Izola White, RIP

I don't know when JP Paulus found out (he did a quick post about this on our FB page Tuesday), however, she passed away recently. She owned a well-known soul food restaurant called Izola's near 79th & Rhodes that had closed in 2010 according this Tribune article. It first opened in 1957, condolences to her friends and family.

DNAinfo: Izola's Replaced by New Soul Food Restaurant

Izola's as seen in April 2011

It appears the space formerly occupied by Izola's has a new tenant that recognizes the legacy of the previous establishment:

Brothers Anthony and Michael Cherry opened a soul food restaurant Saturday in the former home of the legendary Izola's.

Occupying 20,000 square feet at 522 E. 79th St. is Luversia's, a family restaurant that Anthony Cherry said was named after his late mother, Luversia Faye-Cherry, who died in 2008.

"She was a good person who taught us a lot about life," recalled Anthony Cherry, who grew up in Englewood but now lives in South Shore. "Five years from now I want to expand the restaurant to have a location on the West Side, North Side and downtown. I know those are ambitious goals, but I am an ambitious person."

Izola's, named after Izola White, opened in 1940 and closed in 2011. Luversia's has continued in part to use the former restaurant's identity by offering an "Izola's Ole-Skool Burger" for $6.99.

BTW, let's not forget not long after announcing for Mayor in 2010 Rahm Emanuel paid a visit to Izola's.

Who plans to pay a visit in the near future? And who has paid a visit and what are your thoughts on your experience there?

Izola's 90th birthday include fundraisers

NOTE: Click on images for a larger resolution! 

There is a 90th Birthday celebration for Izola White on the weekend of September 8-9., 3p-7p Sunday's celebratiuon is open to the public. Saturday's celebration requires a minimum contirbuition of $250.

It's a fundraiser to help Ms. White live at her own home rather than a nursing home.

Here are the details from Facebook

Come and be a part of an iconic celebration honoring Ms. Izola White and watch a community come together for a woman who has given so much to so many. Izola has done so much for others in her over 50 year history as owner of the restaurant. Through her misfortune, she was forced to close her place due to illness and financial problems. She now faces being placed into a nursing home if her living expenses aren’t met. this fundraiser will help relieve her of this worry and allow her to enjoy her home as she ...turns 90 years old. The effort will also bring a possibility of keeping her dream alive as the new ownership takes place at this location. PLEASE come out and show your support, you won’t regret it!


Key Note Speaker: Jesse Jackson Sr, Alderman Sawyer, Dorothy Brown, Spencer Leak Sr, Greg Hinton, Herb Kent, Emil Jones


Saturday, Sept 8th 3:p.m to 7:p.m dinner reception, live jazz Band, special guest speakers, picture auction (Photos from the restaurant ) and raffles. Minimum donation $250.00

Sunday Sept 9th 3:p.m to 7:p.m is community and Seniors citizens Day in the parking lot of Izola’s Restaurant Live Band, Food & Drinks ,Guest Speakers, Raffles. Open donation( Bring your Chair , Chairs are limited)

Let us know here at The Sixth War if you have further details, or have other comments regarding Izola's.

Note: the many photos on Izola's wll will be auctioned off, such as this one from Bernie Mac.

Happy Birthday, Izola!

The plants in her currently closed restaurant on 79th may not be in their prime, but owner Izola White is most certainly alive.

She is 89 years young today.

The dream for her restaurant returning is still alive.  Check our previous entry on a past fundraiser. We also have had other stories on Izola's (Type Izola in the search engine)

If you are interested in Izola or the campaign to revive the restaurant, you may contact her through:

DeWayne Mason, Guardian


773.936.1455 (cell)

friendsforizola@comcast.net


Or look her up on Facebook --> http://www.facebook.com/friendsforizola



Please share your thoughts on Ms. Izola White...

Will our soul food restaurants see a miraculous return like Edna's?

[VIDEO] Well Edna's is now Ruby's as it has re-opened under the ownership Harry Henderson who in fact named this historic restaurant @ 3175 W. Madison St. on Chicago's West Side. Hmmm the collard greens without pork could be very interesting and perhaps healthier although I've never had greens without pork.

If Edna's could continue after the death of the former owner/chef Edna Stewart then so might both Izola's & Army & Lou's. BTW, I took this picture of the former Izola's last week near 79th & Rhodes. It almost looks as if it's still in business with the campaign signs for Carol Moseley Braun for Mayor, Ald. Lyle, and one for Alderman-elect Sawyer. Well you won't be able to see this in the snapshot.

Where O Where Have Our Restaurants Gone?

Photo courtesy of The Sixth Ward Blog

Recently over at The Sixth Ward Blog there was a discussion about the closing of Army & Lou's,( http://thesixthward.blogspot.com/2011/01/army-and-lous-to-close-maybe.html)since that discussion Izola's and Quench Fresh Foods have closed their doors and it appears that Josephine's/Hard Times is barely holding on. We termed the cuisine served in the restaurants here as Pan African cuisine. Unfortunately, the  restaurants are having problems delivering.

Recently, the Alderman Elect stated he would miss Izola's and was courting several restaurant operators to open up in Chatham as well as was planning to attend next month's National Restaurant Association annual show to court additional restaurants operators to consider our community. Also, Alderman Lyle reiterated her commitment to Army & Lou's current owners to assist them in finding investors/financing. Unfortunately, I believe they may have missed their best chance when they turned down a popular TV show overtures to appear on their restaurant makeover show.

So the questions remains why are our restaurants failing. I asked a couple of experienced and accomplished Chef's/restaurant operators what did they think . First, Dave Blackmon, former food writer, executive chef for Blu 47 and current Director of Culinary Education for Chicago Public Schools gave the following reasons
"I shoot from the gut when it comes to this business. The restaurant industry is not as easy as people think. If it was, then everybody would open one. It also has a very narrow profit margin and if and if not watched carefully business credit can be ruined and vendors will not do business with the restaurant. Checks will bounce, employees will get bitter. Blah, blah blah.
But that's just the end part. There are so many other factors to take in.
1. so many other cheap eateries open by outsiders from other countries (who have no interest in reinvesting in our community) yet we buy their unhealthy subpar fast food product.
2. Large fast food chains sell it cheap and FAST!!! (Fried Chicken!!!!)
3. Izola's & Army & Lou's have very slow service. plus the food was cold. UNACCEPTABLE!!!
4. The "Old Black Political Power Unit" that would often dine at these spots have died down.
5. Plus people are getting old and can't eat traditional soul food or are looking for a fresher dining option.
6. Dining areas needed a real update.

Bottom line. People just didn't dine there enough to keep the businesses a float. Places like Josephine's (aka Captain Hard Times) might not be that far behind if they don't change soon.
I understand the need to support our Black businesses, but bad service is bad service. BTW, I don't eat at those other eateries I mentioned either. They too have bad service."

The other comments came from Chef Eric Paul, owner of Alter Ego a healthy food alternative restaurant, personal trainer and nutrition educator. Mr. Paul comments were "I totally agree with Chef David. I would also add that these restaurants need to advertise more and continue to build their brands. The old word of mouth advertising doesn't work as well as it used. Second, mom and pop restaurants need to establish additional revenue sources such as catering, packaged versions of their famous recipes (i.e. peach cobbler for supermarkets) and possibly expand operations to include private events and meetings. David also stated that there is much more competition than in the days of old. Some of these restaurants should begin appealing to destination diners (i.e. diverse demographics and geography). In order to do the latter, the mom and pops need to revamp their business models by introducing attractions (i.e. chef nights, live music, art showings, spoken word, etc). Lastly, traditional soul food may be good for the soul, but not the heart. If these restaurant created lighter versions of some of their popular dishes, they may attract a different type of customer. The mom and pop restaurants should study the business models of established giants because they have tons of money and resources to conduct market research and stay ahead of trends. Doing business the same ole' way for 20 years is not going to cut it in this market. These restaurants need to hire some new age consultants who also understand their demographic and make changes quickly or perish."

What do you think? What type of restaurants would you like to see?

Rahm visited Chatham video on demand

The first video is from ABC 7. JP blogged a story where Rahm had gotten an earful at Izola's located at 522 E 79th St in Chatham.

On WGN, Izola's was mentioned as a favorite hangout of Chicago's first black mayor Harold Washington.

Finally CBS 2's Mike Pucinelli was outside of Izola's when he filed this report Monday morning. A guy was there asking about why the federal stimulus hadn't created any news jobs!

This video filed Monday evening showed a division of opinions with regards to Emanuel. Nothing appears to have been taped in Chicago in this video. But they did mention one thing, the video that was shot of him announcing his listening tour. Well it was filed in Washington, DC.

Rahm visited Chatham part 2

Here's the update of the story we reported yesterday.

Well, it looks like it didn;t go so well for Rahm Emanuel at Izola's

But as he wolfed down scrambled eggs and sipped coffee at Izola's Restaurant on 79th Street with three patrons, some residents tried to interrupt, blaming the former White House strategist for a lack of jobs on the South Side. As the cameras rolled, Emanuel stood up and tried to quell the simmering scene, explaining how he felt the Obama administration had helped create jobs.

"You are going to be asked some hardball questions and get your bat out," Paul Johnson, 49, eventually told Emanuel. "Welcome to Chicago."

Read the rest of the story at Chicago Breaking News.

Anyone have any stories or photos?

Taste Chatham- The Pan African Cuisine Destination

Our community has become a destination point for Pan African Cuisine, dishes inspired from ingredients indigenous to the continent of Africa. So during the holiday weekend go out and taste Chatham. Here are some restaurants to try

Yassa African Restaurant - African Fusion
716 E 79th St
(773) 488-5599
Dishes from Senegal and other African Countries

Cafe Trinidad- Afro Caribbean
555 E. 75th Street
773.846.8081
Traditional Caribbean dishes

Soul Vegetarian East- Vegetarian Soul Food
205 E 75th Street
(773) 224-0104
Traditional Soul Food with a twist

Army & Lou's Restaurant- Southern Soul Food
422 E. 75th St.
773-483-3100
Traditional Soul Food dishes

Izola's Restaurant-Soul Food
522 E 79th St.
(773) 846-1484
Traditional Soul Food dishes

Captain's Hard Times Diner- Soul Food
436 E. 79th St
(773) 487-2900
Traditional Soul Food dishes

If I missed any, please feel free to add your favorite.

Fake cop can't fool real thing

This seems so incredibly tacky. I know that this case has nothing to do with what happened to Officer Wortham, but what this man did was in incredibly bad taste.

Herman Thompson, 41, of the 500 block of West 62nd, threatened to beat up a chef at Izola's Restaurant, 522 East 79th St., Saturday morning, according to charges filed by the Cook County state's attorney's office.

When Chicago Police arrived, he brandished handcuffs, told the officers he was a Cook County sheriff's officer and yelled at the chef to "take your --- to the kitchen!" according to a police report.

But Thompson couldn't produce a police badge, and the Sheriff's Department hasn't heard of him, according to the report.

Judge Laura Sullivan ordered Thompson -- who's charged with assault, impersonating a peace officer and trespassing -- held on bail of $15,000.

Izola's featured on NATIONAL Public Radio

Chatham's Izola's Restaurant on 79th street was featured NPR's new short series, "Take Me to Your Leader" yesterday (Monday, Augst 25). According to NPR, "The trip is an attempt to get away from the hype surrounding the political conventions in Denver and St. Paul — and to talk to people (and leaders) from Chicago to Phoenix."

Click the link above to get more details on the story.

It's brief, but gives you a taste of the restaurant -- and the neighborhood.

85 year old Izola White has run her restaurant for 50 years, and has had several politicians dine there, some on a regular basis.

Izola's is open 24 hours, 6 days a week (closed on Wednesday). It's cash only -- so don't bring your credit card (but an ATM is on the premises).

Check out the Metromix review here.

The address is 522 E. 79th St. (near St. Lawrence Avenue), Chicago IL 60619

Other area restaurants to check out include nearby Captain's Hard Time Dining, Army & Lou's, 5 Loaves and Mather's More Than a Cafe.