Erich Kho, resident of Elgin, Illinois, has been visiting Village Creamery for five years, even though the drive from his house to the Niles storefront takes about an hour. Located at 8000 Waukegan Road, the family-owned store is a simple establishment that, if not for a large sign brandishing its name, would blend in with.
Live music and spoken word poetry filled Coffee Lab Evanston Saturday afternoon as residents and students gathered to celebrate Filipino American History Month. A collaboration between Kitchen Table Stories Project, Kids Create Change, Studio 3 Evanston and Coffee Lab, the weekend-long Kapwa & Kapé event created an opportunity for community members to enjoy Filipino food,.
Nestled between Coffee Lab Evanston and Noyes Barber Shop, Tomate Fresh Kitchen is run by Tania Merlos-Ruiz and her husband, Polo Ruiz. Awarded Best Restaurant in The Daily Northwestern’s Best of Evanston for the past three years, the popular Latin American eatery opened in 2013 as a storefront for empanadas she had sold at farmer’s markets.
During the pandemic, the small business twice first in March 2020 for around three months and then again from December 2020 for three months when Merlos-Ruiz contracted COVID-19. The couple spoke to the Daily about the challenges they’ve faced trying to keep their employees and families safe. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.