still exist, but in cities people are less interested in chains. Food trends in the 70’s and 80’s would be 5 years or so, and now they’re 6-9 months. People look at the way they eat a lot differently than they used to.”
• Jerry’s is participating in the 3rd Annual Viking Pub Crawl this coming weekend on November 16. When asked, “Why do you think people like this so much?” Because people like dressing up, whether they admit it or not! Chicago might have a bad rep for pub crawls – bud we do it right. The right people and attitude has everything to do with it. Andersonville has a very chill pub crawl, and it’s relatively weather-proof! This year’s offer is a cocktail, along with Solemn Oath “kidnapped by vikings” beer.

Get “Kidnapped by Vikings” at Jerry’s during the Viking Pub Crawl this Saturday, November 16!

• Mark’s biggest advice for restaurateurs, “Work in the business for as long as you can. You need to see what unique element you can bring to the table – or something you have a passion for that you can deliver and execute really well. This goes for any industry. Wait for your eureka moment, and be hands-on. You have to be there for all the details because it’s such a hyper-competitive industry.”
• If they could trade places for a day with another Andersonville business, Mark would pick Gethsemane Garden Center – he loves to doodle in the garden, would love to be the gardener in a hat. Trey would pick Woolly Mammoth Chicago. He loves it’s eclectic stuff and their history. If you’re listening – he’d love to hang out!

Find Jerry’s Sandwiches on the following platforms:
Online: www.jerryssandwiches.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JerrysAndersonville
Instagram: @jerryssandwiches

This episode is brought to you by Meetinghouse Tavern, located at Clark and Winnemac where you can enjoy free pool, darts, skeeball and more. Or, play one of the dozens of board games. They have daily specials to quench all thirst, plus Thursday night karaoke and the Sunday Social Variety Show. Never a cover! Find out more on Facebook.

This week, Heather and Joelle are joined by Jill Knobeloch of GrapeSeed Designs and Aville Cowork. Jill works to blend a company’s voice, culture, and unique character to create a truly authentic representation of brand. She helps small to medium-sized businesses establish and grow their brand image through consistent, clean, and professional visual applications.She is also starting a new coworking space right here in Andersonville will Aville Cowork.

Jill Knobeloch, owner of Grapeseed Designs and Aville Cowork recording #AlwaysAndersonville: The Podcast at Transistor, Studio C.

Listen to Episode 85 with Jill Knobeloch!

Here are some references from Episode 85 that you may want to check out:

• Jill grew up in Colorado, and attended RIT in Rochester, NY where she earned a BFA in Graphic Design with minors in German and Russian, and then lived in Southern California for a while, and landed here in Chicago in 2015. She started GrapeSeed Designs in 2011. “A grapeseed is a small, bitter, harsh thing that can grow into a wide variety of things. And when it comes to branding, it starts out as this small thing, and if you nurture it, it can grow into anything you want.”
• Jill goes beyond defining branding as just a logo or color scheme. It’s your voice. The way you show up. Your character within the world. She focuses on tying together the visual and written description of your business. When working with clients, she gets to know them, their culture, how they work day-to-day, and make sure it’s represented in a truthful way.
• Jill enjoys niche industries. A client that particularly stands out is a company that builds and maintains draft lines (for beer) for bars and restaurants in Chicago. YOu don’t typically think about what it takes for the beer to go from the cooler to the tap in a way that is clean and safe. She got to go on site and learn about beer, how to maintain it, and what needs to be considered when installing bars. She got to know their culture, and saw how passionate – aka – “nerdy” – they were about their beer, their tech, and their overall brand.

• Most clients come to her needing a website, but don’t have much in mind beyond that. The difference with Grapeseed Designs is that Jill not only designs everything, but writes cohesive copy as well. A 3-6 month engagement with a client is optimal, it allows her to be creative and strategic. The first 80% of what she does is focus on user experience, and making sure that telling a business’ story is effective and clear. The rest is design and web development, of which she does both. “I’m doing all of the writing, all of the design, all of the coding development.” So, she’s maybe just a little nerdy, too. With a background in coding, she is able to customize a website to be suited exactly to a client’s needs.
  
• Jill has a new venture, Aville Cowork. Her design work allows her flexibility, and Jill works from home. But with that, she noticed that sometimes working from home is challenging – in can be isolating, difficult to find and connect with community, and distracting. So, she began working from co-working spaces a couple of years ago. There has been a boom of co-working spaces in the last decade, especially in downtown areas. But Jill noticed a deficit on the northside and aims to fill it.
• With the goal of serving and connecting with the Andersonville community, and after almost 16 months of looking for the right space, Jill aims to open Aville Cowork soon! Stay tuned for updates! The best way to get updates is to visit avillework.com and  follow on Instagram.
• Outside of GrapeSeed Designs and Aville Cowork, Jill cultivates a love of horses, specifically volunteer work at therapeutic riding centers. She grew up with the Western discipline, then on to English, and Dressage. She participated in gymkhana events that included pole bending, barrel racing, and even stock events. After college Jill continued pursuing therapeutic riding and instructing. Even after moving to Chicago, she has continued being involved in therapeutic riding with Freedom Woods in Skokie.

Freedom Woods in Skokie.

• In addition to horseback riding, at the early age of 5, Jill fell in love with hockey, and is now an active hockey referee. She played in school, and eventually began refereeing. That was 19 years ago! Refereeing hockey has opened the door to many opportunities. She worked all through high school in Colorado, continued through college in Rochester (the job was perfect for a student – super flexible and made good money), and while still in college began officiating at the collegiate and national level. Once in Southern California, she was fast-tracked and received her international refereeing license. In 2011 – she got her license and started Grapeseed Designs! He held her international license for 6 years, and got to referee in Mexico. She now focuses on collegiate hockey, specifically NCAA Division 1 & 3 hockey.

• If Jill could trade places with another Andersonville business for a day, being the animal lover that she is, it would be Jameson Loves Danger. She would steal all the puppy kisses she can. She hopes to have a shop dog in her Aville Cowork when it opens!

Find GrapeSeed Designs and Aville Cowork on the following platforms:
Online: grapeseeddesigns.com & avillecowork.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/grapeseeddesigns & www.facebook.com/avillecowork
Instagram: @grapeseeddesigns and @aville.cowork

This episode is brought to you by Meetinghouse Tavern, located at Clark and Winnemac where you can enjoy free pool, darts, skeeball and more. Or, play one of the dozens of board games. They have daily specials to quench all thirst, plus Thursday night karaoke and the Sunday Social Variety Show. Never a cover! Find out more on Facebook.

This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by Mark Liberson, President of LKH Management, and owner of Replay and Elixir restaurants. At Replay Andersonville, you are invited to unwind and enjoy delicious food and beverages and leave feeling better than you did when you arrived. With 22 vintage video arcade games, and over 20 craft beers on draft. Elixir, which is right around the corner, is an inviting intimate lounge that celebrates the ‘art of cocktail.’ You can visit Replay at 5358 N Clark, and Elixir at 1509 W Balmoral.

Mark Liberson of LKH Group, and Replay and Elixir Andersonville. Photo by Anjali Pinto for the 2019-20 neighborhood guide.

“Don’t be afraid to know what you don’t know. The strength of a business and it’s future has less to do with the individual and more to do with the team. And, always enjoy what you’re doing. If you don’t enjoy it, do something else because you’re not doing the right thing. Have fun!”
-Mark Liberson

Listen to Episode 82 with Mark Liberson!

Here are some references from Episode 82 that you may want to check out:

• Mark has been in the hospitality industry almost his entire professional life, first working for Levy Restaurants and Hilton Hotels. He decided to venture out on his own, beginning with creating a Chicago-based magazine called You Are Chicago with big events, where he met lots of people in the club scene who encouraged him to open his own club, so he did. He decided that if he was going to open his own club, he would create something for the gay community, and thus Hydrate Night Club was born in 2002.
• Opening his first night club, Mark learned how, on a deeper level, the gay community is exciting and diverse. They appreciate when you appreciate them, especially when one is supportive of the things that are important to them. One of the priorities during opening Hydrate was to support the gay community through philanthropy, sports, and social endeavors – to do more than provide simply a night club. This practice continues to this day. Mark’s businesses sponsor many events, with specific focus right now on opening a dental clinic in partnership with Howard Brown on the North Side for those who don’t have access to insured dental care. He remarks that many people may have health insurance but not dental, and that dental health is vital to overall health. There is a Howard Brown dental clinic on the South Side, but the North Side needs one. Fundraising is underway, and if you’d like to support you can do so here.
• Replay and Elixir also have locations in Boystown/Lakeview. Mark chose Andersonville as a second location because he loves the area, and used to walk through often when he lived in Uptown. With Replay, he aimed to bring a place to go, have great food, watch sports, and play games. Then he added Elixir, the lounge, an upscale, premium craft cocktail alternative. Patrons can access each business through each other. The same being true of the Lakeview locations (Hydrate/Elixir).

Replay is located at 5358 N Clark. Photo by Anjali Pinto for the 2019-20 Neighborhood Guide.

• In Boystown, Elixir is currently decked out for Halloween as Diagon Alley from Harry Potter. Elixir Lakeview is unique and reflects the unique managing, with a different style. Unique to Andersonville, Elixir features recurring music programming. The first Monday features two drag queens singing a la Alexis Bevels and Dixie Cartwright – they are so talented and funny! We discovered them at Midsommarfest. Watch the windows and table-tops for promos.
• In Andersonville, there are so many families in the neighborhood, which led them to come up with a schedule similar to a swimming pool of “adult swim” and “kids swim.” Everything is clear on the website, and it has worked well. And of course, they are always dog friendly on the patio. Replay offers many different ways to draw a diverse audience, with one example being they brought in the sous chef from Girl and the Goat. They really want their space to be a reflection of Andersonville, where everyone is welcome and can have a good time.
• On to video games. Mark, a video game fanatic, tries to pick the most popular games available for Replay. As a kid, he demanded quarters from his dad and escaped to the arcade. It’s so fun to watch adults teach their kids the games they loved…only to lose to their kids! And younger generations, who weren’t exposed as kids, but enjoy it. All the video games are free, by the way! Galaga is one of Mark’s favorites. Other machines that are fan favorites are Ms. Pacman, Donkey Kong, a Star Wars game and pinball games. They also have driving games. (Which coincidentally, is how Laura learned how to drive.)

Arcade games at Replay. Photo by Anjali Pinto for the 2019-20 Neighborhood Guide.

• Back to food menu, Replay’s menu was recently updated, featuring guest chef Dirk Flanigan, most recently of The Gage. Mark has known him for years, and knew that his style along with Replay executive Chef Bernardo would work well together. They’ve brought together great flavors, a few favorites being curry ribs, a curry cauliflower appetizer (which was featured during Taste of Andersonville). They offer new vegetarian dishes, new hamburgers. New items are printed in red on their menu.
• Favorite cocktails at Elixir created by their mixologist, who can create on the fly – you don’t have to order off the menu. Watch for a new menu this fall in Andersonville, and right now at Elixir in Lakeview they are featuring their Harry Potter inspired cocktails.
• Being a seasoned bar and restaurant entrepreneur, Mark sees the industry as remaining competitive, which means that it’s important to be constantly moving forward and keeping everything interesting and fresh. The industry has become more accessible to more people, which creates another level of competition because there are more options. He sees Andersonville as a shining star because of all it offers with retail, dining options and more. Mark is dedicated to the advancement of both Lakeview and Andersonville neighborhoods, sits on the Board for both Chambers, and is proud of the efforts of their efforts.

Craft beer at Replay.

• Mark’s biggest piece of advice to a young entrepreneur looking to get into the bar/restaurant business: Run for your life! Hahaha! No, it is this – Don’t be afraid to know what you don’t know. The strength of a business and it’s future has less to do with the individual and more to do with the team. And looking back, advice to himself 17 years ago would be to relax and enjoy. Always enjoy what you’re doing. If you don’t enjoy it, do something else because you’re not doing the right thing. Have fun!
• Mark has traveled all over the world with the mantra “see it before you leave it.” He’s planning an upcoming event in Puerto Vallarta. He has also loved Singapore, night club parties in Bangkok, street food tours in Vietnam, opera in Sydney to name a few. He has experienced amazing night club parties while traveling with DJ and producer Ralphie Rosario (grammy-nominated, has a street sign in front of Hydrate) in Bangkok when he was spinning with Abel. Combined to be “Rosabel.” Looking forward, Mark has plans to visit South African wine country.
• If Mark had the opportunity to switch places with another Andersonville business for a day it would be George’s Sweets and Treats, for all the wrong reasons! He’s a chocolate ice cream fanatic! But, it’s hard to pick just one, he would also love to walk into the shoes of Women & Children First and Vincent, Calo, so many. But truly, he enjoys them as they are and loves being a guest. If he could do anything else with his life, he would go into law. As a lawyer, maybe he could make a difference in society.

Mark stopped in at George’s Ice Cream and Sweets after the podcast recording.

Find Replay and Elixir in Andersonville on the following platforms:
Online: replayandersonville.com and elixirandersonville.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/replayandersonville
Instagram: @replayandersonville
Twitter: @ReplayAville
Support Howard Brown’s Dental Health Program: howardbrown.org/donate-dental

This week, Laura and Joelle are joined by Karen Rose, owner of City Olive. City Olive is a specialty olive oil and gourmet food boutique where you can enjoy an exquisite selection of the finest estate bottled extra virgin olive oils and locally made artisan products from around the world at 5644 N. Clark.

Karen Rose and Laura in Studio C recording #Always Andersonville: The Podcast.

“Olive oil is the perfect gift, and it does last longer than a bottle of wine.”
-Karen Rose

Listen to Episode 81 with Karen Rose!

Here are some references from Episode 81 that you may want to check out:

• City Olive has been in Andersonville since 2007, and prior to that, Karen was a registered nurse for many years. She has a passion for healthy food, travel, and cooking and wanted to try something different, combine her passions, and maintain her love of promoting healthy living. While traveling in Spain, she noticed olive oil was everywhere and had significant health benefits, but back in the States she saw that good olive oil was hard to find.
• The deciding factor to open a small business came after lots of research on the health benefits of olive oil, and emailing producers in Europe and California. She came to a point where she knew she had to do something with all the research she had done, and was contacted by a landlord and moved forward with opening her business. Originally City Olive was at 5408 N Clark and is now at 5644 N Clark. The name City Olive comes from Greek mythology.
• Olive oil has been surrounded by some controversy. For example, not all oils marked “extra virgin” are necessarily accurate. Estate bottled olive oil allows Karen to follow the entire production process, from tree to mill, and can be as little as 2-12 hours. It is minimally processed, with no heat or chemical use. Also, the storage and purchase process minimize contamination, which prevents the oil from becoming rancid.

A wide array of products available at City Olive.

• Karen brought some oil to taste on air, which you’ll just have to experience yourself at her location in person! In terms of selection, Karen works with only the highest reputable importers, and does some importing herself. Some producers have come directly to City Olive, including a Lebanese producer, Oleavanti, who brought their product to present at Andersonville Arts Week. O-Med is also another producer City Olive carries, outside of Granada, Spain. In this episode, Karen brings Tondo from Sicily. Her customers meet the producers, and have even gone so far as to visit the estates!
• The way City Olive does tastings, is first – without bread. Like wine, you want to taste it by itself. A good piece of bread will mask a bad oil. City Olive uses green apple, which has just enough tartness to cleanse the palate. They use little blue glasses, so that the color isn’t a determinate of the quality of the oil (color can be manipulated.)
• Tasting process: Hold it in your hand to warm it slightly. Smell it and take in the aroma. Take it and slurp it into your mouth covering your entire palate. SLURP! If there is a little heat or bite, those are the polyphenols.

Tasting in the studio! Slurp!

• When buying olive oil, look for not only the best by date, but the harvest date. And make sure to use it! Karen shares that in Greece, the average consumption of olive oil is 17-20 litres per person, per year! The average American uses less than 1 litre. And, olive oil isn’t just for cooking, you can bake with it too. Karen makes an olive oil cake that you can find on her website. You can convert butter to olive oil.
• When storing your olive oil, always store in a cold, dark space with the lid on. The enemies of olive oil are heat, sunlight and air. Most keep it by the stove – but don’t! Many bottles come with tamper proof lids. City Olive also carries Gary Jackson handmade containers, great for a beautiful presentation. Otherwise, keep it in the container it came in with a tight seal.
• As a nurse, Karen reminds that olive oil has significant health benefits and has links to articles on the City Olive website from the Harvard Journal of Public Health and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. She also encourages a plant-based diet, and to pay attention to labels (is sugar or salt the first ingredient?)
• Difficulties that the olive oil industry (as well as cheese and wine) face right now are tariffs. (European retaliatory tariffs…which are still undecided. If these tariffs go through, there will be a 100% mark-up on products. You can call your representatives, Congresswoman Shakowsky, Senator Durbin to voice your opinion.) California produces great oils, but only provides 5% of the nation’s consumption.

Olive oil producers Oleavanti from Lebanon, sharing their work at Andersonville Arts Week + Fest 2019.

• If Karen could trade businesses with any other Andersonville business, it would be with Scott Martin because of all the interesting people he must encounter who come in at Simon’s (5210 N Clark) and Svea (5236 N Clark). Scott’s favorite olive oil is Omed and he could definitely sell oil as well!

Find City Olive on the following platforms:
Online: cityolive.com
Facebook: facebook.com/oliveoilchicago
Instagram: @cityolive
Twitter: @cityolive