OP_012320

10 | January 23, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie news
OPPrairiedaily.com
Orland Parker opens Gost Coffee in New Lenox
Mary Compton
Freelance Reporter
Gost Coffee Roasters
is now open at 1333 S.
Schoolhouse Road in New
Lenox, courtesy of an Orland
Park resident.
“I’m so honored to be
here at Gost Coffee, which
is a new member of the
chamber,” said Emily
Johnson, CEO of the New
Lenox Chamber of Commerce.
“Daniel [Bednarz]
is importing his own coffee
and roasting the beans
here. This is a full coffee
shop, using a special roaster,
and super unique.”
Bednarz, of Orland
Park, moved into the former
Panduit warehouse in
June of 2019.
“I got into the coffee
business through fitness and
healthy eating,” Bednarz
said. “I didn’t begin drinking
coffee until my mid-30s.
When I went to the gym and
I took powders, I got into
healthier eating. I thought
I needed something different
and natural, so I began
drinking coffee.
Owner Daniel Bednarz, of Orland Park, prepares a cup
of coffee for a customer at Gost Coffee Roasters in New
Lenox. Mary Compton/22nd Century Media
“I happened to walk in
a natural coffee shop and
noticed how great it tasted.
I decided I wanted to learn
how to roast my own coffee.”
That day changed Bednarz’s
life. After working
as a manager for Walgreens,
he was headed toward
becoming a coffee
roaster.
“I wanted to do something
different,” Bednarz
said. “It was one of those
‘aha’ moments. I saw how
big corporations treat people
and wanted to run my
own company in a different
way.”
In September of 2018,
Bednarz went to coffee
roasting school in the Twin
Cities.
“I knew the science of
coffee roasting,” Bednarz
said. “I then wrote a business
plan and then began
to sell my coffee at farmers
markets in Lemont, Palos
Heights and Tinley Park.
I had such a great reaction
by my customers, I knew I
had to open a space.”
Samuel Adams brewing
then chose Bednarz to create
a coffee with beer.
“I infused the beer into
the coffee,” Bednarz said.
“I did a project for them.”
Now, Bednarz is working
with Arrowhead Ales
Brewing Company for a
unique flavor expected out
in March.
“You want to match the
coffee with the beer,” Bednarz
said.
Gost Coffee has a seating
area and also materials
to teach people about
the regions where coffee
is sourced. He uses coffee
from El Salvador, Peru,
Costa Rica, Ecuador, Kenya
and more.
Gost Coffee is located in
Suite 332. For additional
information, visit gostcof
fee.com.
Showcase singers
One Note Stand first to take part in
library’s 2020 series
One Note Stand members (left to right) Cassie Miller,
Anthony Fuhrer and Ian Henning perform Jan. 10 with
North Central College’s One Note Stand at the Orland
Park Public Library during a Showcase.
Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media
Orland Township Scholarship applications available now
High school seniors
seeking financial
assistance for
college can apply
Submitted by Orland
Township
The Orland Township
Scholarship Foundation
is to award more than
$15,000 in scholarships
to Orland Township high
school seniors from the
2020 graduating class.
The Orland Township
Scholarship Foundation
Board of Directors plans
to award 22 scholarships
totaling $16,500. That is
to come in the form of one
$2,000 scholarship, eight
$1,000 scholarships and
thirteen $500 scholarships
to Orland Township high
school seniors.
The Orland Township
Scholarship Foundation
will select and award
scholarships based on a
combination of the applicant’s
leadership skills;
dedication to community
service, academic focus,
participation in extracurricular
activities, recommendations
from school
representatives; volunteer
supervisors or employers;
an assigned essay question
response; and any other
pertinent information requested
within the application.
Students faced with
hardships will be given
strong consideration.
Applicants must be residents
of Orland Township,
high school seniors graduating
in 2020, and enroll
as a full-time student at a
college, university, trade
or vocational school.
Applications for Orland
Township Scholarships
were to be available starting
Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the
Township office, 14807
S. Ravinia Ave. in Orland
Park, and online at orlandtownship.org.
Completed
applications must be postmarked
or delivered to Orland
Township by Friday,
March 13.
Also available through
Orland Township are applications
for the Township
Officials of Illinois Scholarship.
The Township Officials
of Illinois will award
seven $2,000 scholarships
in 2020. Completed applications
must be postmarked
no later than March 1. Fo
more information on this
opportunity, visit toi.org.
Christian Vasquez sings a solo during One Note
Stand’s performance at the Orland Park Public Library.
Lily Stamper sings with One Note Stand during the first
Orland Park Public Library Showcase of 2020.