Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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TASTE Slice of Life FIRST SLICE HELPS NOURISH THE SOUL WITH AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO FEEDING CHICAGO'S HUNGRY. BY MEG MATHIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY COUPLE OF DUDES PHOTOGRAPHY (FIRST SLICE) S ince opening its first café in Ravenswood in 2006, First Slice has become known for its fresh salads, quiches, sandwiches, and pies. Behind the scenes, though, First Slice has a larger mission: helping to feed the hungry. Members of the organization's subscriber program enjoy three restaurant-quality meals a week (think pork chops with red wine sauce, horseradish mashed potatoes, and Key lime pie), with a portion of the subscription fee covering the cost of providing similar dishes for the city's homeless. First Slice Executive Director Ann-Louise Haak shares her thoughts on supporting the entire community—in the giving season and beyond. GLASSFUL OF GOOD With Good Vines wine, founders Sean Thomas and Carlos Quimbo toast to a philanthropic future. BY MEG MATHIS A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu and an ardent foodie, Sean Thomas lives and breathes all things culinary—and he's just as passionate about giving back to his community, a value that his grandfather, Wendy's restaurant chain founder Dave Thomas, instilled in him. That's why Sean and longtime friend Carlos Quimbo partnered to launch Good Vines in Chicago. "The idea was to be good in all aspects of winemaking and to be doing things that are positive and making an impact everywhere," says Quimbo. Today, Good Vines' portfolio includes three wines—reds Marzemino and Cabernet Sauvignon, and the new Tai-Pinot Grigio—made in Breganze, Italy, sourcing grapes from vineyards that are at least 70 percent solar powered; partner charity Common Threads receives five percent of the proceeds from every sale. "In addition to the positive impact we're making through charitable efforts, we're finding the best winemakers in different parts of the world, and finding unique grapes, varietals, styles, and blends," says Quimbo. "That's really where the passion of winemaking comes in." Good Vines wines are available at Las Palmas, 1835 W. North Ave., 773-289-4991; laspalmaschicago.com; goodvineswine.com 88 How does First Slice's subscriber program work? Ann-Louise Haak: The name First Slice comes from our commitment to give the first slice of the pie to those who are hungry—not just the crumbs that are left over at the end of the meal. Every week, we prepare a menu with different entrées; we cook during the week, and families or individuals come in on weekends and get their meals for the week. The point of the subscriber meal program is that making chicken piccata for 200 subscribers is more cost-effective than making chicken piccata for four; the cost savings that were created by cooking in bulk meant that we could provide this same high-quality farm-to-table restaurant-style meal to people in soup kitchens. We base some of our outreach meals every week around the —ANN-LOUISE HAAK subscriber menu. Dessert pie has been part of the program from the beginning. We went with pie because it is an integrally communal dessert. What's your favorite pie on the menu? That is like asking me which one of my children I love the most. I love the Michigan sour cherry pie; our Key lime is really fabulous, and I often tell people that a slice of our French silk pie is more effective than therapy. "Guilt-free pie," I call it. Every bite you take is helping somebody else, so you don't have to worry about the calories. What does the future hold for First Slice? Currently, we're serving about 600 meals a week for our outreach program; I would love to get up to 1,000 meals a week. And we're really working on strengthening and broadening our volunteer program. Everybody wants to volunteer on Thanksgiving, or between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I understand why people are especially mindful about giving back during that season of plenty and abundance, but there are hungry people in Chicago 365 days a year, and there are ways that people can give back big and small. 4401 N. Ravenswood Ave., 773-506-7380; firstslice.org MA "Every bite you take is helping somebody else." FROM TOP: First Slice provides high-quality meals to the homeless; it's inspired by pie's communal qualities. MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 088_MA_Taste_Spirits/News_Nov13.indd 88 10/21/13 10:41 AM