I Love You: Chicago’s Hospitality It Girls Dish Up Their Favorite Things About Dad

Father’s Day is when we go all out to show Dad how important he is and how life, simply put, wouldn’t be the same without him. 24/7’s Kerry Shorr reminisced with eight of Chicago’s most talented chefs, mixologists and restaurant insiders about their fondest memories, those pearly words of wisdom and how, in the end, Father really does know best.

Bridget Albert
Regional Director of Mixology
Southern Wine & Spirits of Illinois, Kentucky and Minnesota

Favorite daddy-daughter memory.
In the winter when we would get the first snow, my dad and I would go sledding. He would bundle me up and outside we would go. He wouldn’t push me down the hill because he would be on the sled, too! He wasn’t a guy who would just “watch the kids”. He always made time to play with me and does the same with my daughter, Paige. My dad was and still is fun!

Most profound effect your father had on your life (career).
My dad’s name is David Lorenc. He served in the military and went to college for a short time while working for a welding company in the early-1960’s. He began his career sweeping floors. After an afternoon of sweeping, he told his boss, “One day I am going to run this place.” After years of hard work and many promotions, he became a VP. This year, he retired from the welding industry. My father taught me to put in the work, at home and in my career, to be steady, and to keep my word to those around me and, most importantly, to myself. My father has never faltered from this and I have never heard my father complain or swear. This may seem like simple lessons but when life gets rough I reflect on this. It has helped me become the woman that I am as a wife, mother, daughter, friend, mentor and mixologist. I speak to him almost every day and want to be just like my dad.

Best advice your father ever gave you.
My dad has given me all sorts of advice, from marriage to my career. The day I moved out of the house my dad said, “Live below your means.” I had no idea how important this advice was until I started in the beverage industry where most of your income is cash and immediate. I have done my best to follow this advice and live a humble life.

Kym DeLost
Pastry Chef
Storefront Company 

Favorite daddy-daughter memory.
Crabs and the Navy. My dad’s hometown is Annapolis, Maryland. We spent countless times there together going out on the boat, eating crabs at Jimmy Cantler’, and touring the Naval Academy.

Most profound effect your father had on your life (or career).
He’s my hero. He paid his way through college working at McDonald’s; graduated with honors from Oral Roberts University; attended the Naval Academy and became a Commander and kept going. All the while, he never touched a drug or a cigarette in his life and never once had an issue with the law. He pushes me to push hard and live with honor.

Best advice your father ever gave you.
Improvise, adapt and overcome. (In truth, it’s from Heartbreak Ridge, but I give the credit to my dad anyway because he says it better.)

Amy Morton
Owner
Found Kitchen and Social House 

Favorite daddy-daughter memory.
Working Sunday brunch with my dad. Unlocking the door, bringing in the still-warm bagels, grabbing a raisin bagel and just biting into it – so soft and yummy. Who needed cream cheese? Setting up the cabaret room and moving tables around. Then just before we opened the front door he would say, “It’s show time!” How unbelievably lucky could a girl have been to have a dad like mine?

Most profound effect your father had on your your life (or career).
The most profound effect my dad had on me was just being him. He was such an incredible guy: humble, generous, genuine, passionate, creative and brave.

Best advice your father ever gave you.
God, my dad gave me so much advice over the years that I just wasn’t ready to receive at the time. Looking back at it now, even though I was so resistant to his advice, so much of who I am is because of him. When I really sit down to think about it, the line that most stands out is: “Give people what they want, Amy.” He would always say that. And you know what? It has made all the difference.

Leigh Omilinsky
Executive Pastry Chef
Café des Architectes, Sofitel Chicago Water Tower

Favorite daddy-daughter memory.
When I was in the first grade, I didn’t want to go to school in the mornings. My dad would wake me up and we would play card games before school. A favorite one was gin rummy. Kind of hilarious that a six-year-old knew how to play that! This became a ritual for years to come. He would also drive me to piano lessons and whenever the weather was nice, we would have a picnic in the park before the lesson began.

Most profound effect your father had on your your life (or career).
My dad was a really artistic guy. For my entire childhood he made jewelry and then it morphed into metal cabinet hardware. He was an amazing sculptor and metal smith. He taught me how to carve away anything excess to find the beauty. I think the most important lesson he taught me was not to be afraid to get my hands dirty. He also taught me my work ethic. The only time I ever was called a “princess” was in the context of to stop acting like one.

Best advice your father ever gave you.
Do what you love and learn to drive a stick shift.

Debbi Peek
Mixologist
Southern Wine & Spirits of Illinois 

Favorite daddy-daughter memory.
I am lucky enough to be born on my dad’s birthday: July 15. Except for one time, we have always taken a birthday picture together. (It was the year I moved to Hawaii two weeks before our birthday.) After missing that one birthday, I flew home for every birthday after that.

Most profound effect your father had on your life (or career).
My dad is one of the hardest workers I know. He just celebrated his 40-year anniversary at American Airlines (and had “perfect attendance” for the first 30 years). How many people can say that? I believe that has had a large impact on my life and career. I know that I have worked hard to get to where I am today and my dad is my number one role model.

Best advice your father ever gave you.
Do what you love to do.

Zoë Schor
Executive Chef & Manager
Ada Street 

Favorite daddy-daughter memory.
I have many wonderful memories of time spent with my father. So many of them center around food, cooking, and the kitchen. When I was a kid, I was always trying to help out in the kitchen like chopping vegetables or washing lettuce. I was just excited to be involved in something my father was so passionate about and dedicated to. Today, I love going to his house to cook with him and relax. I feel like everything in the world is completely right as long as I am in his kitchen. Every moment I have gotten to spend in my father’s kitchen over the last thirty years is my favorite father-daughter memory.

Most profound effect your father had on your life (or career).
One of the most lasting lessons my father ever taught me was not to litter. I remember walking down the street as a kid and deciding I was done with my ice cream cone. I threw it on the ground and kept on walking. My father stopped and insisted I pick it up. I was the most stubborn kid in the world so, of course, I refused. We stood there long enough for my brother and sister to both offer to pick up the ice cream cone, but my dad waited me out. Who knows how long we were there, probably only a couple of minutes, but in my memory it was forever. I was as stubborn as they come but eventually I picked the thing up. I never littered again, but I learned a more valuable lesson that day: you can take the easy route or you can do the right thing. My dad could have easily picked the ice cream up himself or, easier still, left it there. Instead, he had the patience and understanding to teach me a lesson despite the inconvenience. I remember that day every time I look around on the street for the nearest garbage can but I also try to incorporate the greater lesson into my life: teaching takes endless patience and the ability to step aside and let someone learn to do a job themselves.

Best advice your father ever gave you.
Your twenties aren’t for making money, they’re for building your career. Also, never pay more than $15 for a bottle of wine

Mindy Segal
Owner & Pastry Chef
Mindy’s Hot Chocolate 

Favorite daddy-daughter memory.
When I was a little girl, my father and I would make breakfast every Sunday. Afterward, my brother and father would play the piano and sing songs.

Most profound effect your father had on your your life (or career).
My father helps me run my business and has since the beginning. He has allowed me to work on my craft everyday.

Best advice your father ever gave you.
Hard work and perseverance in the end leads to success. He has taught me “no” is not a possibility.

Carol Wallack
Owner & Chef
sola 

Favorite daddy-daughter memory.
The day we went surfing Makaha on Oahu. My dad was so proud!

Most profound effect your father had on your life (or career).
A good work ethic.

Best advice my father ever gave you.
Don’t measure your success by how much money you make, measure it by how happy you are.

Kerry Shorr, 24/7 Contributing Writer
Co-Founder, Luxe File Chicago

Photo Credit:
Amy Morton photo courtesy of Neil Burger
Zoë Schor photo courtesy of Jason Little