awkward together

Turning uncomfortable situations into humorous stories is what Elaine Short, of Logan Square, has been doing for all twenty-four years of her life. 

The Pittsburgh born, L.A. grown and now permanent Chicagoan has used her awkward sense of humor and witty writing to grow her career.

“I started drawing comics three years ago when I was bored out of my mind with no job and living in my uncle's house,” said Short, who says she just took to the art after seeing her uncle’s sketches.

Once Short discovered that she could draw, it didn’t take long before she dubbed her character’s name, “Funny Girl.”

Short, who lacked confidence as a teenager, now embraces her moniker because it forces her to defy it.

“After a certain point in college, I realized no one cared who I was or what I did,” said Short. “So, why not just do what I want? Why not say what I want? My friends think I'm funny. Maybe others will, too.”

With that in mind, Short decided she was going to write a book – no easy feat considering the high cost of printing.

Thankfully, she has experience with fundraising.

Short previously worked for the wildly popular game, Cards Against Humanity, which was initially funded via Kickstarter. 

“We started doing an introductory workshop with some folks from Kickstarter,” said Short, who now works full-time as an associate editor for a custom publisher in the Loop. “It was interesting, very fun and I learned a good bit about how to use Kickstarter myself.”

During Short’s last month of working for Cards Against Humanity, her boss instructed her to focus on drawing her cartoon and that he would help her create a Kickstarter to get her book off the ground.

With the help of her boss and some contributions from her friends, Max Temkin, co-creator of Cards Against Humanity and Luke Crane, games specialist at Kickstarter, her book started to become a reality.

Shortly after, the title of Short’s book was created.

“Max has a great knack for short titles, and Let’s be Awkward Together seemed to just pop from his mouth immediately,” said Short. “And it stuck.”

Temkin and Crane also suggested that Short ask for contributor’s awkward stories and that it would empower readers to donate money.

They were right. 

“There's nothing like seeing yourself crudely drawn into a 4-panel black and white comic,” said Short, who says she could not resist the alluring idea of having a written book you can hold in your hand, which was her motivation for publishing her book.

After gaining 202 backers and raising $5,551 within 30 days on Kickstarter, Short’s book, Let’s be Awkward Together earned enough money to be printed.

You can pick up a copy of Let’s be Awkward Together from Uncharted Books in Logan Square and experience the true humor of “Funny Girl” for yourself.

a trendy bygone

30 Rock is arguably one of the best television shows, ever. And Jack Donaghy is arguably one of the best television characters, ever.

Something about his lovable arrogance and his flashy old-fashioned style make him one of a kind. 

The vault door inside The Bedford

That’s why when I went to The Bedford in Wicker Park the first thing I thought was, “Jack Donaghy would eat here.” 

Not only is the swanky restaurant in a mid-century modern style basement, but the restaurant itself is inside of an old bank vault.

Yes, the giant gold plated vault door still stands, but now serves as a walkway into a private room. And the still intact depository boxes on the wall act as inimitable artwork.

It’s like a fabulous low-lit cigar lounge.

Without the cigars or smoke, of course.

And if the décor isn’t enough to “woo” you, the posh food will. 

Grandma Ann's Deviled Eggs

The house made crab dip – the cold, fresh, crab combined with the homemade crackers was flawless. 

And, the decadent deviled eggs had a wonderful smoky taste making me crave my favorite Easter dish all 365 days of the year. 


Overall Rating: 3.7 / 5 

zero percent

When Rajesh Karmani, 31, moved to America eight years ago, he thought he would never have to see impoverishment again.

“I come from a remote desert area in Pakistan, so I have seen poverty and hunger,” said Karmani. “When I came to America, I thought I had left it behind.”

Unfortunately, he was wrong. 

But, Karmani, who received his PhD in Computer Science from the University of Illinois, was ready to do something about it.

"Zero Percent began as a project to solve a problem,” said Karmani, who founded the start-up after being inspired by the book, American Wasteland. “I thought to myself, ‘How the heck could we waste $22 billion worth of good food in America, when 1-in-6 people face hunger each year?’”  

Zero Percent is on online food donation marketplace that helps businesses move surplus, edible food to nearby soup kitchens and shelters. Their goal is to reduce both hunger and waste. 

Or, as Caleb Phillips, Zero Percent’s Chief Technology Officer puts it, “We rescue beautiful food, deliver it to folks who really need it, and in doing so, prevent it from going to a landfill instead.”

Phillips, 29, who also has his PhD in Computer Science, met Karmani, Zero Percent’s Founder & CEO, over email.

After a year of emails and phone calls, Phillips and Karmani decided to work together using their complex problem solving skills to create a scalable solution to Chicago’s food waste problem. 

Photo Credit: Zero Percent Facebook

Their hard work did not go unnoticed. 

Impact Engine, an accelerator program that supports businesses that have a societal and environmental impact, wanted to join forces with Zero Percent.

“We had the offer to join Impact Engine and I was like, ‘holy shit,’” said Karmani, who has been couch surfing at friends or staying at hostels since the company relocated to Chicago in September 2013.

Now, working out of Merchandise Mart in River North, Zero Percent has already made a name for itself in Chicago.

Well-known players like: Hannah’s Bretzel, The Goddess and Grocer and Dimo’s Pizza are some of the restaurants who have already teamed up with Zero Percent to arrange food donations.

“We work with non-profit shelters, soup kitchens and pantries – they’re the ones who receive these food donations,” said Phillips, who reaches out to organizations and companies the old fashioned way, by making cold calls or by walk-ins.

After seeing much success within their first four months of being in Chicago, Phillips, has high hopes for Zero Percent.

“In the short term, maybe we'll just save all the food in Chicago,” said Phillips. “After that, maybe the rest of the world too.”

money, money

Yesterday, at The Executives' Club of Chicago's Annual Economic Outlook, a panel of top economic forecasters (3 of the 4 are Chicagoans) shared their tips on how to stay ahead of the curve in 2014. For the past 30 years their financial predictions have never been wrong.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

- Invest in marijuana distribution. Jon Najarian noted that he bought the Medbox stock on Wednesday (1/8/14) for $35 and Thursday (1/9/14) it was up to $90. He expects there to be great opportunities in this space. However, you should patiently wait and observe the trend before diving all in.

- Job growth in 2014. All three panelists agreed that there will be more job opportunities this year. Diane Swonk expects between 2.5 million and 3 million more jobs will be created this year due to companies beginning to rebuild supply chains.

- Bitcoin is risky. When asked about the new digital "currency" Douglas Holtz-Eakin said that it is very dangerous thing and doesn't know why the treasury has not come out against it. He advises to stay clear for the time being.

Thanks to the talented finance gurus who shared their wisdom:

Photo Credit: Emily Cikanek for Joe Gallo Photography

Jon Najarian, Co-Founder, optionMONSTER
Diane Swonk, Chief Economist, Mesirow Financial
Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Economist and Former Congressional Budget Office Director 
Terry Savage, Financial Author and Nationally Syndicated Columnist.

slightly insulting

Chicagoans who haven’t heard of Slightly Insulting Chicago Posters might just be living under a rock.

And, if you were living under a rock, the people behind the project would probably find a way to make fun of that too.

"It tastefully says the f-word. Plus, everyone can
relate to tourists that don't walk right. The circle that
the tracks make, it's instantly recognizable to
Chicagoans as the Loop." -Jeni Brendemuehl 

RC Jones, Lauren Schroer and Jeni Brendemuehl have been designing Slightly Insulting Chicago Posters since 2012. The posters take shots at Chicago neighborhoods in a tongue-in-cheek way. 

“We uploaded our posters to Tumblr over the weekend and within one week, it just exploded,” said Jones, 31 who made a joke about the Logan Square neighborhood to his co-worker, Jeni, that inspired the very first poster. “We had no idea it would take off like it did. Our blog quickly became viral." 

But what started as a popular blog for Chicagoans soon became a popular business, as the group behind the posters began selling the posters online. Turns out, the business was a little too popular. 

The Slightly Insulting Chicago Posters’ Etsy shop, where the trio sold the homemade posters, officially shut down partly due to the group’s screen-printing “shop” closing, packing up and leaving. 

“My living room was the shop, it was ridiculous. I would just fill my living room with these posters, so the whole floor would just be filled with them,” joked Schroer, 24, who would screen-print each poster by hand. She recently moved out of her Chicago apartment to pursue a masters degree in drawing in Italy. 

“Lauren was great; she could screen print one poster every 37.5 seconds,” said Jones, a resident of Lincoln Square. “We knew it was getting a little crazy once she started timing how fast she could do it.” 

"The best way to jab at a hipster is saying something they
love is mainstream. Skinny jeans and PBR seemed like
the most exaggerated example. Please note that
the rat tale isn't filled in, broke hipster-style." - RC Jones

With their busy schedules, the group isn’t complaining about closing the small business chapter of Slightly Insulting Chicago Posters and just going back to the basics--designing. 

“The fun part is keeping the blog going and seeing people talk about it. We never meant for this to be a big shop or anything,” said Schroer, who is teaching painting classes in her home state of Kansas before moving to Italy. “It’s great that people like our stuff and that it’s hanging on their wall, it’s a compliment. But, we’re all pretty excited to just get back to the design part, the fun part.” 

The group will continue creating new posters and uploading them to the Slightly Insulting Chicago Posters blog, where the venture began. 

“We just decided to make the blog to keep all the posters in one place, and then WGN tweeted about us one day, and we were like ‘Crap, now we actually have to do this.’ We weren’t really sure what we were getting ourselves into,” said Brendemuehl, 24 of East Village. 

The goal is to create one for each neighborhood. 

"It's the original that started it all. A funny
 joke. A beautiful poster." -Jeni Brendemuehl 

“A lot of people send their suggestions online and give us tips on how we could make fun of their neighborhoods,” said Schroer, who previously lived in Lincoln Park. “Our posters are funny because they’re perception based. They’re all about reputation and perception, which is why we try to talk to people.” 

Each poster’s saying and design are carefully thought-out and must get a good laugh before the group posts it onto the blog. 

“There have been a couple we’ve thought of and been like ‘no, that’s too mean to say that, like that is too offensive,’ ” Schroer said. “It’s just the humor in the truth of the poster or at least the truth that is everybody’s perception is what makes the posters funny.” 

The process begins with the group collectively researching a neighborhood, followed by Jones writing the slogan, which is then passed on to Schroer and Brendemuehl for designing of the graphics. 

“This was a wonderful creative release. All three of us love Chicago and so many people love the neighborhood they live in,” said Jones, a professional copy writer. “So, it was really cool to get to design these and share them with people.” 

Giving Chicagoans a good laugh while creating a strong friendship has been the highlight of Schroer’s life in the Windy City. 

“I was really new to Chicago. I had only lived there for a year when these posters started getting really popular, so it was a great way to feel a part of a new place I was living,” Schroer said. “I no longer felt like a new kid, I felt like a part of Chicago and that was the best part for me.” 

"Every time I see this I laugh. We brainstormed different Beverly lines forEVER. RC had so many options. After probably the 50th Etsy shop message we got saying 'do Beverly, we're Irish!' RC rolled his eyes and said 'Congrats, Beverly, you're Irish. So is the rest of America.' Once I finished laughing I said, 'That. That's it.'" - Lauren Schroer 

au yeah

Yeah, a greasy cheap meal from Denny’s sounds de-lish-ous. But, if you’re not 18 and under or 60 and older – and bottom line don’t want to eat at a Denny’s – make your way to the West Loop.

Take a seat at Au Cheval, the top-notch diner that’s also a world-class restaurant. Get your burger fix without having to compromise your taste and leave craving more.

Since this restaurant doesn’t take reservations, get there early and put your phone number in stat – they’ll text you when your table is ready.

Then, get the cheeseburger a chavel – the burger that could be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner…the bacon and egg on the burger make that totally acceptable.

Overall Rating: 4.5 / 5 

The phenomenal cheeseburger a chavel 

flower power

The phrase "two guys opened a floral shop" sounds like the punch line to a bad joke.

But helping low-income students in Chicago is a serious mission for entrepreneurs Steven Dyme, 22, of Wilmette, and Joseph Dickstein, 23, of Chicago's West Loop.

The recent college graduates co-founded socially conscious floral service Flowers for Dreams, based out of Evanston, and have made it their goal to give back to the community.

"We're trying to help bridge this educational gap in low-income schools, which is so important in trying to build this nation and to help in any way possible," said Dickstein, the co-founder and Chicago manager of Flowers for Dreams. "There are all these companies that are doing good for Africa, and no question that they need help and it's great that they're doing that, but we should focus on helping our own community of Chicago."

Joseph Dickstein (left) and Steven Dyme (right) 

Flowers for Dreams does that by donating a backpack full of school supplies to a Chicago Public Schools student in need for every bouquet the company sells. That equals about 5,000 backpacks since the business opened last year.

"I didn't really gauge how impactful this could be," said Flowers for Dreams founder and CEO Dyme, who was introduced to the floral industry by a college roommate. "We are currently the second--alongside with our non-profit partner Supplies for Dreams--the second largest pro-bono supplier of backpacks and school supplies to Chicago Public Schools following Staples."

Flowers for Dreams' one-for-one business approach and new age business model are the reasons why the college graduates who majored in communications, Dickstein, and political science, Dyme, have been so successful as a startup company.

"We're bridging the gap between that mom-and-pop floral shop and that 1-800-Flowers because we're online, but we're local," said Dickstein, who attended New Trier High School with Dyme.

All of Flowers for Dreams' flowers are organic-sourced, fresh-cut and are arranged by floral designers. However, it isn't unusual to see Dyme and Dickstein pitching in to help create the floral arrangements.

Flowers for Dreams floral arrangements 

"I'm a pretty fast-paced guy and being able to set aside some time to really arrange and design flowers is the thing I probably get the most joy out of. It's calming and it's zen to some extent. It makes me take a deep breath," said Dyme, who had a floral fellowship in Boston where he gained experience and knowledge of the industry and graduated from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2011.

Each arrangement comes with a personalized card and note about the charity's mission.

"Flowers for Dreams is a tangible way to help someone," said Dickstein, who graduated from Indiana University in 2012. "We invite all of our clients and customers out to our Build-A-Backpack Day, and they can actually stuff the backpack that will be donated on behalf of their purchase, which is cool."

Flowers for Dreams and their non-profit partner organization, Supplies for Dreams, coordinate the annual Build-A-Backpack Day.

"Build-A-Backpack Day is a community event where we bring all of our volunteers who have been able to help in the past along with our monetary supporters, and this is where we assemble the backpacks," said Hiro Kawashima, 22, the board president and co-founder of Supplies for Dreams. "It's a really cool event because it's a chance for the community to come out and contribute."    

Build-A-Backpack Day takes place in August at Northwestern University and is open to the public.

A sea of donated backpacks

"Going into our communities and seeing what our students are getting makes us feel really good, and hopefully the customers are seeing some of the benefits of that as well--the feeling that they are giving to something much greater by purchasing a bouquet," said Kawashima, a Northwestern graduate.

"It's an amazing day. Build-A-Backpack Day is no question my favorite day of the year," Dickstein said.

Although Dyme and Dickstein have little downtime for themselves as they run the company, neither have any regrets.

"I just love what I do, which is starting a business. I wake up every morning energized even though it's 5 o'clock in the morning and I love meeting people," Dickstein said. "I love trying to build something."

Dyme agreed.

"It really exhilarates me to build and grow this and hire the next employee and partner with the next recipient school and get contracts. It's the art of building something that is sustainable and viable," Dyme said. "This is what drives me; it isn't about the dollars at all."