Vegetarian Restaurants in Schiller Park

Professional arm wrestler Rob Bigwood spends his days slamming down opponents’ hands in victory. Learn how his vegan lifestyle has improved his game, discover his go-to power foods, and find out about his dream arm-wrestling match.  On Tuesday, March 18, he's the featured arm wrestler on AMC's Games of Arms. In less than a minute, it is all over. But first, Rob Bigwood saddles up to the table, grabs his opponent’s left hand and, using the weight of his entire body, begins to slowly force the arm to the mat. After a moment of steady tension, his arm muscles switch gears. The opponent is pinned. The crowd cheers, “Go Bigwood!” And it is another victory for the professional arm wrestler. At first glance, Bigwood looks just like his fellow competitors: tattooed, muscled arms that defy logic (his biceps measure 18.25 inches and his forearms 15.75 inches). But underneath the surface, his lifestyle is much different. His standout frame and slew of championship wins were earned on a vegan diet. That means he abstains from all animal products. His vegan lifestyle also earned him a spot on the AMC show Game of Arms, which follows five teams of professional arm wrestlers across the US as they train and compete for bragging rights. We caught up with Bigwood and he shared how his vegan lifestyle has improved his game, his go-to power foods, and his dream arm-wrestling match. Groupon: What are the staple ingredients in your diet? Rob Bigwood: I eat super simple. Oats, grains, veggies, beans, fruits, nuts, tofu, seitan, tempeh, and occasionally some vegan protein supplements. G: How/why did you get into arm wrestling? How many hours a week do you work out to stay in shape for competitions? RB: One of my friends competed during high school. He was a smaller guy that convincingly beat the entire football and wrestling teams. We started training together and after a few months decided to travel to North Carolina for a competition. I haven't stopped since. I work out just as hard as any other professional athlete. I'm in the gym every day doing some sort of arm-wrestling-related exercises. G: I see you have worn a PETA shirt during a number of competitions. Is this your go-to uniform? RB: I used to but my buddy "borrowed" that shirt and hasn't returned it in years. I usually just stick to my uniform of a black shirt and jeans. G: What do you usually eat before a workout or match? How about to celebrate a win? RB: A banana or two and mix it with organic almond butter and a variety of nuts. I also drink plenty of coconut water. But after a win I usually celebrate with beer and junk food. My diet is far from perfect. G: Why/when did you go vegan? RB: I’ve been a vegetarian for seven years and vegan for four. I think it’s extremely hypocritical calling oneself an animal lover while eating a slice of bacon or a cheeseburger. All animals have the same feelings and emotions and should also have the same rights and respect. A vegan lifestyle is beneficial for our environment, our health, less fortunate people and countries, and especially the millions of innocent animals murdered each and every year. G: What physical differences have you noticed, both right after going vegan and over a longer period of time? RB: I used to weigh 285 pounds, felt sluggish and relied too much on coffee. I’m down to 235 pounds, have more energy, and overall feel like a new person. I wasn't successful my first few attempts, but once I got my head straight the transition was easy. I eat the same types of foods but simply replace meat with tofu, beans, or seitan. I switched to almond milk and cut out the eggs and cheese. G: I watched the video on your blog where you took on your brother and father at the same time—and won. It was insane. If you could choose one person, dead or alive, to arm wrestle, who would it be? RB: That’s easy. Any one of the guys from Workaholics only because I love that show! G: How many tattoos do you have? Did you design any of them yourself? Do any of them represent your vegan lifestyle or passion for arm wrestling? RB: I have two full sleeves and both of my thighs are done. Seth Wood has done all of my work other than the skull and castle on my right thigh, Deno from Circus Tattoo worked on that in Spain. I didn't design any myself but rather enjoy "collecting" the art from the tattooers. Nothing on my body represents veganism or arm wrestling. G:. What tips would you give someone who wants to get into the sport of arm wrestling? RB: Check out the NortheastBoard.com for some guys to train with, there are tons of teams around the country. Also check out the newest and baddest arm-wrestling league, WALUnderground.com. The next event is June 7, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada. G: Can you tell me about your experience filming Game of Arms? RB: It has been one of the absolute best and most challenging experiences of my life. A once in a lifetime opportunity. Being filmed week after week was literally a second job, training, traveling, and having complete strangers invade your personal life wasn't easy for me. Action photo courtesy of David Moir, AMC; portrait shot courtesy of Thieves

In 1985, Gene Baur went on a cross-country road trip. But his highlights weren’t the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone. Instead his route ran through places overlooked by most: stockyards, slaughterhouses, and farms. “I saw the proliferation of factory farms—the mass raising of animals for food,” Baur said, “and was appalled at the animal cruelty inherent in these places.” Those images were powerful, and Baur became vegan, a lifestyle of abstaining from animal products. One year later he co-founded Farm Sanctuary, a nonprofit organization that rescues and raises awareness about farm animals. Recently, he visited Chicago for Farm Sanctuary’s Walk for Farm Animals, an annual series of fundraising and awareness-raising events across the country and in Canada. While in town, he took some time to dine at some popular vegan spots, including the new-ish Upton’s Breakroom (2054 W. Grand Ave.), and the Chicago Diner (3411 N. Halsted St.), a “perennial favorite” of his that “continues to make vegan food hip and easily accessible in Chicago." Below, Baur shares his top go-to meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that anyone—vegan or not—can easily make and enjoy. BREAKFAST 1. A green smoothie with kale, spinach, bananas, blueberries, and flax seeds with water and/or nondairy milk. “It is healthy, quick, and easy.” 2. Scrambled tofu with hash browns. “On lazy weekend mornings, it’s sometimes nice to enjoy a leisurely, ‘stick to your ribs’ breakfast.” 3. Raw oatmeal with raisins, walnuts, and soy milk. “This one is also quick and easy. And it is filling and healthy! The nourishment stays with you for hours.” LUNCH 1. Arugula salad with tofu, tempeh, or beans (or sometimes all three!) topped with avocado, sunflower seeds, sesame sticks, and balsamic vinegar. “It is healthy, can be prepared quickly, and provides a good deal of protein to boot.” 2. Hummus and tabouli with bread. “This is my go to meal when I am really in a hurry. And it tastes great!” 3. A tempeh or baked tofu sandwich with tomatoes and greens, along with some broiled brussels sprouts with a touch of salt and olive oil. “It is really filling, and brussels sprouts are amazing.” DINNER 1. Root-vegetable stew over brown rice. “This is a warm, hearty meal that I love to eat when it is cold outside. And, with root vegetables, you can use the whole plant, from roots to greens. Those beet greens usually find their way into my morning smoothie.” 2. Portabella mushrooms with onions and broccoli over pasta. “I love the rich taste of portabella mushrooms. They add heartiness to the pasta, while the veggies add color, texture, taste, and fiber.” 3. Quinoa salad with beans, peppers, and veggies. “This is a balanced meal with veggies and protein-rich quinoa. It’s light tasting but really fills you up.” Photo courtesy of Farm Sanctuary

How do you find Chicago's most Chicago restaurant? You begin by taking the world's best decision-making device: the bracket. Then you combine it with Chicago's best device to represent its messy, opinionated landscape: the ward map. Some have called this pursuit "patently absurd." We humbly disagree. By taking our logic above (bracket + ward map) and extrapolating it into a larger, totally airtight algorithm, our computers have found a winner for the title of Chicago's most Chicago restaurant. See the finalists and read more about the search here. Below is one of the finalists. Gabrielle Darvassy was tired. Tired of the grind her 20 years in a corporate job subjected her to. Tired of the homogenous food options in her adopted neighborhood. Tired of having to make the trek to the other side of the Loop to procure any kind of quality goods and services. Looking back, the layoff from her 9-to-5 seems to be a blessing in disguise. “People have to like what they’re doing, and they have to feel fulfilled,” Gabrielle is fond of saying. She began selling nutrient-packed smoothies at the 61st Street Farmers Market, and soon, together with her husband, she opened up B’Gabs Goodies (6100 S. Blackstone Ave.), a raw vegan eatery, on a quiet stretch on the border of Hyde Park and Woodlawn. Not the first place someone would think to serve food that’s been made with absolutely no animal products (not even butter!) nor heated to above 104 degrees. Doing this helped put Gabrielle’s beliefs about food to the test. When she talks about food, she uses the word love, a lot. Food, she says, gives the body energy, but the people who make it also imbue it with energy. “If the people who make it and bring it to you aren’t in love with it, it’s not going to be good for you.” To that end, she procures all her produce from one vendor, who she knows loves what they do. “So everything we make from beginning to end is lovely. I’m not about to put in that type of work [without love]. I did that for 20 years.” A commitment to the neighborhood Gabrielle and her husband live in Hyde Park, where he grew up. Their home is close to the border of Woodlawn, which is known as one of the city’s “food deserts,” meaning it’s a trek to a good grocery store or any other source of unprocessed whole foods. And though Hyde Park, as the home of the prestigious University of Chicago (and our current president), holds considerably more options than Woodlawn, they’re not necessarily healthful ones. At least, not by her standards, which—besides vegan fare—include foods made without soy or gluten. Noting how reluctant business owners were to invest in her neighborhood, Gabrielle decided to keep her endeavor close to home. Though she knew she would be more profitable north of the Loop, it was important to her to show faith in her community, knowing that, just as she has to make the drive up north for certain things, Northsiders would make the drive south, if what she was doing was viable. “If you want your community to be better, you have to do the work in your community,” she says. A community that keeps coming back On our visit, we almost drove right past B’Gabs Goodies’ door. It shares the block with what looks like a warehouse on one side of the street and an empty industrial lot on the other. The address on its Facebook page adds the parenthetical “(green door)” after the address, the tiniest clue to locating it. “People find us by word of mouth,” Gabrielle tells me, once I’ve found my way in. “They feel like it’s a vegan speakeasy.” In fact, the only publicity they’ve ever done since they opened in 2011 has been running a Groupon and doing stories with any interested publications. And yet, they have a loyal following, which Gabrielle calls “small but mighty” and is growing exponentially. Two U of C students chatted at a table next to us, recognizing a former professor who walked through the doors. Four women came in and out for a to-go order. A father and son shared a meal as we left. “I love this place!” the boy proclaimed—to everyone. And all the while, the staff hustled to get a catering order prepped for a community photography show next door. Perhaps one of the best examples of the love they’ve engendered in the community is the gleaming—and pricey—Norwalk juicer a customer gifted to them. “It’s magic,” Gabrielle says. Vegan delicious B’Gabs Goodies’ prep “kitchen” is an approximately 3-foot-long stainless-steel counter in a nook behind the cash register. They prepare food without heat, which is believed to break down the nutrients and good energy in food. It’s basically cooking without cooking. I must admit, learning this gave me some trepidation. My previous experience with raw vegan food was similar to that of any lifetime carnivore: my meal was so bland I barely remember it. The menu at B’Gabs left me stumped: tacos made with seeded nacho “meat,” pad thai salad with zucchini and carrot “noodles,” jicama “fries.” As someone who’s averse to many processed foods, I’m naturally suspicious of any food whose name is in quotation marks. So I approached this from a culinary standpoint, sampling the cuisine the way I would any that I hadn’t much experience with. I opted for the classic burger. Gabrielle shuns all soy products, as well as fake meats such as seitan, because she, and many of her customers, are suspicious of GMOs. While I was expecting a one-note dish, this burger turned out to be a medley of flavors. The crisp onion “bread” was balanced by a savory seed patty and brightly flavored housemade ketchup. A pile of kale filled the rest of the plate, its bitterness ameliorated by the sweet tang of the accompanying dressing. To wash it all down, I chose the Fiji Hammer Time smoothie: peaches, strawberries, and bananas, boosted with maca root and yohimbe bark. I’d walked into B’Gabs feeling a little run down, tired or perhaps coming down with a cold. I left, literally, with a skip in my step, so energized that I almost forgot to pay for my meal. A slight buzz rang through my body—was it the seeds? The yohimbe? The Norwalk juicer’s magic? No matter; it was the richest vegan meal I have ever tasted. Teaching someone to fish Gabrielle’s mission is not only to provide healthy food for people in her community, but also to create lasting changes in the way they eat. “The only way to do that—regardless of economics—is to teach them how,” she says. To that end, she and her staff teach “uncooking” classes and workshops, helping people incorporate raw foods in their diets. They also dedicate half the space to a herb and spice shop, with more than 300 varieties of plants, all lovingly sourced. They all have healing properties, if that’s your thing, which Gabrielle believes doubles down on the nourishment her food provides. Most of the herbs and spices are packaged, if not harvested, by staff, and all were selected because, not only do they make food taste better, but they’re also known to have some kind of effect on health. The yohimbe bark in my smoothie is believed to ease depression—and improve the libido (rawr)! “A lot of people come to me when they’re sick and have exhausted all options,” Gabrielle says. Or, as the restaurant’s motto states: “It’s not the food in your life, it’s the life in your food.” Photos by Timothy Burkhart, Groupon