High-end, cutting-edge restaurants around the city, including Avec and Blackbird, use
Papa Lena's veggie chips as a flavorful garnish and recipe ingredient. Other customers
order platters of chips, along with Papa Lena's garlicky Roasted Red Pepper dip, for
parties, corporate events or fund raisers.
After a year and a half of appearing at events across the city and Chicago-area
suburbs–from demonstrations at Foodstuffs and the recent Fancy Food Show to
selling at Sam's Wine and Spirits and East Bank Club–Chicago husband-and-wife
team Danny and Marie Lena are expanding their sales across the Chicagoland area
(as well as across the nation through Internet sales). Their made-in-Chicago products
have received rave reviews from everyone who tastes them, including the title of one
of the Chicago Tribune's "Favorite Foods" in 2005.
Although today, Danny uses modern inventions to perfect his healthy veggie chips,
his recipe is steeped in the Old World traditions of Calabria, Italy. Every fall after
Danny turned 10, he helped his Italian grandfather work the vegetables in a shedini
(little shed) on their farm in DesPlaines, Illinois; come December they seasoned
and served the chips to their family. Over the past 40 years, Danny continued
the tradition, concocting thousands of chip-based recipes for his friends and
family to enjoy.
Reflecting on their various careers at the age of 50, Danny & Marie literally
cooked up a new recipe for personal success. Fortunately they have years of
entrepreneurial experience under their belts, including 23 years of
touring nationally as motivational speakers. They took their own advice
that anything is possible and started churning out thousands of batches
of chips in 2005. Steadfast and determined, the couple went from
working out of their home kitchen for their first event to selling at farmers'
market and renting space at Kitchen Chicago to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of chips orders from around the city. In 2006 they
opened their own storefront at 1505 N. Kingsbury St. nue.
Keeping up with the constant flow of orders as a mom and pop business is
a challenging task but one Danny and Marie welcome with open arms. From
working together on the stage and now in the kitchen, they're proud to call
themselves ChicagoOriginals. Look for them sharing the booth with chef
Didier Durand of Cyrano’s Bistro & Wine Bar. Tickets cost $60 in advance
and $75 at the door and benefit the March of Dimes.
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For additional information or to arrange an interview, please
contact Danny Lena at (312) 455-8100 or dlena@papalena.com
You may also visit www.papalena.com. or http://chicagooriginals.com/
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