SAVOR: Luella's new site, a Nordic-Japanese spot and Rick Bayless
Plus, National Oyster Day—and what's going on at Briny Swine?
—All about Eve: Eve L. Ewing will discuss her latest work, Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, with Carleton College’s Meredith McCoy at Chicago’s Newberry Library on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 6 p.m.
Ewing is a writer, scholar and cultural organizer from Chicago; she is an associate professor in the Department of Race, Diaspora, and Indigeneity at the University of Chicago and has written several projects for Marvel Comics, including the Ironheart series and Black Panther. RSVP to the event here.
And now on to culinary items…
—✨✨SPOTLIGHT: Here are more Foodie Fast Facts, courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer:
• Gerber, the makers of baby food, introduced Gerber Singles in 1974, which was intended to be food for adults. The problem was that the “meal” came in packaging that was nearly identical to that of actual baby food. Awkward. Gerber Singles were off the shelves within months.
• If you sip your tea from a saucer, you can call yourself a purist. That’s how the beverage was originally consumed in Britain in the 18th and 19th centuries.
• The Fig Newton had nothing to do with Isaac Newton. The snack got its name because the Kennedy Biscuit Company, the first owner of the machine that made Fig Newtons, was near Boston and the company tradition was to name products after nearby towns.
• Some elite athletes purposefully consume at least 10,000 calories a day when they’re competing.
• A tuberculosis epidemic was the cause of the invention of plastic tableware and disposable paper cups.
—Southern exposure: Luella’s Southern Kitchen, the acclaimed Southern-inspired restaurant from Chef/Owner Darnell Reed, will reopen at its new permanent location at 4114 N. Kedzie Ave. in Albany Park on Wed., Aug. 6.
And that’s not the only change concerning the restaurant. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., the new Luella’s will serve breakfast and brunch only. “This is a full-circle moment,” Reed said in a press release. “I’ve come home in more ways than one—owning the building, deepening roots in the community and focusing on soulful food made from the heart. Brunch is the perfect canvas to tell those stories.”
The new brunch menu certainly has some delightful-sounding items, including crab-stuffed shrimp with smoked grits and maque choux; buttermilk pancakes with whipped brown butter and Mick Klug Farm blueberry compote; and a boudin, egg and cheese biscuit with pepper jelly and fontina. There will also be weekly French toast and seasonal specials. Luella’s has been a James Beard Award semifinalist in the Great Lakes region and is a three-time Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand recipient.
—Gathering spot: Atsumeru—a new Nordic-Japanese chef-driven fine-dining restaurant by chef-owner Devin Denzer—is set to open this September in West Town at 933 N. Ashland Ave. Adding to the spot’s intimacy is that it only has eight seats, with three seatings per night from Wednesday through Saturday.
