HP_061319

18 | June 13, 2019 | The highland park landmark news
hplandmark.com
HP resident’s catering company
partners with local restaurant
It’s Getting Hot in Highwood!
June
Every Wednesday
4:30-9:30pm
June 5-August
3rd ANNUAL
Benefitting
28
26
d a y s
July 18-21
• Sample an array of the hottest &
spiciest foods and beverages
• Compete in the Inferno eating contest
at 8pm in the Gazebo.
• Live music and vendors galore!
10th YEAR!
July 20-21
Erin Yarnall, Editor
Highland Park resident
Wendy Polisner never
knew she would be a successful
business owner in
her future. The mother-offour
just liked to cook.
“I wanted to really help
in my household as much
as I could, financially,”
Polisner said.
Although she was formerly
a teacher, Polisner
said she had no interest in
going back to teaching.
“I did not want to go
back to teaching because
I thought that would take
me out of the house too
much,” Polisner said. “I
was teaching in Chicago at
a Chicago Public School,
59th and Pulaski, which
was about an hour and a
half commute each way. I
was like, ‘Okay, I think I
need something a little bit
closer.’”
Instead, she took inventory
of her interests,
including cooking. Once
she realized her passion
for cooking, Polisner was
inspired to cook for others.
“I was sitting around and
I developed this concept of
cooking for the busy mom,
and maybe the mom who
doesn’t like to cook, or the
mom who has no time,”
Polisner said. “Whatever it
was, I just knew I needed
to be in that niche, because
I knew I loved food and I
loved cooking.”
So Polisner started The
Kitchen Chicks — a business
that specializes in corporate
and family catering.
Five years into her business,
Polisner’s husband,
Gary, joined her after he
made a career change.
“He jumped in and
helped me develop more
of a business sense, and
some very delicious menus
that have been a part of our
corporate catering,” Polisner
said.
Prior to working with
her husband, Polisner
teamed up with a former
Highland Park High
School classmate Joey
Morelli, the owner of
Max’s Deli. In addition to
running her own catering
company, Polisner is the
head caterer at the Highland
Park restaurant.
Morelli started providing
Polisner with food, and
she moved her operation to
Morelli’s restaurant.
“I could stop cooking
out of my house and I
could leave all of the cooking
to him because he is an
expert and a culinary genius,”
Polisner said.
For Morelli, the partnership
works perfectly.
“Running the daily operations
is not my favorite
thing, but creating new
menus and coming up with
new recipes is my happy
place,” Morelli said.
In the future, Polisner
hopes to continue with the
success she’s seen, as well
as growing her business in
regards to event catering.
“I’d like to work more
on some of the life cycle
events, whether it be first
communions, or bat mitzvahs,”
Polisner said. “I’d
like more of those kind of
events, because I think we
do them very well. I think
we could be successful in
that area as well.”
July 20,
9am
Aug 30-Sept 1
July 28,
10th YEAR!
October
10am-5pm
11-13
Thank you to our Celebrate Highwood Sponsors
August 14
October 12, 9am
For more information visit
www.CelebrateHighwood.org or call 847.432.6000
Joey Morelli
(left), the
owner of
Max’s Deli,
and Wendy
Polisner, the
head caterer
for the restaurant
and
owner of
The Kitchen
Chicks,
smile at
Max’s Deli.
Erin Yarnall/
22nd
Century
Media