Good afternoon, Chicago. ✶
Do you have a recipe that’s been in your family for ages?
For Logan Square staple Lula Cafe, its signature dish is one that dates back to co-owner Amalea Tshilds’ grandma, who came to Chicago from a village in Greece as a child.
Below, we detail how Tshilds’ husband, Lula chef and co-owner Jason Hammel, is preserving the history of this recipe. 👇
Plus, we’ve got the community news you need to know this afternoon.
⏱️: A 7-minute read
— Matt Moore, newsletter reporter (@MattKenMoore)
TODAY’S TOP STORY
Plainfield man fatally stabbed 6-year-old Muslim boy after listening to talk radio, worrying about his safety, prosecutors say
Reporting by David Struett
Media fueled unfounded fears: Prosecutors say Joseph Czuba, 71, of Plainfield, had been listening to conservative talk radio about the Israel-Hamas war and became increasingly concerned about his Muslim tenants before he attacked them Saturday, fatally stabbing a 6-year-old Muslim boy and badly wounding his mother. Czuba’s wife told detectives that he feared something would happen that day.
The charges: Czuba appeared in Will County court Monday morning, two days after he allegedly fatally stabbed Wadea Al-Fayoume and attacked the boy’s mother, Hanaan Shahin. The child was stabbed more than 20 times, authorities said. Czuba was ordered held in jail without the possibility of release while he faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery and committing a hate crime.
‘He loved life’: Shahin and her son were both Palestinian American, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations. She has been in the U.S. for 12 years, and the boy was born in the United States. He celebrated his 6th birthday Oct. 6. Wadea “loved his family and friends; he loved life,” a council representative said.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
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Chicago legend celebrated: More than 100 Bears fans joined Matt Butkus, son of the late Dick Butkus, to celebrate his father’s life and career at the Billy Goat Tavern Sunday. “The fans showed up and made me feel good,” Matt Butkus said. “I know he was well-loved.”
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Migrants brace for winter: As temperatures drop and winter approaches, hundreds of migrants are sleeping outside police stations, according to volunteer estimates from late last week. “I feel cold, I feel uncomfortable, and I feel scared, but I know that I can’t come here and demand too much,” said Yaritsa Leal, who migrated from Venezuela with family.
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Pillar of Roscoe Village mourned: As the longtime co-owner of the Four Treys Tavern, Colleen Flood poured her heart and soul into shaping what Roscoe Village is today and was known as the “unofficial mayor” of the community. She died last month at age 79.
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Fields likely out vs. Raiders: Bears coach Matt Eberflus said quarterback Justin Fields’ dislocated thumb on his throwing hand likely will keep him out of the game against the Raiders Sunday. That means backup Tyson Bagent would start Sunday against the Raiders.
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Northwestern’s next move: An Evanston panel wouldn’t allow concerts as part of an $800 million stadium proposal, but the university now is taking its case to the city council.
- The Pritzkers’ earnings: Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Illinois first lady M.K. Pritzker reported earning more than $2.2 million in adjusted gross income last year — about $16 million less than the billionaire couple reported in 2021.
SUN-TIMES STAFF SUGGESTS 🧵
Get your eyebrows threaded at Jazeh Beauty Boutique
I talked with my colleague Rummana Hussain, a columnist and editorial board member, who recommends stopping by Jazeh Beauty Boutique (6430 N. Central Ave., store D) for eyebrow threading.
“Those of us with dark, thick hair can vehemently attest that you cannot entrust your eyebrows to (just) anyone,” Rummana tells me. “An overzealous plucker can leave you looking sinister or surprised. Or you can end up with two commas splashed across your face.”
Enter Jazeh Beauty Boutique in Edgebrook, where Rummana says she and her sister have been going since 2021, after mutual friends vouched for it.
Why you should go: Owner Reema Jazeh Raza is “meticulous in sculpting eyebrows that flatter,” Rummana says. “She’s ready to accommodate customers with specific requests, but she is also happy to propose what type of arches work best with different face shapes.”
Not just for brows: Jazeh has a slew of other services, including eyelash lifts and extensions, facials and waxing, Rummana says.
Pro tip: While eyebrow threading doesn’t take too long, Rummana suggests booking an appointment, as it can get pretty crowded.
📍 Jazeh Beauty Boutique, 6430 N. Central Ave Store D
BRIGHT ONE ✨
Lula Cafe’s signature dish steals the spotlight in a new cookbook from chef Jason Hammel
Reporting by Maggie Hennessy | WBEZ
If you were to make a list of the most iconic Chicago foods — and not the ones like deep dish and Italian beef that are the subjects of hair-splitting debates, but the truly quintessential ones that speak to the city’s rich culinary contributions — Pasta Yiayia at Lula Cafe would almost certainly claim a spot there.
Not only has Lula churned out upward of 50 Pasta Yiayia [pronounced YAH-YAH] orders a day, six days a week for almost a quarter-century, but the recipe predates the restaurant as a staple of co-owner Amalea Tshilds’ childhood. Her two, now teenage, children have grown up eating it just as she did.
The pasta has become something of an icon, recreated countless times across the recipe blogosphere. There’s a salty tang of the cheese and sweet and toasty hits of garlic, the nutty browned butter and sneaky warmth of cinnamon tangling with thick, toothsome pasta. It’s rich, comforting and a bit unexpected — so much more than the beige-hued sum of its parts.
“I married into this dish,” writes her husband, Lula chef and co-owner Jason Hammel, in his new cookbook, the Lula Cafe Cookbook (Phaidon; $49.95), which contains the recipe for this and some 90 other dishes from the restaurant. “This is the recipe my wife most associates with her grandmother and namesake Amalia, who came to Chicago from a village near Sparta as a child.”
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Editor: Ellery Jones
Newsletter reporter: Matt Moore
Copy editor: Angie Myers
