Go-To Meal:
When in doubt, I go to Avec. It’s farm-to-table with communal wood benches, it’s like a sauna in the best way with everyone all gathered together, and it never fails. I love the sausage wrapped in dates and bacon, a dish tied to sister restaurant Publican. My other essential is Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar, for sophisticated, playful Chinese-American food. Go hungry and order for the table, and don’t skip the spicy peanut noodles, they’re to die for.
Favorite Neighborhood:
Pilsen. It’s authentic and untouched: murals everywhere, local Mexican restaurants, little vintage shops and record stores… too many to name. The murals alone blow you away. One of my best friends, also the architect behind my store, has had a home there for over 20 years; I’ve hosted holiday parties there. Compared to the Gold Coast or Lincoln Park, which are more about shopping and eating, Pilsen is a visual explosion.
Place You Find Inspiration:
I absorb Chicago more than I take from it directly. Gertie, the contemporary art space, is where I’d point anyone curious about what’s happening in the city’s art world right now. I’d also spend time with the work of Theaster Gates, whose new foundation is always worth checking in on, and Nick Cave, both best experienced in person for inspiration rather than on a museum wall. The Obama Presidential Center is essential too: the Museum, the Forum, and especially the Sky Room for the views, alongside commissioned work by Gates, Jenny Holzer, Idris Khan, and Carrie Mae Weems. And the Harris Theater for music and dance is always worth checking the calendar for.
Favorite Spot to Grab a Drink:
I’m not really a bar person, but on the rare night out, it’s the Aviary. It’s the couture of clubs, where they care as much about the ice as the cocktails. Velvet couches, a sexy, luxurious room.
Favorite Store:
Ikram, of course, my own. I opened it 26 years ago and run it with a servant’s heart: no is never an option, unless something genuinely doesn’t look right on you. We’ve talked designers into producing one-of-a-kind pieces they swore couldn’t be made again. Hearing “go to ikram, it’s the best” is the biggest compliment anyone can give me.
What Still Surprises You About the City:
How much Chicago gives back in the way that it receives. We promote each other, we value each other, we care about each other. It’s a city that cares about its streets, its people, its institutions. It’s a place where you can really make it big: you’re one in a million, not a million and one. Your phone can wait. Look up and enjoy the gift of a city you live in.
