Geneva's Moveable Feast goes a step beyond Oprah
You can call them "Deeply Fudgey Brownies" or you can call them "Oprah's Favorite Brownies." Either way, the chocolate fudge brownies baked at Moveable Feast in Geneva have picked up plenty of rave reviews in top places.
When Oprah Winfrey claims that something is her "favorite," you figure you have hit the marketing grand slam for your product.
But Moveable Feast may have gone even a step higher, now that they can add the White House to their client list.
"Michelle Obama's press secretary contacted us about two weeks ago and asked us to send the brownies to the White House," said Matt Lennert, owner of Moveable Feast. "We were thrilled that they asked us."
Lennert said that President Obama and the first family were first exposed to the brownies while on the campaign trail.
"They first had them the same way Oprah first had them, while traveling, and through aviation catering that we supply," Lennert said.
No one can be certain who has the real sweet tooth among the Obamas, but something tells me that Sasha and Mahlia are going to be eating brownies straight from Third Street in Geneva very soon.
Lennert isn't positive which Obama pushed for Deeply Fudgey Brownies to be available at the White House, but he knows he has fans at the home of the world's most powerful leader.
"The press secretary did mention in her note back to us that the Obamas loved the brownies," Lennert said. "That's always good to hear."
Lots of shufflers: In the world of fundraising, you sometimes find yourself competing squarely against another local organization for publicity and participant turnout.
Such is the case with the area seeing some of its first Christmas season 5K runs. And they will be held on the same day, at the same time, with nearly identical names.
TriCity Family Services has been planning its Snowflake Shuffle 5K run/walk for 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Mill Creek subdivision for several months. But the Geneva Academic Foundation suddenly introduced its Santa Shuffle youth mile and 5K run to be held at the same time on the same day at the Kane County Government Center.
"Are you kidding?" asked academic foundation chairman Tom Potkanowicz when told of the simultaneous shuffles. "I am not directly involved with that planning committee, but I don't think any of us knew about the other event.
"We should probably do a better job of checking out what else is going on during a particular day, but we had tried for Thanksgiving Day originally, and we discovered that the Fox Valley Runners had one planned for that day at the government center," Potkanowicz said. "So we just took a calendar and picked the next weekend."
In defense of the academic foundation, there wasn't a lot of publicity brewing yet for the TriCity Family Services event when GAF planners had their idea.
If you can't sign up ahead of time, both events will take registrants at 8 a.m. Saturday. The Snowflake Shuffle signup is at the Mill Creek clubhouse, the Santa Shuffle signup is at the government center. It costs $30 to participate if you sign up the day of either event. You can save $5 by signing up earlier.
I'm already committed to the Snowflake Shuffle, so anyone who wants to walk with me and solve the world's problems in the process, I'll see you at the Mill Creek clubhouse between 8 and 9 a.m.
Ringing for answers: I was ringing the bell for Salvation Army donations at the Charlestowne Mall on Black Friday, and I'm thinking the empty storefronts in this place may never be filled again.
The economy is one thing, but the indoor mall concept is another that has had a shaky history in St. Charles.
It's no surprise that we also can't get a former mall site jump-started. Plans for the west side property where the St. Charles Mall once stood appear to be stuck in mud. Shodeen Construction, which is making way for a future Towne Centre on that site, has to hope the plans don't go the quicksand route - and sink into nothingness.
But back to the east side and Charlestowne Mall. Trying to speculate as to what can happen next at this mall is like inviting a migraine headache to take hold. There simply is no apparent answer. The anchors and the movie theaters give the impression of doing fairly well, but one never can tell for sure these days.
With just a smattering of stores in between, and the food court becoming barren, one has to wonder what we'll be saying about this place - or if it will even exist in its current form - 10 years from now.
Can't hold down Santa: Even with Charlestowne Mall appearing to be on life support, the good news is that Santa Claus still has a nice setup in the center of the mall.
It's always been one of the more festive settings for kids to chat with the jolly old elf about what they'd like to see under the tree on Christmas morning.
He's making his rounds: Santa is a busy fellow at this time of year. He was to appear at the Christmas parade in St. Charles Saturday night and he makes a stop in Geneva at 6:30 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 4, during the annual Christmas Walk. He'll also be at Riverside Receptions in Geneva from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5. Moms and dads only need to call to reserve a spot for that visit at (630) 232-1330.
And it is certain that kids will spot him and his helpers in various other places in the coming weeks. One in particular might be good, if the family is interested in having breakfast with Santa. That's the offer at the Berry House, on Third Street in Geneva, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 13. Cost is $12 for adults and $6 for kids for the buffet-style breakfast. Reservations are taken at (630) 232-2330.
dheun@sbcglobal.net