Patch Portrait

Teen Turns Trading Card Passion Into Purpose

John Makoweic, 15 of Winnetka, runs the charity Cards for Kids.

This week's Patch Portraits also feature Niles' "Mr. Canoe," and Glenview's local food guru. For many kids, giving back is not at the top of their list of fun things to do in their free time. John Makowiec, 15, isn't like most kids.   Makowiec runs Cards to Kids, a non-profit that specializes in delivering sports cards to needy, or bed-ridden children. "Cards are beneficial in a number of ways. They encourage math, reading and being active," Makowiec told Patch while sorting through the most recent batch at Winnetka's Bleachers Sports. Earlier: Check out the entire Patch Portrait archives. Makowiec was already good friends with Bleachers Sports' owner Keith McDonough, when he conjured up the idea of setting up a collection bin in the store…

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Patch Portrait

Time Marches On For Grocery Store Owner

Demas Foods closes after half a century of business.

This week's Patch Portraits also highlight one Evanston couple opening their home to adventure in Argentina and Des Plaines' dance studio owner for more than two decades. "It's going to be bittersweet because the friendships you make are like family," said Annette Gramatis, as she sat behind the counter on one of the last days her store would be open for business. Gramatis's husband Jim owned and operated Demas Foods and Liquors in Wilmette for the past 54 years. Earlier: Check out all the Patch Portrait archives. The store was sold to the young couple seven years after Gramatis' father opened it, in 1954. With the recent death of her husband, Gramatis is no longer able to continue operating the store. On Aug. 30 the store's contents were …

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Patch Portrait

Restaurant With A Funny Name Makes Some Serious Eats

This week's Patch Portraits also feature Des Plaines' mayor and Highland Park's shoppers.

This week's Patch Portraits also feature Des Plaines' mayor and Highland Park's shoppers. The Wiener and Still Champion, a traditional looking hot dog joint from the outside, has anything but traditional menu inside. There's even a "secret" menu. The restaurant originally opened in 1975, albeit with a different name. After a change of hands in 1982, the new owner decided to consult wth local school children on a new name. The result was "The Wiener and Still Champion." (Earlier: Check out the entire Patch Portrait Series archives.) When Gus Paschalis took the place over in 2005 he kept the name but decided he wanted to bring a new flavor to the joint. "The best part of the day is thinking up new items, coming up with the next sauce of the …

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Patch Portraits Series

Patch Portraits uses the lens of the "everyday" to capture the characters of our communities.

Patch Portraits is a series that hopes to give voice to the unofficial sources that we never hear from and to humanize the official sources more often used by the media. Look forward to a new Patch Portrait in your Patch region each Wednesday. In the meantime, check out the faces we've captured so far:   Don't forget to send suggestions for profiles of the people you love to Patch editors Andrea Hart and Carrie Porter.

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Patch Portrait

The Accidental Foodie

This week's Patch Portraits also features a Winnetkan au pair and a Morton Grove mechanic.

This week's Patch Portraits also features a Winnetkan au pair and a Morton Grove mechanic. "It was kind of something I fell into accidentally," David Arendt told Patch of his current job as wine instructor and general manager for Glenview's Viking Cooking School.   While visiting many food and beverage conventions as a marketing representative, Arendt developed a love for the wines he was sampling.  After nearly a decade in the sales and marketing fields, Arendt went to wine school and pursued a career as a wine instructor. "I can cook, I can hold my own, but I do not have a culinary background," Arendt admits.  Arendt's training in wines allows him to bring events to Viking that incorporate his knowledge. Viking even received a …

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Patch Portrait

Patch Portrait: Serving it 'Simple' at Edzo's Burger

A profile of Evanston businessman Eddie Lakin.

When Eddie Lakin found himself unemployed after 15 years of running the kitchens of other people's restaurants, Lakin decided to become his own boss. "While I was looking for jobs I was constantly seeing storefronts that were vacant and for lease and I kept seeing ads for restaurants that were for sale. This was the recession, right at the fall of '08 when everything was crashing." Lakin said. In October 2009, Lakin opened up Edzo's Burger Shop on Sherman Avenue in Evanston. The location previously housed Pita Pete's. "I don't think I would've been driven to do it if the circumstances hadn't come along," he said. Since then, Edzo's has garnered attention from The New York Times, Time Out Chicago, The Chicago Tribune, and Bon Appetite. When…

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Carmie Callobre

11:58 am on Monday, April 11, 2011

Edzo's has the best burgers anywhere! We were in Vegas last week and ate at Hubert Keller's Burger Bar... really good, but it did not match up to Edzo's the char burger.   more ›