Naperville Vegan Chef Challenge award winners announced
More than 450 people voted for the winners of the best vegan dishes as part of the Naperville Vegan Chef Challenge.
Voters included people who were vegan, vegetarian and meat-eaters, a news release announcing the winners said.
Lucky Penny Diner took first place award as well as the award for best brunch.
Manna Kitchen came in second and was given the best dessert award for its vegan strawberry tres leches cake.
Vegan Cafe placed third and won most creative dish for its elote nachos, described as organic corn chips topped with guacamole, pico de gallo, chipotle cream, nacho cheese, sunflower seed cotija cheese, carrot bacon, chili powder and a squeeze of lime.
Best sushi roll went to Sushi Naper. Indian Harvest won best value. Best meetup spot downtown was Avocado Theory.
Totopos Mexican Restaurant, Wholey Granoly and OutKast were acknowledged for participating in the challenge and receiving “very positive feedback,” organizer Austin Simmons said.
The competition, which ran throughout September, was hosted by Vegan Outreach, an international nonprofit organization that promotes vegan lifestyles through education and making vegan options more accessible.
Students selected to serve on city boards and commissions
More than 30 students were selected to serve on an array of Naperville boards and commissions, a news release from the city said.
Students named as the Mayor’s Chief of Staff are Abigail Hennessey, Rohan Jain, Anderson Karkkainen, Aashka Mehta, Alex Rorvick and Rianna Tandon.
Pragnya Guptha was selected to the Advisory Commission on Disabilities, and Katie Gorman and Veer Patel were named to the Accessible Community Task Force.
Joshua Eun was chosen for the Building Review Board; Lincoln Park and Eddy Wang for the Financial Advisory Board; abnd Ayaan Ladak and Kendall Tai Nghiem were named to the Historic Preservation Commission.
Appointed to the Human Rights and Fair Housing Commission are Anushka Jain and Rafaela Rizzi. Hannah Horgan and Aarush Jalan were named to the Naper Settlement Museum Board.
Hadley Benson and Tabetha Black were named to the Naperville Public Library Board. Zara Rahman and Abhinav Rajaraman were selected for the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Students selected for the Public Utilities Advisory Board include Zain Photowala and Magaranth Rajkumar. Named to the Riverwalk Commission are Idhant Ranjan and Connor Yao.
The Sister Cities Commission will welcome Cameron Barrett and Parker Chen. Alex Amato and Kinsler Tien Nghiem were selected for the SECA board, and Alexander Sokolowski was named to the Transportation Advisory Board.
The students will serve on the boards and participate in a leadership academy sponsored by KidsMatter. The program runs through July 31, 2026.
Church sponsors workshop on how to handle holiday grief
A certified grief educator and licensed counselor will host a free program on handling grief during the holidays at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 1500 Brookdale Road.
Paula Kosin, a facilitator of the educational grief support groups at St. Thomas Church and author of the book, “Grieving: A Spiritual Process for Catholics,” will talk about the challenges the holidays can pose and how to choose meaningful activities and honor loved ones.
The program is sponsored by St. Thomas the Apostle’s Behavioral Health Ministry. Registration is required by Tuesday, Nov. 4.
For more information or to register, contact Annette Kubalanza at 630-355-8980, Ext. 124.