For many Skokians, Jack’s Restaurant was the after hours place to be seen. While it’s scaled back its hours, the business still holds a Cheers like atmosphere. The venerable eatery at 5201 Touhy Ave. has been welcoming customers for generations. With its comfort food menu, Jack’s provides a sense of community, which likely explains its longevity, said owner George Koretos. Jack’s, which was originally known as Jake’s, opened sometime during the Eisenhower administration in the late 1950s. The restaurant was renamed Jack’s in 1965 when not so coincidentally it was taken over by Jack Koretos …

For so many 20 somethings, those first few years out of college can be confusing ones. But that wasn’t the case for Nick Theodosis. Theodosis, 34, is the general manager of Dengeos, the Skokie institution that has been serving up gyros, half chicken sand other dishes since 1972. Theodosis went to Loyola Academy, graduated from Glenbrook South High School, and took courses at both Kendall College and UIC. By the age of 22, he was running the family business. There was no Plan B in the cards for Nick Theodosis. Given his background he was destined to run a restaurant. “I always had a passion …

Not everyone bounces between being an insurance salesman and an auto mechanic before taking their career in a completely different. But then not everyone is as diversified as Craig Strauss. Strauss, 61, is the CEO of Skokie based American Hoarders. As Skokie Patch has previously reported on, Strauss’ business is a service where he and his colleagues go into people’s homes and clean out what at times appears to be a hopeless situation; excess amounts of material (some might say junk) pile up to the ceiling, or, in some instances, people collect their own urine in glass containers by the …

The day has finally come. Kaufman’s Deli is returning and no one could be happier than Bette Dworkin, the owner of the deli that has been a Skokie destination since 1960. Kaufman’s is about to open a new chapter in the store’s history about one year following the fire that destroyed the Dempster Street store. The new era for the deli and bakery is scheduled to open its doors once again this Monday morning, Nov. 5. “It has changed me,” Dworkin said reflecting on the past year. “It has given me a tremendous dose of not being in control of my world. It forced me to be patient with some things …