Biz Over

Can you spot the publisher? http://www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/fashion/Makeover_Boot_Camp_Targets_Female_Entrepreneurs.html.

Koz It's Halloween!

Favorite Chicago TV veterans talking to each other! This Friday, October 31, John Callaway will interview the man behind Svengoolie, Rich Koz, for half an hour, discussing his career in local broadcasting and the special niche he's carved out for himself. Chicago Tonight, Channel 11, 7:30 p.m.; re-airs at 1:30 a.m.

Happy Diwali

LCP's A Cook's Guide to Chicago helped me rustle up a Diwali gift for my future in-laws yesterday. I didn't have time to get all the way to Devon for what I knew they'd really appreciate: Indian mangoes, a fruit not so readily available in the past (get the NPR story here). Still, I was able to discover by whizzing through the index, produce chapter, and Indian/Pakistani food chapter, that Andy's Fruit Ranch in Albany Park was a great source for produce from all over the world. There I was able to pick up some quinces, pomegranates, pomelos, ordinary mangoes, and karela ("bitter melon," looks like wrinkly, oblong squash). Andy's is worth a field trip, and a block away from the Kedzie stop on the CTA Brown Line. They carry products from 82 countries from Albania to Vietnam.

Hopper Guy

Kevin Grandfield, former artist-in-residence at The Cliff Dwellers Club, has turned his years-long project Hunting Nighthawks: On the Road with Edward Hopper into a blog. Hunting Nighthawks recounts with quirky humor and incisive commentary Grandfield's experiences, thoughts, and interviews as he traveled to 47 U.S. cities to view in-person over 100 Hopper paintings and ask people along the way, "Do you think that Americans are isolated as Edward Hopper characters, like in his masterpiece Nighthawks?"

"For Members Only" has a blog!

Lisa Holton, author of Lake Claremont's new title, "For Members Only: A History and Guide to Chicago's Oldest Private Clubs" has a new blog and public appearance dates to report!

Lisa will be speaking and signing her book at The Book Stall at Chestnut Court in Winnetka at 7 p.m., Thursday Oct. 23rd. On Jan. 13, she'll be speaking to the Society of Midland Authors at their monthly meeting starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Cliff Dwellers Club.