Conversations With The Citizen

Regine Rousseau, owner and operator of Shall We Wine, talks about being a Black Sommelier, her favorite wine, and the experiential events she hosts.

Chez Smith worked in public health for more than 15 years. While she served as the administrator of the family planning clinic, she realized there were a lot of young girls coming in repeatedly for sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies. “I realized two things, working with those girls. One, girls felt this wasn’t a bad outcome for them. If they get pregnant, if they get an STI, it was part of the norm because of where they lived,” she said. “The second thing was I realized they weren’t receiving adequate sexual education, if any at all. The girls who were receiving information, they were myths.” Smith decided to start the Gyrls in the H.O.O.D. Foundation to educate girls and young women about reproductive health, to improve their outcomes and to redefine the “hood” stereotype. In this instance, H.O.O.D. stands for Healthy Optimistic Outstanding and Determined.

Maizelle Hutson is a baker who owns Maizelle’s Delights where she creates pound cakes with different flavors. Hutson, who said she got her love of cooking from her mother and grandmother, started out by baking cakes for special events and giving them away to people. It was a way to share her love for baking with others.

Vegans and vegetarians have more and more options for dining out these days. One of those options is Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat, located at 1368 ½ E. 53rd St., in Hyde Park. Laricia Chandler Baker, best known as Chef Fab, is the owner of Can’t Believe It’s Not Meat. Baker said when she became a vegetarian, it was hard to find favorable food that tasted good.

Keisha Rucker earned the name “Mz. Hyde Park” because she grew up in Hyde Park and attended elementary and high school there. Now, she is running a business in the same community. Rucker is the co-owner of The Soul Shack, which is located at 1368 E. 53rd St.

Anthony Waller has always had a passion for food. Growing up, he was surrounded by family members who cooked. Waller started his career in the food industry as a busboy at the Hyatt and is now the founder of Catering Out the Box, which has been around for 18 years.

What started out as a food truck is now a successful brick and mortar restaurant with quite a following. Phil Simpson and Andrew Bonsu are the owners of Phlavz Bar & Grille, located at 717 W. Maxwell St.

Sandi Robinson, co-founder of ChiGivesBack, knows the importance of raising funds to provide resources. She also knows the importance of having a good team to support you in your endeavors.

Ibie Hart realized she was interested in politics while in law school at Loyola. She wanted to advocate for Black and brown children in the education system, so she got into the education law program, focusing on education reform policy, as well as school discipline laws and guidelines.

Tiffany Henyard, a senior Village of Dolton Trustee, grew up in the village and has served on the board since 2013. Now, Henyard is running for Mayor of Dolton. Henyard announced her run for Mayor on Thursday, Oct. 8. The election is Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021.