Verzell James, founder of Awe-Sauce hot sauces

 

If you have an idea, just go for it and don't ever let anybody dissuade you from doing it. You just have to go for it! -Verzell James, founder of Awe-Sauce hot sauces.

Meet Verzell James, Evanston resident and founder of AWE-SAUCE hot sauces. Verzell has created eight unique hot sauces from his own peppers and has we has been working on creating these for almost twenty years. 2017 is the first year that Verzell bottled them, working out of the Family Focus Evanston commercial kitchen and began selling his hot sauces. They are available individually or in a set of eight via the Facebook page and area events such as the I Love Evanston Pop Up Sale on Feb 9, 10 at 1100 Florence Ave in West Evanston.

Below is a photo featuring a crowd-sourced recipe Verzell shares from Awe-Sauce fans, who range from neighbors in Evanston to friends in Hawaii.

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The Lisa D Show is a podcast celebrating creatives, featuring 20-minute, unedited conversations that mimic the live-radio vibe, low tech on purpose. Reach out to host Lisa Degliantoni at thelisadshow[at]gmail.com

Journey Shannon of Noir d'Ebene Chocolat et Patisserie

 Journey Shannon is the Chocolate Artist behind Noir d'Ebene Chocolat et Patisserie, an online boutique of mouth-melting deliciousness. She works out of the commercial kitchen in the basement of the Family Focus building in Evanston, where her creations range from turtles to chocolate dipped coconut macaroons, all made from scratch.

Born and raised in Evanston, Journey attend after school programs at Family Focus in her youth, and returns to the building in adulthood as a chef and program counselor. Journey is in the building everyday, spending 10-12 hours in the kitchen transforming cacao nibs, flour, eggs, vanilla beans and sugar into delicious chocolates - doing exactly what makes her very happy. Journey shines in the kitchen, singing and smiling; the taste of her chocolates and pastries is evidence she is doing what she loves.

In this interview we talk about Journey’s 7 years in the business, her creative expression through this culinary art and where she plans to grow.

Out of town shoppers can purchase goods direct at www.noirdebene.com. Locals can shop for Journey’s chocolates this Feb. 9 and 10, at I Love Evanston Pop Up Sale at 1100 Florence, where tastings and a select variety of chocolates will be available. Learn more at www.1100florence.com.

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The Lisa D Show is a podcast celebrating creatives, featuring 20-minute, unedited conversations that mimic the live-radio vibe, low tech on purpose. Reach out to host Lisa Degliantoni at thelisadshow[at]gmail.com

The Lisa D Show with William Scott Eason of The Art of Evolution Theatre

William Scott Eason founded The Art of Evolution Theatre in 2013, to provide youth of all ages and quality adult theatre experiences. a quality theatre experience by producing works that deal with the issues of religion/spirituality, sexual orientation, gender, race, and age in a way that encompasses how we as a society have evolved on said topics.

Thursday, April 27, 7p.m., the public is invited to the Community Theatre at Family Focus (2010 Dewey Ave.) to see "Ms. JoAnn, Can You Read Me A Story?", four short plays devoted to Joann Avery's 35 years of service at at Family Focus.

Learn how Eason is teaching youth the social skills needed to thrive and be directed, in life and in theatre. Also hear how theatre is transformative for youth and the directors they works with.

Learn ore at www.artofevolutiontheatre.org

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 The Lisa D Show is a podcast celebrates creatives. Listen to 20 minute, unedited conversations with host Lisa D. and the creatives who make our world a more connected, interesting and beautiful place to live. Podcasts will be posted at thelisadshow.blogspot.com and on Sound Cloud at @lisa-degliantoni

This podcast is recorded at 1100 Florence, an art event space in West Evanston, IL, owned and operated by Lisa Degliantoni and Dave Ford. It is a former Polish Grocery store, probably not the BEST place to record a podcast (boomy to say the least) but we're new and it will get better. Reach out to thelisadshow[at]gmail.com