The Chicagoland Guide

In this episode, we sit down Katherine Gotsick, the executive director of the Main Dempster Mile. The Main Dempster Mile is a Special Service Area for the commercial districts that currently make up the Chicago/Dempster business district and the Main Street business district. A Special Service Area (SSA) is defined by Illinois State Statute as a contiguous area within a municipality or county in w...

In this episode, we sit down with brothers Flavius Maximus and Sam Oanta, the owners of Ignite Gaming. Ignite Gaming is a premier e-gaming lounge with locations in Skokie and Chicago. The Skokie location recently opened on Skokie Boulevard directly across the street from the CTA Yellow Line's Oakton stop. We discuss the origins of Ignite, which started in Flavius and Sam's apartment as teenagers i...

In this episode, we sit down with the leaders of the YWCA/North Shore which includes Karen Singer, the CEO of the organization, Tiffany McDowell, the Director of the Equity Institute at the YWCA Evanston/North Shore and Trimmy Stamell, the Director of Corporate Relations and in charge of the Race Against Hate. The Race Against Hate takes place on June 16, 2019 and is co-sponsored by Dreamtown Real...

In this episode we sit down with David Lipschutz, the owner of Blind Faith Cafe. Established in 1979, Blind Faith is a certified green restaurant located in Evanston that has been transforming the way people enjoy vegetarian cuisine for more than thirty years. We learn about how David got into the food industry as a teenager, travelled to the west coast and then returned to his native Evanston. In...

In this episode, we visit the Terrence J. O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant (WRP), which is part of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago located at Howard and McCormick in Skokie. We speak with KImberly Du Buclet, one of the commissioners of the MWRD, Aruch Poonsapaya, the O'Brien WRP Operations Manager and Patrick Thomas, the public affairs specialist for the MWRD. The main portio...

In this episode, we hear the story of Yuval Degani, the owner of Dreamtown Realty. Yuval started Dreamtown in 1998 from scratch. Capitalizing on the early internet, he developed a website that was ahead of its time, and helped lead to explosive growth. Now he leads a company with over 400 agents spread out in offices across Chicago and Evanston. The conversation starts from Yuval coming to Chicago...

In this episode, we sit down with Ellen Blum Barish. Ellen is a writer, editor and author. Ellen won the 2018 Individual Artistic Excellence Award from the Skokie Arts Commission. She also heads two literary publications. They include Thread , which contains original, long-form essays, and Stitch, a monthly publication featuring 100-word essays. She is an award winning writer, editor and author of...

In this episode, we sit down with Rabbi Sam Feinsmith. Rabbi Sam Feinsmith has been immersed in the world of Jewish contemplative living, learning, and teaching for over fifteen years. Serving as a consultant on a number of cutting-edge projects related to prayer, spirituality, and education, he has conducted Jewish meditation workshops and retreats for young children, teens, and Jewish educators...

In this episode, we sit down with Kenneth Mantel. Ken is running for Skokie Park District Commissioner. Ken is a Skevanston resident, father to Walker Elementary School students and a local insurance broker at Mantel Insurance Company. Ken even wrote the Affordable Care Act policies for Illinois from 2014-2018. Ken was lucky enough to grow up in Skokie, and is now raising his family in the same am...

In this episode, we sit down with Gretchen Oehlschlager and Alex Gurvich from the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA) department at Northwestern University. CIERA’s mission is to promote research and education in astrophysics through support of independent postdoctoral fellows, advanced graduate and undergraduate research, a vigorous visiting researchers p...

In this episode, we sit down with Tani Mintz who owns Sharp Edge Crossfit in Evanston. Tani is a longtime friend of mine, a longtime Evanston and Skokie resident, and has an interesting story of how she got to where she is. Tani first got interested in Crossfit when a friend took her there in college. Tani got so hooked that she ran a Crossfit in Milwaukee while in law school. She later moved to N...

In this episode, we sit down with Lauren Grossman from Across the Table. Across The Table is a nonprofit organization that brings together diverse guests for group discussion over delicious food. They break bread, build bridges and connect over a group meal with facilitated conversation with ten-twelve new people whose backgrounds and perspectives are different from their own. They have dynamic, m...

In this episode, we sit down with Mickey and Liz Natale. Mickey and Liz are father-daughter partners of the barber shop called King Kuts in Skokie. Mickey started the business with his brother Kenny in 1962. Mickey has been working with Liz for many years. Kings Kuts epitomizes the neighborhood, family-owned barber shop. Some would say it’s a community center, or the Cheers of Skokie, where everyb...

In this episode, we sit down with Annie Coakley. Annie is the executive director of Downtown Evanston, which was created in 1987, and provides marketing and management services to the downtown Evanston, Illinois district and is a 501(c)(6) non-profit corporation for business. Annie Coakley previously worked for the City of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development for over 14 years, managin...

In this episode, we sit down with Jeff Schankerman. Jeff is a local Skevanston resident, and a puzzle solving financial planner. He works with One to One Financial, which is a family owned financial planning firm. Jeff grew up in Indianapolis, and now lives in Skevanston with his wife Nancy, and has two young adult children. The episode walks us through Jeff’s background which began in a trading f...

In this episode, we sit down with Rabbi Ari Hart. Rabbi Ari is a local Skevanston resident, and a a true community builder. He leads the Skokie Valley Agudath Synagogue, which is a modern Orthodox Jewish Synagogue in Skokie, Illinois. Rabbi Ari grew up in Evanston, and now lives in Skevanston with his wife Becca, and has two young children. The episode walks us through Rabbi Ari’s background which...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Tari Mack. Tari is a transplanted Skevanstonite, and a wizard of the mind. She is a licensed psychologist with a specialty in couples counseling. Tari lives in Skevanston and works in Downtown Evanston. The episode weaves through Tari’s connection to the area, reason for being a psychologist, recommendations for people and also she introduces her new book, “Lo...

In this episode, we sit down with Jacob Shapiro. Jacob is the quintessential Skevanstonite, and a true jack of all trades. He is the owner of Vero Design + Build, which is a design and general contracting company based in Chicago. Jacob grew up in Evanston and now lives in Skevanston with his wife Mira and their two kids. The episode weaves through his connection to construction, the background of...

In this episode, we sit down with Aaron Wertheimer. Aaron is a local Skevanston movie star. He is the writer and director of two offbeat comedy feature films: Wedgerino (2015) and Skippers(2018). He also works as a freelance writer and video editor, and has worked in the past as an assistant director, production manager and coordinator on features, shorts, commercials, and at Vice Media. After mor...

In this first episode, Aaron Masliansky tells his story of why he has created this podcast, and his connection to Skevanston, Skokie and Evanston. As a local Realtor at Dreamtown Realty, Aaron has helped many people with buying, selling, and renting property. He has found their stories to be fascinating. Some of these people have great business or causes that you need to know about. Thank you for...