Jodie Jacobs

A chef's dream: Although pastry chef Gale Gand's flight home from Cambridge, Mass., landed a few weeks ago, the Buffalo Grove resident has yet to touch ground. Gand, half the...

A cart above: Just when it seems that every kind of store imaginable has opened its doors in Schaumburg, a new one pops up. This time it's Byerly's, the upscale...

To chef-gardener Vern Meyer, president of Herbal Garden organic farm in Wauconda, "fresh" does not mean "not dried." It means pesticide-free and as close to just-picked-from-the-garden as you can get....

Gonzo groceries: Grocery shopping in the northern suburbs may soon become an epicurean's paradise. Existing groceries are upgrading dramatically, while newcomers are preparing to set up shop. Espresso and sandwich...

On tour: Dignitaries in northern Italy will be rolling out the red carpet for a Chicago area orchestra--and it's not the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Highland Park Strings, a 30-member...

Back on top: After going about 60 years without the cupola that once adorned its top, the tower over Lake Bluff's turn-of-the-century Village Hall recently regained its proud crown thanks...

A dream come true: Although Mundelein teenager David Weitzel is not sure about music as a career, he snowed the crowd at the Lake Forest Symphony's 4th of July concert....

Home sweet home: Chicago looks good to homegrown actress Jessica Boevers, back after a stint on Broadway. Boevers, who performed in the New York company of "Beauty and the Beast"...

Crisis on the Internet: Given that this is the age of the Internet, it was bound to happen. A volunteer on the Libertyville-based Connection Crisis Line recently answered a call...

Plenty of pomp: Although Mary ann Wambach Pillman of Lake Forest graduated from Maine South High School in Park Ridge, she will be traveling 700 miles to attend her 30th...