Julia Momose, partner and creative director at Kumiko and Kikko
As Chicago's dine-in ban approaches two months, it was high time Overserved unpacked what the bar industry is up against. Enter Julia Momose, partner and creative director at Kumiko and Kikko and bartendress extraordinaire who also launched Cocktails for Hope, an initiative advocating for the sale of pre-mixed, sealed cocktails to-go, which are currently illegal in the state of Illinois. In this illuminating episode, we learn about Momose's tireless efforts to make cocktails to go a reality (and thus bring back jobs to the struggling bar industry), how she recreates the luxury of Kumiko in miniature through her to-go storefront, and the beguiling song that plays in her head whenever she mixes one of her impeccable cocktails.
Ina Pinkney, The Breakfast Queen of Chicago
It's the final episode of Season 1 so we called in the big guns: Ina Pinkney, the legendary restauranteur known as "The Breakfast Queen" who served Chicago the most important meal of the day for 30+ years from her spots in Lincoln Park and the West Loop. Learn how she got her start, her battle with polio as a young child, how obsessing over the details helped her stand out (33:00), her brief foray into local politics and civic engagement (47:03), how she helped get the citywide smoking ban passed (52:00), fun stories from her life like dancing with Fred Astaire (1:00:35) and her advice for restauranteurs (01:05:00, seriously though listen to this if you own a restaurant or plan to one day). Thank you all for listening to Season 1!