The Chicagoan

Ari Bendersky's passion for stories and finding out about people’s lives drew him towards a career in journalism and content creation. He started his career as a music journalist in the nineties, gay publications writer, and is currently a freelance editor. 

Having worked in different restaurants, writing about food in the Chicago scene felt like home. He developed a deep interest in wine, food,  and travel; launching his blog in the mid 2000’s.

“I really wanted to go deeper, and that allowed me access to winemakers and wineries. I would go on trips to visit these places, go to the store and buy wine. I would also get wine sent to me as writers do. It really just opened up a whole world and it allowed me to continue on that path and do the same thing with food.”

Tune into this episode as we learn more about Ari’s love for culinary arts, tactics for powerful storytelling, his journey navigating the corporate world and his vision to explore the wine industry.

Having lived in Chicago for the last 13 years, Pooja Naik has recently made a name for herself in the influencer world as content creator focusing on Chicago’s seafood scene. Originally from Mumbai, she immigrated to the United States when she was 17. She first spent time on the east coast and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh. 

Yet despite also receiving her masters in public policy and administration, she ultimately chose the path of entrepreneurship. In addition to being a content creator, Pooja is also a real estate broker and professional organizer.

“I started researching, organizing and seeing if people would even pay me to do this. Is there even any value? And so I did some research and I found that there were professional organizers.”

From there, Pooja would go on to work for free before eventually starting her business and taking on clients professionally. Yet despite her success in business and real estate, Pooja is actively involved in Chicago’s food scene and has been learning the ropes of what it means to be an influencer and how to monetize the opportunity. 

Tune in to hear more on Pooja, her journey into entrepreneurship and the lifestyle around being a food influencer in the ultimate foodie city.

Eric Platt, aka Eric Boss in the nightlife scene, is an event producer and nightlife promoter in Chicago. He joins us to share his story on how he became involved and how he's using his platform to enrich the lives of others. 

Once a recruiter by trade, it wasn't until a stint in Las Vegas that Eric would come to be known in the world of bars and nightclubs. Leveraging his experiences from both the corporate world and club promoting in the city that never sleeps, he ventured on his own to create unique experiences at some of Chicago's most well known clubs. 

It's through those experiences that Eric has come to connect on a more meaningful level, with guests who eventually become friends. He's honest that while he promotes a lifestyle of fun and partying, he's more so passionate about mental health. He's quick to point out that some should avoid going out, until they're in a better mental place. 

Join us to hear his take on what makes the nightclub scene special in Chicago and how he's making a positive impact in the lives of those he entertains. 

“Every young person is born to win.” This is Vondale Singleton’s model for every situation in life. Vondale is the CEO of Champs Male Mentoring Program; his journey into mentorship stemming from losing his mother to drugs at only 29. Something he believes could be different, if only she had a mentor.

“You know, losing a mom at an early age, when I was 14, I knew that I was going to have to fight much harder. I didn't have the support that I would need to process life. And so that's why I thank God for mentorship.”

Exposure is critical. Vondale learned from watching people who made mistakes and decided, “This is not what I want to do. I can’t go down that road. You can’t just decide not to do something without being attached to it.

“So for us, as a Champs Program is not about saying don't be a part of a gang, don't sell drugs, don't drink, don't do all that. What are we doing to show them what's possible?”

The exposure and opportunities we’ve provided our young people are centered around getting them in an environment where they can see something that the brain cells will light up. Once you take that path, don’t forget the steps to get there and pass the formula or that blueprint to somebody else.”

Vondale believes in innovation behind mentorship. He aims to understand the champ's dreams first in order to create pathways and inspire them to achieve those dreams.

“It’s not just like let's go eat a hot dog, and that's mentorship. No, It's like, let's find out while we eat the hot dog, what you want to be, and let's get as many people around you that will help you get there.”

Tune into the episode as we explore Vondale’s journey into mentorship, his three crucial E’s in mentorship and the challenges he has overcome along the way.

Mary Scala’s heart has always been in the hospitality industry. She started working in restaurants at a young age, but amidst the pandemic, she lost her job like so many others. As Scala was trying to understand her next step in life, she spent a lot of sleepless nights researching future foods and food supply chains.

“I landed on an article, in one of those sleepless nights, about this manufacturer called Freight Farms, and I was blown away. It was the first time  in a couple of weeks where I felt a little bit of hope, energized and full of goosebumps. I was like, ‘this company is amazing.’ So I had every intention to call them the next day and say, I know we're on lockdown, you guys aren't in the office, but I'll come to scrub your toilets. Just how do I get my foot in the door? I want to be part of what you guys are building.”

Although Scala didn’t get an opportunity to visit the company, her sister had a similar project that gave rise to “Freight to Plate.” The company’s primary goal was to integrate farms into communities and they’d need to be true experts by owning a farm.

“From there on out, we put a business plan together to make one farm, you know, a sustainable business model. We got our SBA loan to fundraise and purchase that farm. Within a year, the farm was delivered to Chicago. From there we had our first full farm harvest six weeks later.”

Scala’s personal mission is to create a food-positive Chicago, create awareness for clean food and ensure nutrient-dense food within a maximum of a 5 mile radius

“Our solution to a food-positive Chicago is integrating these farms into as many communities as possible. I don't believe there need to be food deserts, especially as many food deserts as we have in our city. One in six people in Chicago go hungry every day.”

Tune to the episode and listen as we explore hydroponic farming with the Founder of “Freight to Plate,” Mary Scala, and the obstacles they have had to overcome in the agricultural industry!

Growing up in the projects on the South Side, Dr Michael Airhart never let his circumstances weigh him down. Given the name “The Black MacGyver” by his friends and neighbors, Michael found a way to create, with whatever was available to him.

Taking his creativity and love of food, Michael began cooking for his neighborhood friends. 

“We would have grilled cheese sandwiches because back then you had government cheese. And so we would make literally the best grilled cheese sandwiches. Also, I tell everybody I created 'oodle noodles' and I'm going to take this with me when I leave here. I did that for a long time. I would give out bowls out my mom's back door."

Though Michael was not drawn to street life, he admits being forced to join a gang. Yet despite the lifestyle he was caught up in, he felt a calling that would eventually lead him to his future work. 

“At that time, I was just like, okay, I'm going to belong to this gang here, because most of my friends started selling drugs. One thing I can say, and even to this day, even when I was selling the drugs, I felt this burn inside every time I would touch it. As I was growing up in the gang, I didn't use the drug money to buy houses or different cars. 

Say your mom is the one doing the drugs. She’d take all the food stamps over to the drug dealer. So that house, your house can’t eat. Okay. Well, I'm a friend of you and your little sisters and brothers. What I did was I sold the drugs, got the stamps back, go to the store and bought the food and gave it back to you.”

It was that same heart that prompted Michael to change his entire life and commit himself to feeding the homeless. As Michael recalls, it was a moment during  “The Taste of Chicago” when a homeless man asked a vendor for food being thrown away, that touched his soul, compelling him to start “Taste for the Homeless.”

“He said, sir, can I have a slice of pizza? I don't have any money. I'm just hungry. I haven’t eaten in days. The man told him ‘no,’ you can't have any and if you don't get away from my effin booth, I'm going to have you arrested. 

I looked at him and said, sir, You’re throwing it away in his face. Better yet, I'll pay for it. Here are the tickets. To which he responded ‘You're not going to pay for anything and if you give, pay for his stuff, I'm going to have both of you all arrested.

I turned around and looked and he was crying already. He's hungry. I start crying. I grabbed his hands. That's when the Lord spoke to me right then and there.”

It was at that point, Michael began his mission to feed the homeless every single day. Tune in to hear his incredible, inspiring story of selfless love.

To say Juan Leyva has been on a journey would be an understatement. Like many immigrant stories, his family would travel undocumented from Mexico to Chicago, where he’d realize a destiny that awaited him. Though never imagining a life in hospitality, Juan is now in charge of one of the most prestigious hotels in Chicago: Oxford Hotels & Resorts - LondonHouse. 

Coming from a larger than average family, Juan recalls joining his father and two brothers who were already in Chicago. One of five children, Juan would travel with his mother and two sisters undocumented to reunite their family. 

‘Growing up, I was undocumented. I knew that I'd have challenges. So, I kept my head down and stayed quiet. Didn't do much.”

Yet despite those challenges, Juan and his brothers would form a band that’d achieve local success. From the age of 13, he and his brothers would perform Mexican music in Chicago. After high school, it was Juan’s brother who would pay for his first year of college. An opportunity he took full advantage of, that’d come to pave the way for a series of opportunities that would alter the course of his life. 

The next opportunity Juan discusses, is the one that put him on the path he finds himself today. Though now his mother-in-law, he tells of a time when his then girlfriend’s mom would get him a job at the hotel she worked at, at the time. 

“My now wife, girlfriend at the time, said ‘My mom works at a hotel. Maybe she can get you a job there. I know there are people at the hotel in similar situations to you.

Her mom gets me an interview with the front office manager. I just remember my mom telling me that I didn't have a suit, and to wear a shirt and tie. So, I got a white shirt and tie. I showed up for the interview and asked what I’m looking for.  I did say I'm in a band, so I have a quirky schedule. He said ‘Listen, I can put you in the parking garage, opening the gate from 10:00 PM to 4:00 AM, Tuesday through Thursday. I said ‘That works with my band schedule.’”

With a new job, the benefits that accompanied, and his band having success, life was going well for Juan. It was at that point he’d be asked to be a front desk supervisor only to be quickly promoted to front office manager. 

Tune in to hear the rest of Juan’s story that led him to becoming Vice President of Operations & General Manager of Oxford Hotels & Resorts - LondonHouse Chicago.

CBS2 Chicago News Anchor Jim Williams | Hosted by Stephanie Welter

Though passionate about her South Side roots, Alicia Dale loves her city and more importantly, the people in it. Choosing to live, work and volunteer in areas that weren’t always so popular to live near, she was and is inspired by change. A professional ghost writer by trade, she shares her experiences of getting involved in her community to make a difference. 

Joking that she could never see herself north of Madison St, Alicia was drawn to the South Loop in the early nineties. Long before it was the neighborhood we know and love today. Wanting to make an impact in her community, she shares what inspired her to make the move. 

“The people that lived there are why I chose it. I wanted to be the change I wanted to see in the world. I grew up with racial divide and I grew up with tension and I just saw so much opportunity there. And it was there, it was very inclusive and welcoming. Now it's exploded. It's a different community than it was in the nineties.”

Whether it was getting involved in her neighborhood meetings or volunteering around the city, Alicia has always had a passion for connecting with people. Though popular in other cities and countries around the world, hostels are not as widely known in Chicago. So when the opportunity to volunteer at one presented itself, it only made sense for Alicia to get involved. 

Yet writing is her true passion. While writing mostly for leaders and lawyers, she really connects with people who are influencing positive change. Open to new ideas and opportunities, she talks about a recent children’s book she wrote and collaborated with her friend of three decades. 

“Then a children's picture book came my way from my community; South Loop. Homer Bryant and I have been friends for 30 years. He owns a dance studio in the south loop, and I'd always tease him that he was an overnight success.

One day we were walking and he said, ‘Oh, you're a writer and I'm working on this children's picture book. Could you help me?’ My first thought was, ‘Well, I don't know.’ I kind of do the business thing and then I thought, ‘Why not me? I love children's picture books.’”

Tune in to her more on this South Sider’s take on taking advantage of some amazing finds and getting involved to make a difference in your community.

https://www.tfocb.com/chicagoan/podcast/alicia-dale

Shamilya Woods is an author, motivational speaker and the CEO of Candidly Speaking; all while being a full time Principal at the University of Chicago Charter School.

Born to teen parents, and raised by her grandparents, Shamilys spent her entire childhood in different areas on the west side; attending and graduating from Chicago public schools. Eventually, also teaching at Chicago public schools. 

Though growing up in a segregated community, Shamilya had the opportunity to attend school outside her neighborhood. It was the first experience she’d have with others from different cultures and ethnicities, but had a profound impact on her personal development. As a principal, she relied on her experiences to identify with students and parents from predominantly Spanish speaking families. 

“I stay grounded in who I am and where I'm from, but I understand and I empathize with different races. For example, I was an assistant principal at a Sarah charter school for eight years, majority Hispanic kids.My first encounters with learning about second generation Mexicans, first-generation Mexicans, families that didn't speak English, just learning their history. 

What really helped me was that I didn’t change who I was, but I immersed myself in the Hispanic culture, learning about them, learning about different holidays that they celebrate, learning about how they operate as a unit. Just like how black people operate as a unit, how they operate as a unit, so that I was more understanding and could be a better leader and communicate better with people and be more personable to parents.”

The author of three books, her first book “Hey Girl Say It with Me … “#Iknowmyworth” was written to help others overcome adversity. 

“My first book was developed for a few reasons., After I had my first daughter, I was distraught, I was completely distraught. Not because of her, but because of the situation. I was clinically depressed, I was so sad. I thought, ‘this is not the way I wanted my life to be.’ So it started from there.”

Seeing that the middle school girls Shamilya was working with were suffering from depression, she wrote the book using real people that related to the message. 

Tune in to hear more about Shamilya’s journey from Charter School Principal to Author, Mentor, Public Speaker and CEO. 

https://www.tfocb.com/chicagoan/podcast/shamilya-woods