Arts + Culture

The Art of Listening

Inside a North Shore lounge where sound becomes connection Article by Cat Rolfes | Photography by Emily Hadzhiev It started, as many good things do, in a basement. Sixteen years old, a dartboard on the wall, a record spinning—Chicago blues, maybe Zeppelin. The exact track doesn’t matter. What matters is how it sounded. For Howard Scharf, those hours spent in the Keogh brothers’ Wilmette basement weren’t just formative—they were sacred. Now, decades later, Scharf leans back on a caramel...

Food + Beverage

Crafted for Connection

How two Chicago visionaries crafted cocktails for connection and modern hospitality. Article by Cat Rolfes | Photography by Lynn Renee Photography More than a decade ago, beneath the hush of a low-lit bar, Charles Joly and Matt Lindner closed the night at The Drawing Room as many bartenders often do: with a quiet drink and a long conversation. That spot was an intimate cocktail den where Joly, then head mixologist, tested balance and texture while Lindner, co-owner, thought about how service...

Home + Design

Makeovers That Build Hope

Closets by Design and Special Spaces create dream rooms for children facing life-threatening illnesses. Article by Cat Rolfes When 8-year-old Eva Engwall described her dream bedroom, she imagined a vanity for playing dress-up, cozy corners for reading, and a palette of teal, purple, pink and sparkle. Closets by Design didn’t just listen. They brought it to life. Partnering with the nonprofit Special Spaces, which designs healing bedrooms for children with life-threatening illnesses, the...

Arts + Culture

Framing Life in Focus

For Winnetka filmmaker David Parks, a story about golf became a story about family. Article by Cat Rolfes Filmmaker and Producer David Parks’s newest release may seem like a story about golf, but it reveals something quieter and more enduring.   The award-winning indie drama follows teenage golf prodigy Jeremy (Ben Krieger) and his autistic younger brother Ethan (Owen Himfar), who helps him rediscover confidence, family and purpose. But behind the story are lessons in patience, grace and...