In the early months of the pandemic Jimmy Chen, owner of Poke Burrito, did not know if his restaurant would survive.

A ComEd meter installation is all that stands between Oak Park resident David Silverstein and the phased opening of his craft coffee roasting company designed to honor the memory of his late wife with a philanthropic twist.

Jaques Shalo has been cultivating a relationship with Zev Siegl for the last two years after a friend alerted Siegl to Shalo's coffee aspirations. 

No doubt about it, 2020 proved to be a challenging year for our restaurants, but creative carryout solutions, resourceful chefs and devoted customers proved it was possible to keep things downright delicious in our little food-focused alcove.