It’s hard to believe, now that we’re all in quarantine, but the sun will come out and so will we.
When I first moved back to the Chicago area, I met an everyday angel named Christine Spencer.
Spencer, who heads the job networking group in the Weis Center at St. Thomas More church, 8435 Calumet Avenue in Munster, started it when she lost her own job and saw it as a vehicle to help on the 3rd Thurs of each month at the Weis Center and the rest is history.
The free job group called STM Career Group, was started abo10 years ago in Munster has proven to be a saving grace for many in the area who are looking for jobs. Spencer, a petite woman who always wears suits to her meetings, has a background in meeting planning and has trained various groups in time management.
Jobs may be found at STM Career Group
“Lots of people come here for jobs,” agreed Susan Strain, who works at St. Thomas More church in Munster. “They can get free help with resumes and hear from human resource professionals.”
Spencer said that may be the ticket to her group’s success.
“We have different presenters at most of the meeting that help with how to land that next opportunity,” she said. “We also have Donna Weidenfeller who is retired from Purdue Calumet Career Services helping people with resumes and cover letters each month and Robert Teets who helps with IT, social media and spends times encouraging participants. His wife, Helen Marie Harmon, has also been a presenter many times and is certified to give the Myers-Briggs Assessment which we do each spring.”
STM Career Group now has a steady 30 participants each month and as many as 100. All meetings are free and open to the public.
In fact, Spencer said she started the networking group, because, “not only once, but four times, I’ve gone through downsizing and merger. “
Now, about 50 participants meet at 7 p.m. monthly on Thursdays at Weis to network, hear seminars from local companies such as Arcenal Mittal Steel, and basically do what it takes to get a new job. The crowd varies each week from very young right out of college applicants to seniors. Volunteer, Donna Weidenfeller, gives presentations and is a resume reviewer.
“When I lost a very good job I was traveling as much as 50 miles away to network,” Spencer said. “I had been thinking of starting a networking group in the area and just prayed about what all this means. Everything just eventually fell into place.”
It was the dead of winter in the Chicago area and I think I may have completely lost my mind when I tried a job as a hostess in a 90-year-old restaurant. I’m not going to say the name lest you want to run over there and work this job yourself, but it starts with a T-e-i-b-e-l-s.
“I can do this,” I thought. That was before I knew there was extensive math involved and yes, accounting to close the entire restaurant, much like hotels, my other nemesis.
I scoured the Internet for duties before I showed up at the job. This is pretty much what I found (but, it’s not true). Hostesses acknowledge guests, offer up a polite greeting, and remember their information. Sometimes they may have to check menus.
Here’s what really happened: I had to act as the accountant for the day, posting checks, giving change and balancing. In addition to that, I sat customers in various stations. The waitresses and waiters at this establishment had been there for upwards of 30 years and still daily fought over which sections they had been given. After about two weeks, I had to close and balance the restaurant before I left – all for $10 an hour and that was an upgrade because I have a college degree.
Maybe not try hostessing as a senior
Why can’t you be an accountant if you have a college degree? I don’t know.
Each day, the wait staff and myself longingly looked out the front window when there were no guests. It showed a busy street where we looked for accidents or any melee. Something was afoot, I noticed we didn’t have much in common as people and it was very lonely. I started actually speaking to guests about their lives.
The waitstaff did not like that. But they didn’t tell me. They glared at me as I had interesting conversations. I kept on. As a journalist, a woman was once angry with me for an entire year and I didn’t notice. It takes a lot for me to know when I’m getting on people’s nerves.
A man came in to pick up a check from the owners for a charity event. I asked him the usual marketing questions for the event.
“I feel like we could work together,” he said.
Needless to say, I quit and did his marketing for a year. It’s always a good idea to find other senior jobs while on the job.
After years of watching exciting hotel related sitcoms, I decided that maybe I’d missed out on all the goings on in the hospitality industry. It is thought to be an excellent career for those who are over 50. Not only that, it might be fun.
I became a Holiday Inn hotel desk clerk a few years ago and here’s how it went for those thinking it’s easy and contemplating the work.
Hotel Work
I arrived and was immediately given the night shift. I was slightly afraid, because there were no security guards or police, but I wanted to try it. I thought surely it was fun.
As a hotel front desk clerk, I checked in guests and served breakfast. What I didn’t know was that I did the bookkeeping for the day. If I were negotiating my contract, I would say that is a deal breaker. Me and math? No comprendo. Did I mention the pay was $9 per hour?
The job also requires you take calls from guests and book them, distribute room keys, collect payments and learn to work a really complicated hotel software package.
“All of this and making breakfast?” you say. “Yes,” you will believe you died and went to hospitality heaven.”
Hotel front desk clerk positions typically require at least a high school diploma or an equivalent. They also have a period of on-the-job training upon hiring to become familiar with the specifics of the hotel they’re working in. How much time did I have to learn everything before I was pronounced ready to work alone? Two weeks. Then there was a huge craft beer convention in town and that was my first night alone.
I’m not going to lie, I made many mistakes that night, not the smallest of which was agreeing to taste shark semen craft beer.
The next day my supervisor approached me with a manila envelope saying she needed to see me. Needless to say, I quit.
If you think age is just a number, try being over 50 in the workplace.
In today’s 20-something workforce, out with the old seems to be a watchword — and even many 40-somethings are starting to look over their shoulders and feel the hot breath of youth bearing down on their careers.
In today’s 20-something workforce, out with the old seems to be a watchword —
Everyone in the workforce
Age discrimination is definitely a consideration in the workplace,” said Melissa Cole, an assistant professor of law at Saint Louis University Law School. Cole said as layoffs occur in today’s shaky economy, age discrimination lawsuits do sometimes follow, but not as often as sex or race discrimination cases. She said companies that have large layoffs many times include all age groups so that age discrimination does not affect the larger workforce.
And, she said, when companies layoff, they oftentimes have employees sign an explicit waiver precluding any discrimination lawsuits in order to receive an incentive on a compensation package. Older workers most often take the packages rather than opt for a lengthy lawsuit.
However, baby boomers who are turning 55 this year and are highly paid middle managers might disagree. There are now about 16 million Americans ages 55 and older who are working or seeking work, according to figures compiled by the AARP-Roper Starch survey.
Economic necessity will keep aging boomers working longer largely because of longer life expectancy, more limited private pension benefits and anxiety over potential changes in Social Security. These long-term workers sometimes are the first to be discarded in favor of younger workers with less pay requirements, and they do tend to strike back, Cole said.
Scott Stewart, a labor and employment attorney with Burroughs, Hepler, Broom, MacDonald, Hebrank & True in St. Louis and Edwardsville, handles cases for both sides.
“Age discrimination lawsuits coupled with gender and race discrimination are slightly on the rise in the area,” Stewart said.
There are a lot of factors involved in winning an age discrimination suit, Stewart said, including a lengthy evaluation process to determine whether an employer had unreasonable expectations, such as unnecessarily complicated job directives.
“They can say things like you are not as accomplished in computers,” he said. “But you would have to prove that was only a pretense.”
When making the decision to sue your employer, Stewart said, the first obstacle is making your case to an attorney who will then take it on a contingency basis.
“One of the drawbacks to age discrimination suits is that punitive damages are not available,” he said.
He recommends that if 40-plus workers feel the need for legal back-up, they first file charges with either the Missouri or Illinois Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
“They have a human rights commission that can make an attempt to mediate the situation,” Stewart said. Barring that, the claimant also must obtain a right-to-sue letter within 90 days of filing.
There is some good news for plaintiffs. Although only about 20 percent of all complaints filed with the federal EEOC are for age discrimination, people claiming age discrimination were awarded an average of $219,000 compared to $147,799 for race discrimination, $106,728 for sex discrimination and $100,345 for disability discrimination, according to Jury Verdict Research.
“You tend to get lots of age discrimination claims in a business climate coming out of this type of setting,” said Dan O’Toole, an attorney with Armstrong Teasdale. For example, he said, in St. Louis companies like Boeing and others laid off workers and got 40 or 50 age-discrimination lawsuits.
Some St. Louis corporate leaders are realizing they can act to reduce or eliminate age discrimination through effective management and educational programs, O’Toole said.
I know I haven’t written for a while and that’s because I was out working jobs for you. It’s so you know where to go when retirement sneaks up on you and you spent your last dime on car insurance. Since I moved back to my hometown with an eye toward leaving, I have been trying to work in menial labor to see if it’s everything everyone has said.
Substitute teaching is truly awful. I would say, the awfullest, but that’s putting it mildly. So, first up, let’s try on the substitute teacher. It’s the best and by best I mean you get to sit down. I had always been taught to believe this was a cushy babysitting job for the elderly who had spent all their younger money. It would be perfect for the almost-dead.
Me before teaching…
I started substitute teaching at a local public school (I went private myself). The children talked throughout the teaching and I said nothing. They danced, jumped on each other and even air dropped movies and games on the wall. What did I say? Nothing. It was like watching a car accident, I really didn’t want to get involved. That went okay for a month and then they decided to make me a full-time substitute teacher when a real teacher had foot surgery. It was clear she didn’t want to come back and I really didn’t blame her. The classes were either too large or small and the teacher was remiss with lesson plans. She was on pain killers, she explained.
One of the things I was looking forward to was teaching journalism. I spent about 25 years in the field and I never thought it was a job. It was my chosen career and I thanked God everyday for it.
However, when I went to teach journalism, I found the children had been teaching themselves and they didn’t really want to have a record of it. They tweeted sports news every once in a while in case Don Lemon was listening. But they had no actual newspaper on their school site. They stood on desks and bounced on balls and screamed, but they had no real news and most importantly, no deadlines.
I wanted to teach them what a great career journalism could be if done right. They told me to sit down and shut up. Some people and some environments are unteachable, I thought. I kept trying although they seemed to need medication. I got it. They had been given too much freedom with no real direction. That is the problem with most things, but I would say public schools most of all.
One day I was called to the principles’ office to tell me there was a racist incident in my class. At the time, I thought it was a joke. Some kids were playing their own music when other kids told them they didn’t like their music. They wanted to hear K-pop. I, of course, didn’t say much. When does the babysitting kick in? I asked myself. I had already driven to the teacher’s house some miles away to take her and her son to the dentist.
When I got back to the classroom, an almost college sports star asked me, “is Miami a city?”
Each year as I get older, surprisingly I want to look younger.
We all know the feeling of wanting the wisdom of age, but the face and body of an 18-year-old.
It would be perfect.
We would look young, but inside we would know not to drink and drive, or send money to people we don’t know on the Internet, or marry the wrong people.
me after a treatment
Wanting to look young is not exactly a new idea — the search for the fountain of youth has been going on for centuries. While we can’t turn the hands of time all the way back, we can look and feel more confident. There are some scientifically solid, significant advances in anti-aging skin care and chief among them is Fractional CO2 Laser Skin Resurfacing.
To help everyone out, I tried this one myself at Dr. Bethany Cataldi, a plastic surgeon and otylarologist in Munster.
I thought I would probably be alone in my brave pursuit of agelessness, but the office was filled with people wanting to get their necks lasered – myself included.
“The fractional skin resurfacing laser is the latest and most advanced type of C02 laser for improving skin conditions,” said Dr. Cataldi.
After promising the other people in the waiting room I would tell them how it went, I cautiously went to the back office for my laser treatment. I can say this: it was much like having a dental procedure. It was painful, but not as bad as I thought. It was something that was doable.
Afterward, I was able go about my day with no one noticing I had any kind of procedure at all. Immediately after the laser treatment there is icing and little pain throughout the rest of the day.
It’s clear that CO2 fractional laser therapy might be the antiaging breakthrough of the decade. When my neck healed in about two weeks, it looked like new, no brown spots or extra wrinkles.
This skin-resurfacing treatment can combine the effectiveness of traditional carbon dioxide lasers — long thought to be the best in wrinkle removal — with a new application technique that delivers powerful results without the traditionally harsh side effects.
How does it work? The natural aging process, combined with exposure to sun and pollution, destroys collagen — the main protein of connective tissue that keeps skin plump and line-free. Laser resurfacing uses beams of energy light to bore tiny holes in the skin, which works to put the body’s natural collagen production on fast-forward. Here’s what’s new: Fractional CO2 laser resurfacing does this in a way that prevents damage to the top layer of skin, offering maximum results with minimal recovery time.
“There are two types of fractional lasers – either non-ablative (the laser beams coagulate the affected tissue) or ablative – (the laser beams vaporize the affected tissue), according to Dr. Cataldi.
Next up is my favorite: BOTOX ® injections.
I have tried Botox numerous times and can say it’s quick, easy and fairly pain-free.
Locally, Dr. Gus Galante performs cosmetic surgery, Botox, fillers and more.
“There’s a lot of misinformation about Botox,” says Dr. Galante, who practices in Schererville. “It gets put out there like a Chinese telephone – if one person has a negative experience, some people use that as measuring stick – thousands of people are doing well with Botox.”
Dr. Galante says he has been working with Botox since 1995.
In other places I have lived, we would have Botox parties and people would get together and a nurse would administer Botox at a cheaper rate. The normal cost for Botox is about $300 and it lasts about three months. If done right, there is a moment when you’ll notice you look really great – no wrinkles, just a younger look.
Dr. Galante agrees with the younger look, but disagrees with administering drugs in a party setting.
“People who use a product that is not government approved can have complications,” he says.
“It gives a bad name to a very excellent product.”
“There are many people who use paraprofessionals,” he says. “A surgeon knows exactly where those muscles are and ethically it’s not a great idea. There’s no real medical history taken and it should be determined if people are good candidates for the Botox procedure. People can give their consent and not understand what’s being done.”
As more and more women and men try Botox Cosmetic in Indiana, it’s quickly becoming our top non-surgical procedure,” according to Dr. Galante’s website. “This truly revolutionary wrinkle buster actually lives up to the Hollywood hype by eliminating fine lines and wrinkles. The simple injections are quick and easy, and no recovery time is required. BOTOX can also reduce migraine headaches and excessive sweating of the palms and underarms. Dr. Galante also performs the Botox procedure to smooth frown lines, crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles.
Last, but not least, is the Lifestyle Lift and Dr. Sreekant Cherukuri, MD, in Merrillville.
The Lifestyle Lift can significantly improve a double chin. Basically, for Dr. Cherukuri, it’s a noninvasive operation for reshaping one’s aging jowls and neck.
With this procedure scars are limited because Dr.Cherukuri goes just under the skin. Most patients are awake during this noninvasive procedure, but some, according to Dr. Cherukuri’s office, opt for a twilight sleep.
According to Dr Cherukuri. A northwest Indiana physician and his website, “it’s a mini-facelift that is an excellent alternative to a full facelift and gives an overall lift to the neck and lower third of the face. It focuses primarily on trouble spots such as the neck, jowls, mid-face and the lines around the nose and mouth. It is called the Weekend Lift because that is the approximate duration for post-operative recovery.”
Those who are Lifestyle Lift-curious can call for one of Dr. Cherukuri’s Evening of Beauty-Look 10 Years Younger in One Hour! The programs are held at Fitness Pointe located at 9950 Calumet Ave.in Munster.
For more information about Dr. Cherukuri’s free programs call 219-836-3477 or toll free 866‑836-3477. For information on other programs offered by Community Healthcare System access the website at http://www.comhs.org.
Each year my broker sends me a card that tells me not only how old I am, but how old I am in dog years, or that I’m 1,955,923,200 in bee years.
I cover my eyes because I don’t want to know what my age on Mercury would be (258 years). I think my age now is 258 years. All these time limits give me the idea that I haven’t accomplished my lofty goal of being, say, a hit over-50 blogger who is so popular that people line up around the block for my funeral in whatever city I’m retiring in.
The year I was born
The reality, I fear, is that no one will line up for me because they don’t know me. It’s probably the same problem misanthropic people have when they die at 90. Or, the fear that no one will come because you’ve moved around so much.
Enter a friend of mine who I know will come to my funeral. This man has probably attended about 10,000 funerals in his lifetime. If I’m worried about what city I will end up living in, he will probably travel. I know that if I end up in Baghdad in a war zone, he will attend my funeral. It makes me feel comforted and like I won’t be alone in my first days of spirit form.
In the off chance that he can’t make it, there are always professional mourners that I can hire. Here in the United States, it is not generally popular, but I am thinking about it as another career. There are professional mourners who are people paid to attend funerals and pretend to be friends and family of the deceased. They are popular in places like China and are starting to take off here. These mourners are paid to create fake identities and act like they know the deceased.
Today’s funerals can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Professional mourners can make $30 to $120 per funeral. Funerals typically last 2 to 3 hours – making it possible to attend two funerals per day. I have to tell my friend there is money in this.
It’s that time of year again, and our pastry chefs have outdone themselves! With displays at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World Resorts, as well as Aulani and aboard each Disney Cruise Line ship, there are dazzling gingerbread displays wherever you go! Here’s all the info you need to know on this year’s holiday gingerbread displays, from finding your favorite displays to purchasing holiday sweets. And be sure to look out for some exclusive merchandise, including limited edition pins, ornaments, mugs, headbands and more themed to each of the displays, which can be found at the merchandise shops in each resort’s lobby while supplies last.
Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa
This year, Aulani is dreaming of snow with their “Frozen 2” gingerbread display featuring a giant white chocolate tree adorned with sugar snowflake ornaments and a Hawaiian Olaf tree topper. Along with the main tree, there will also be two macaron tower trees decorated with over 400 glittered macarons. The entire display will be decorated with more than a dozen snow babies getting into a snowball fight with Santa Stitch among a forest of sugar ice trees.
In addition, you’ll find a few holiday treats for sale as well:
Gingerbread at Disney for the holidays
Candy Cane Macarons
Holiday Mickey Crispy Treats
Holiday Caramel Apples
Gingerbread-Spiced Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
Seasonal Mickey Cupcakes
Giant S’mores Pops
DIY Fresh Gingerbread House Kits
Mickey Monte Blanc
Gingerbread Yule Log
Peppermint Brownies
Who wouldn’t want to make a trip to Hawaii for the holidays? If you’re interested booking a Hawaiian vacation with Disney or want to learn more about this resort, visit the Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa website!
Disney Cruise Line Gingerbread Displays
Each year, the Disney Cruise Line onboard pastry teams build unique displays in the atriums of each ship. These displays are part of annual holiday gingerbread competition between each of the ships’ pastry teams. This year, each of the four distinctly different displays features over 600 pounds of gingerbread dough, over 5,000 gingerbread bricks, and over 200 pounds of sugar! These displays take weeks to construct and move onto the ships, and each brick is individually aligned and placed with icing. You’ll find them throughout the holiday seasons on the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Magic, and Disney Wonder ships!
Disneyland Park – Haunted Mansion Holiday Gingerbread House
This year not only marks the 50th anniversary of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland park, but it also marks the 19th time that Jack Skellington has visited the 999 Happy Haunts who dwell there, transforming it into a Haunted Mansion Holiday. And each year, the Walt Disney Imagineering and Disneyland pastry teams team up to create a wonderfully spooky gingerbread display in the Grand Hall of The Haunted Mansion. This year’s display celebrates the 50th anniversary of the beloved attraction, standing almost ten feet tall and featuring 15 different gingerbread cookies depicting the various residents of the mansion. You’ll find this display through the end of the holiday season in Disneyland park by visiting the Haunted Mansion Holiday, a merrily macabre makeover inspired by Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
Disneyland Resort – Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa Gingerbread Display
Built by a team of talented Disney artists, engineers, and bakers, this gingerbread house, a replica of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, stands over seven feet tall and is decorated with over 600 pounds of gingerbread! If you look closely, you’ll even find a few hidden Mickeys sprinkled throughout the display. This gingerbread house is in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa through the end of the holiday season at Disneyland Resort.
In addition, you can enjoy A Grand Gingerbread House Experience, a hands-on workshop that’s great holiday fun for the whole family! Meet the Disney pastry chefs who crafted the iconic gingerbread house and create one for your party or family. This experience occurs from 3:00-4:30pm on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, 11, 15, 18, 21, and 22. For more information and to make reservations, visit the Disneyland Resort website or call (714) 781-DINE or (714) 781-3463.
You can also enjoy an array of sweets and treats at the Holiday Cart located nearby the display. Offerings include:
Holiday Cookies – Mickey Poinsettia Cookie, Mickey Santa Cookie, Mickey Reindeer Cookie, Hanukkah Cookie
Walt Disney World Resort – Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Gingerbread Display
New this year is a gingerbread display at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. Escape to the rustic majesty of America’s Great Northwest! This gingerbread cabin is inspired by the turn-of-the-century National Park lodges and even features a familiar bear named Humphrey hanging out right in front of the display. Set inside the lobby, the cabin is nestled beside a murmuring creek among the resort’s towering totem poles right next to a stone hearth fireplace and the majestic seven-story Christmas tree. If you look closely, you might just find a few hidden Mickeys!
Holiday Treats for Sale:
Gingerbread Man Kits
Gingerbread Pine Tree
Chocolate Pine Cones
Reindeer Food
Gluten-Friendly Gingerbread Man
Spiced Moose Cookie
Hot Chocolate
Apple Cider
Walt Disney World Resort – Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa Gingerbread Display
Another new display this year comes to Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. Here you’ll find a holiday village themed to the Saratoga Springs, New York complete with a carousel in the park. You’ll also be able to purchase sugar cookies and gingerbread man cookies!
Walt Disney World Resort – Disney Springs Gingerbread Display
Located in the popular Amorette’s Patisserie in Disney Springs, this storefront display depicts a miniature version of the pastry shop and a miniature kitchen. This adorable gingerbread house will be on display starting Nov. 25, 2018, and will be up through the end of December. And when you stop by the shop to see it for yourself, you can indulge in one of the many holiday offerings available:
Holiday Petit Cake – Morello Cherry, Chantilly, Chocolate Chiffon Cake, and Dark Chocolate Mousse
Yule Log Dessert – Red Velvet Cake with Spice Cream Cheese Icing
Ornament Macaron – With Milk Chocolate Peppermint Ganache
Ornament Pastry – Bourbon Hot Chocolate Mousse, Marshmallow, and Chocolate Chiffon Cake
For more info on all of the holiday sweets at Disney Springs – check out my recent blog with all the yummy details!
Walt Disney World Resort – Disney’s BoardWalk Resort Gingerbread Display
Representing the fun restaurants and shops located along Disney’s Boardwalk, this gingerbread display is in the lobby of Disney’s BoardWalk Resort. The display will be up through the end of December. In this display, the BoardWalk Bakery takes center stage with Chef Mickey at the helm! You’ll also be able to snack on festive sweets available for purchase nearby the display:
Decorated Mickey and Minnie Sugar Cookies
Jumbo Coconut Macaron
White and Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Zimsterne Sugar Stars
Spitz Kuchen
Mini Contessa Cookies
Spitz Lerkerli
Stollen
Drinking Chocolate
Gingerbread Martini
Walt Disney World Resort – Disney’s Contemporary Resort Gingerbread Castle
For the 10th Anniversary of Disney’s Contemporary Resort Gingerbread Display, Cinderella and Prince Charming greet guests as they come to visit the fanciful gingerbread castle set on an “it’s a small world” backdrop. This 18-foot tall display is located on the 4th floor concourse of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. The castle is crafted from thousands of gingerbread blocks, rolled fondant, and modeling chocolate and features a rolled fondant Fairy Godmother and a display box featuring Cinderella’s glass slipper. The display will be up through January 5, 2020. Be sure to come by and see it, and try to find the nine hidden Mickeys and ten images highlighting ‘it’s a small world’ and ‘Frozen 2’ to celebrate the 10th Anniversary! As a tribute to Mary Blair, you might even see the famous five-legged goat! And available for purchase at the Gingerbread Hut nearby are holiday sweets such as:
Tree-Shaped Sugar Cookie
No-Sugar-Added Cookie
Chocolate Peppermint Cookie
Chocolate Pecan Cookie
Linzer Cookie
Gingerbread Boy
Gluten-Friendly Gingerbread Boy
Gingerbread Shingle
Frozen Hot Chocolate
Frozen Apple Cider
Alcohol Floaters available for Frozen Drinks
Plant-Based Gingerbread Loaf
10th Anniversary Cookie Box of Assorted Guest Favorites
Walt Disney World Resort – Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Gingerbread House
As always, the iconic Grand Floridian Gingerbread House fills the resort’s lobby with sugary-sweet scents! This life-size gingerbread house will be up throughout the holiday season. Featuring hidden Mickeys, gingerbread shingles, and more, this 14-foot tall display also houses a little sweet shop selling freshly baked house-made items such as:
Gingerbread Shingles
Gingerbread Cookies
Stollen
Christmas Tree Brownie
S’mores Cookie
Chocolate-Peppermint Bark
Gingerbread Ornaments
Mini Gingerbread Houses
Assorted Gingerbread Cookie Bags
Lollipops
Grand Floridian Combo Box
Snowman Donut
Aurora’s Gifts (petit fours)
Grand Floridian Cake Pop
Gluten-free Plant-Based Gingerbread Boy
Gluten-Free Plant-Based Mint Cookie
No-Sugar-Added Cookies
You can also enjoy a Gingerbread House Decorating Demo conducted in front of the display daily Dec. 1-25, 2019.
Walt Disney World Resort – Disney’s Beach Club Resort Gingerbread Carousel
This life-sized spinning carousel is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year in the lobby of Disney’s Beach Club Resort. The display features Peter Pan-themed carousel horses decorated with hand-crafted chocolate, sugar, and fondant as well as hand-crafted gingerbread shingles and snowflakes. Can you spot all 20 hidden Mickeys? Treats for sale include:
Gingerbread Shingles
Gingerbread Mickey Cookie
Paint-Your-Own Sugar Cookie
Stollen Bread Loaves
Holiday Cookie Bags
Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Plant-Based Chocolate Mint Cookie
Plant-Based Gingerbread Cookie
Chocolate Lollipops
Walt Disney World Resort – The American Adventure Gingerbread Display at Epcot
This patriotic gingerbread display features the United States Capitol Building as well as the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and a seven-foot gingerbread Washington Monument topped with golden Mickey ears. Located in The American Adventure at Epcot, the display contains six hidden Mickeys and is made with over 50 pounds of gingerbread and 20 pounds of chocolate.
Michelin Star Chef Kevin Hickey had to travel the globe to find the success he wanted right back where he started.
“I had to come back to Chicago to get my Michelin Star with the Four Seasons,” Hickey says.
Indeed, the now seasoned chef started out at the Four Seasons restaurant when he was just 25 years and stayed with the company for literally the next 19 years. He only left the company to come back to Chicago and buy his great grandmother’s restaurant: The Duck Inn in Bridgeport.
“The Four Seasons raised me,” Hickey says.
But, after getting out of college at Stout in Wisconsin and achieving his dreams through the Four Seasons, Hickey and by then, his family, were ready for something new. Enter The Duck Inn, a tavern and restaurant in Bridgeport that opened in 2014. The Duck Inn is also the culmination of some lifelong dreams and ambitions for Hickey: owning a restaurant on the very street where he grew up in Bridgeport.
The Duck Inn has gotten excellent reviews, but patrons can find Hickey toiling nightly. His specialties are duck fat hot dogs and rotisserie duck. Sometimes people can find his wife Javalen and son Declan.
Savory Duck Fat Hot Dog
“People love the hot dogs,” Hickey says with a smile. “They’re very popular.”
And that’s going some for a chef that’s gone around the world living in places like London and Dublin only to head back to his roots in Chicago.
“I’ve always had a knack for cooking,” Hickey says. “My mother who was in politics, never cooked. She used to give my sister money to go get us something to eat. She would pocket the money and I would make something to eat.”
Our favorite thing was Stauffer French Bread Pizza and I could recreate the flavor profiles till they tasted exactly like Stauffer, Hickey says.
Now that he has the Duck Inn, Hickey says he does not take it for granted. He even still has a hamburger sandwich – something that was on the first menu of his great grandmother’s restaurant – on the menu.
Jalapenos is a time-honored and fun neighborhood Mexican restaurant in northwest Indiana.
When it first opened about 10 years ago, Jalapenos gave a new meaning to Mexican fare. It offered soft cooked all day pork tacos with lean pork marinated with a tasty chili tomato sauce with just a hint of heat.
The friendly staff at Jalapenos
Now, the sides of rice and beans are well done with subtle Mexican flavors and the atmosphere is nothing but a party. Most summer nights an outdoor patio with tiki lights adds to the public atmosphere and giant, tangy but sweet margaritas add to any evening here.
As salsa connoisseurs, we at consider Jalapenos’ tasty salsa the best without big pieces of tomato, but a nice combination of flavors like onions, cilantro and onions, nothing short of a miracle. Jalapenos is at 200 US Hwy 41 in Schereville. For more information call 219-864-4444.
