County Seat legacy leaves a great taste

We didn’t want the curtain to close on 2011 without expressing our appreciation for the positive impact that the County Seat restaurant made on many of us in our Hawthorne neighborhood and scores of other people on the north side of Wheaton. For 18 years the Bobeski family operated this family-friendly eatery and were endeared by the patrons who ate there regularly.

Firefighters, police officers, college students, truckers, seniors, business people and others from a variety of backgrounds frequented “Ozzie’s” on North Main Street. Families celebrated birthdays, weddings and anniversaries there. Ozzie served free meals to needy people.

Ozzie Bobeski fled Macedonia when he was 17 as Communists were taking over his homeland. He made his way to the United States and found work as a cook in Chicago and eventually became owner of the County Seat. He quickly built up a faithful clientele drawn by his delicious cooking, reasonable prices and warm welcomes.

We have never met anyone who appreciated becoming an American citizen more than Ozzie. The words “God Bless America!” and “Glad I’m here” on the front door clearly stated his love for our country.

After Ozzie died in 2006, his wife, Anna, and her daughter and two sons kept the business open seven days a week until a few months ago. For almost two decades the Bobeskis lived out the restaurant’s motto printed on their business card, “Where there is a little bit of Ozzie’s love in every bite.”

That caring taste will linger with us for a long time.

Glenn and Margaret Ann Arnold

Wheaton