an illustrated journey of an american in paris
A few weeks ago, I introduced mon mari to the crucial foods of my upbringing, his first Thanksgiving included. We made a long overdue trip to my hometown, Chicago, Illinois. It was a walk down memory lane regaining my Midwestern appetite. There was the the vital deep-dish slice at Lou Malnati’s, cookie pizza included. My all-time favorite Clark Street omelet at Salt & Pepper Diner, including a Chicago celebrity siting of Ronnie Woo Woo. (You try explaining that to mon mari) And I shan’t forget the fine institution of Margie’s Candies. Eating 3 scoops of ice cream out of a shell with a gravy boat of hot fudge will one day be folklore for my 1/2 French children.
But our last night in Chicago deemed unparallelled kitsch. We took the fateful drive up to Superdawg®. Mon mari had his first Chicago hotdog under the watchful eyes of two life size winking hotdogs.
Superdawg® drive-in 6363 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60646
*This drawing was made by Paper | FiftyThree
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I’ve really got the best of both worlds, food styling and illustrating. I love collaborating on photo shoots, the lengthy French lunches and the back-patting and high-fiving that I have shared when creating a beautiful image. And illustrating indulges my introverted ways: all-day NPR, working barefoot and making cakes when distracted. But it’s a bit lonely working from home. When the self-talking begins, I know it’s time to get out of the house. Even without a set coffee date, I have acquired a few places where I am warmly greeted and can regain a pinch of sanity before mon mari gets home at night.
Today I have found my new place, Holybelly. I met Nico and Sarah, its kind and charismatic owners, a few months back at a dinner hosted by Kinfolk Magazine. Since their pending café promised their contagious passion for good food and hospitality, I began counting down the days. The grand opening was today!
A perfect latté and pecan cookie were just what I needed to fuel a massive to-do list and carry on with my day.
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HolyBelly. 19 rue Lucien Sampaix 75010 Paris.
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