NT_091219

44 | September 12, 2019 | The Northbrook tower life & arts
northbrooktowerdaily.com
Arepie brings flavors of Venezuela to downtown Glencoe
Eric DeGrechie
Managing Editor
Glencoe residents
Mitchell Estrada and Maria
Jose Guerra Garcia are
a passionate couple.
Whether they’re talking
about food, the North
Shore or their home country
of Venezuela, the husband-and-wife
team light
up with energy and enthusiasm.
That’s why it should be
no surprise that their joint
venture, Arepie, in partnership
with Glencoe’s
Tudor Wine Bar, is off to
a rousing start.
“It gives me goosebumps
to bring Venezuelan
food here to Glencoe,”
Estrada said during
a recent interview with
22nd Century Media at
338 Tudor Court. “We’re
proud to let people know
about this culture we’re
not ready to let go of.”
Arepie, which opened
Labor Day weekend,
serves food out of Tudor
Wine Bar on Saturday,
Sunday and Monday
mornings. Estrada, a
longtime friend of owner
Jason Walsh, discovered
the potential for a successful
business endeavor
over some Little League
baseball.
“My son was playing
and I asked my wife
[Garcia] if she would
make breakfast for the
kids because it was an
all-day tournament,” Estrada
said. “We filled up a
whole cooler and went to
the park. Within 20 minutes,
the food was gone.”
Parents started asking
the couple where they
could get more of these
little sandwiches, known
as arepas, and a culinary
idea was hatched.
“The village needs more
options. I think we’ve had
the same options for a decade,”
said Walsh, who
opened Tudor Wine Bar
four years ago. “I like that
this is not a cookie-cutter
operation. I’m not sure
many people have heard
of arepas, but then I tried
them and wow.”
The concept of arepas
comes from different indigenous
peoples in South
America. They are often
a staple in the diets of
natives of Colombia and
Venezuela.
Made from ground
maize dough, arepas are
served at breakfast and
dinner with different fillings
like cheeses, meats,
poultry, fish and vegetables.
At Arepie, arepas ($7)
In
Lo ving Memory
Victor R. Fernitz
Victor R. Fernitz, 88, a 58-year resident of Northbrook, passed away August 14th
shortly after suffering a stroke.
Vic was the loving husband of the late Mary Frances (nee Reddington) and devoted
father of Alison (Gary) Pearson, Jeanine (Steve) Elsberg, David (Louise), Daniel
(Kathy), Carol (Dave) Salb, Regina (Alberto) Ruocco, and John (Maria). He was the
adored Papa of his 17 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.
Vic was born in Chicago, January 20, 1931, to the late Victor R. Fernitz, Sr. and
Theresa Veneny, graduated Lane Technical College Prep High School in 1948
and married Mary Frances in 1952. Vic joined Combined Insurance Company
of America (now AON) upon graduating high school. He was a dedicated, loyal
employee for 44 years, achieved great success, and made many lifelong friends during
his tenure at CICA. Upon retirement, he donated his time, energy and knowledge
volunteering as a Member and Board Member for the Northbrook and Lincolnshire
Rotaries, and as a Board Member for Shore Community Services in Skokie.
Visitation will be held Saturday, November 2nd at St. Norbert Catholic Church,
1809 Walters Ave., Northbrook, from 9:00AM until time of mass at 10:00AM.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to
Shore Community Services, Inc., Administration Center,
8350 Laramie Ave., Skokie, IL 60077;
www.shoreservices.org or National MS Society,
P.O. Box 4527, New York, NY 10163;
www.nationalmssociety.org
Arepie (at Tudor Wine
Bar)
338 Tudor Court,
Glencoe
(773) 910-5477
5-10 a.m. Monday
7-11 a.m. Saturday
9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday
www.arepie.com
The cheese with avocado arepa ($7) is one of four
arepa dishes offered by Arepie, which opened Labor
Day weekend in Glencoe. Photos by Peter Kaspari/22nd
Century Media
In addition to arepas, Arepie also serves pan de jamon.
The variety pictured contains olives.
include carne merchada
(Venezuelan shredded
beef); ham, egg and
cheese; ham and cheese;
and cheese with avocado.
Garcia, a master pastry
chef, wanted to take the
idea of an arepa a step
further and created the arepie,
a hand-held, customcrafted
delicacy. She compares
the creation to a pan
de jamon, a Venezuelan
Christmas bread, but an
arepie is smaller.
“I’ve been cooking all
of my life. I love cooking
and in Venezuela, there
are many options,” Garcia
said. “For me, cooking is
love. With cooking, you
can celebrate with family
and friends in a very social
setting.”
Nutrition is important
to Garcia as many of her
creations are gluten free.
Arepie also sources locally
and its menu is dotted
with items named after
area connections.
The El Venezolano
($8) is made with sweet
honey baked ham, bacon,
green olives and raisins.
The Bluff ($8) is filled
with ham, bacon or both.
The Popeye ($8) is spinach
and ricotta cheese.
The Drive ($8) is chicken
and the Lake Ave. ($8)
is cheese. All arepies are
served with complimentary
coffee. Fresh juice
is also available for purchase.
“A lot of the feedback
we’ve received from customers
is that they like the
texture and the crispiness
of the arepas,” Estrada
said. “They like the mixture
between the salt and
the sweet.”
Arepie has become
a popular destination
for vegetarians with the
cheese and avocado arepas
being the biggest seller.
An avocado-based
sauce made in-house has
been so well received
that Estrada joked people
“drink it right out of the
container.”
According to Garcia,
shops selling arepas in
Venezuela are as common
as Starbucks in the United
States.
Catering is available at
Arepie and the eatery is
also doing well with pickup
business.
“We do get a lot of
comments about our price
point being where it needs
to be. The most expensive
dish is $8,” Estrada said.
There is talk of expanding
hours beyond mornings
and Walsh thinks Arepie
could provide a solid
destination for nearby
Writers Theatre customers.
“Let’s face it, most of
the options in town are expensive
for dining,” Walsh
said. “This is a great option
with a glass of wine
and a quick meal.”