Batavia mayor shares a sneak peek at restaurant comings and goings in the upcoming year

When thinking about restaurants in 2021, the vision of a wagon train struggling through thick mud on a mountain slope comes to mind. There's a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in that scenario, and restaurants have run that gamut of emotions during various pandemic rules and lockdowns.

Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke has a positive outlook on all of this when looking into next year. It goes beyond the coming vaccine and hopes that area residents continue to support local eateries through delivery and pickup orders.

"Right now, one of the driving forces for restaurants in Batavia is kind of a quiet one, and it's that Fermilab is building a new accelerator and many foreign countries are helping and sending their physicists over here," Schielke said.

"These people are working a lot of hours and are wondering where they can go to eat, and they are being told they can just get on Wilson Street and take it straight into the downtown," he added. "Once there, they will find all different types of food at quality restaurants."

Batavia already has an array of fine restaurants, but it has had its share of comings and goings. Schielke senses a few more will be in place next year, and a couple of long-empty spots could likely find new occupants.

For starters, Enticing Cuisines & Banquets owner Jason Stoffels will be leaving his location at 12 Water St. and moving into the empty Riverview Banquets spot at 1117 N. Washington Ave.

It should be a great spot for Stoffels to operate his catering business and host weddings, showers and other banquets.

"I have a group talking to us about moving into the Water Street location with a restaurant once Jason moves out," Schielke said.

In addition, the Windmill Grill and Pizzeria has gutted the former Aliano's Ristorante site at 90 N. Island Ave. and is going to open with a carryout operation as it prepares for future indoor dining.

Schielke is also feeling good about the potential that a site at the corner of First Street and Batavia Avenue, across from the Batavia Public Library, will become a restaurant, as a Chicago chef has been in touch with the city inquiring about it.

In addition to the potential of those three new restaurants, Schielke hopes the former Pal Joey's and Gaetano's sites at East Wilson and River Street will become available soon and find suitors.

"I feel pretty good about the business that restaurants are experiencing from Fermilab, as we have this visitor audience that is very supportive," Schielke said. "But we should have a number of new locations next year for everybody to enjoy."

A whole new yarn:

Wool & Co., the downtown St. Charles yarn haven for those who love knitting projects, will be on the move yet again.

Those who have patronized Wool & Co. since its opening in downtown St. Charles 20 years ago have followed it around to a few different locations.

Opening in 2000 along Main Street in St. Charles, the business migrated south to downtown Geneva for several years and then back again in 2011 to its current location at 107A W. Main St. in St. Charles.

Angela Busby purchased the business in 2016 and has plans to move again, this time north to an area near Randall and Stearns roads in South Elgin in a move that has "bigger and better" written all over it.

The Wool & Co. Destination Store will be a 6,000-square-foot retail shopping space in which Busby is telling customers will carry all premier brands of yarn in their entirety.

A note on the company website about the store relocation states, "every weight, every colorway, all under one roof."

A dedicated parking lot, knitting lounge and dedicated class space will also be part of the mix when the store opens, which should be in the spring of 2021.

Orthopedics and toys:

The push to collect toys for kids this Christmas season has been a little more challenging than in past years for obvious reasons. It's just tougher to run out and shop like years past, and the organizations helping families in need are also hurting for volunteers and drop-off or pickup locations.

That's made it all the more important for businesses and organizations to pitch in as best they can. And it's what is driving Fox Valley Orthopedics taking wish lists from local children and helping those wishes come through by giving to Salvation Army in Elgin and the Tri-Cities, as well as Community Crisis, Breaking Free and Mutual Ground.

In all, Fox Valley Orthopedics, with two offices in Geneva and one in Elgin, is helping fill the wish lists of 29 children ages 1 to 12.

The medical group acknowledged that the organizations it is helping were seeking donated items to keep kids occupied indoors during the winter. As such, the Christmas tree will have games, puzzles, books and toys that might not otherwise have shown up this year.

Santa and pizza:

What better way to lift holiday spirits or maybe excite a youngster than to have Santa or one of his elves deliver a pizza to your home?

Joseph's Pizza Cucina owners Joe and Stephania Pavone are spreading some of that holiday cheer in having their delivery staff dress up, one like Santa and the rest as elves next week to deliver pizzas and hand out treats for the Wasco pizzeria.

Stephania said she got the idea when seeing people on Facebook asking about the chances of someone delivering a pizza dressed up as Santa.

Pepperoni and holiday cheer. Can't beat that.

The ultimate in 'cool':

Like many of our Zoom meetings these days and other virtual events taking the place of physical encounters, you sometimes have to ride out a technical glitch.

Such was the case last weekend when the Arcada Theatre's tribute to Frank Sinatra's 105th birthday was delayed a bit before finally blazing through the digital landscape and into our home computer and then TV via airplay.

As one would expect with any type of event in which crooners are singing Frank's greatest hits, it was worth the wait.

So many singers, musicians, sound, film and light technicians converged on the Arcada in downtown St. Charles the week before to put this show together.

It once again showed the kind of entertainment chops Arcada frontman Ron Onesti has displayed over his many years here in bringing that theater back to life.

A thought did cross my mind that Ron probably had one wish not come true. He was probably dying to get on the stage himself and belt out "That's Life" with the other crooners, as a tribute of sorts for his own experience with his entertainment venues during this pandemic.

More virtual Christmas:

Another holiday treat through your computer or mobile device is the "A Baker's Dozen Holiday Festival" unfolding on the Norris Cultural Arts Center website. It features local song and dance talent, as well as St. Charles Mayor Ray Rogina introducing each day's new feature and opening the festival with a reading of "The Night Before Christmas."

This a highly enjoyable look at local talent providing holiday tunes, all staged at the Baker Community Center.

The free series started last weekend, and a new segment of these short performances premiers each day until Christmas Eve. At noon on Christmas Eve, a full package of the segments will be available to view online through New Year's Day.

Check it out at norrisculturalarts.com. It's a nice dose of holiday cheer through local talent that is indeed a fine gift to all of us after this challenging year.

dheun@sbcglobal.net