Imagine a day filled with award-winning wines, homemade French cuisine and warm chocolate souffle a deux.
Does Roselle come immediately to mind? If not, think again. The village offers day trippers some amazing food and wine choices, especially considering it owes its existence to a controversy over sewers.
Back in the early 1900s, Roselle was part of Bloomingdale. But when residents of the area wanted a sewer system, Bloomingdale’s town fathers said, “No way.” Roselle incorporated itself as a separate village and by 1922 was boasting about its new sewer plant.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that nearly a century later, residents once again turned controversy into something to brag about. Lynfred Winery was opposed vociferously by residents and most of the Village Board in 1977, when owner Fred Koehler proposed to turn his lifelong hobby into a business. But today, the internationally known winery is Roselle’s crown jewel.
Koehler had the newspaper article announcing the board’s approval of the winery, “despite opposition,” framed. The yellowed clipping hangs proudly on a wall in the viewing area overlooking the heart of the winemaking operation. Winery legend has it Koehler’s late wife, Lynn, so charmed trustees they were loath to vote against Lynfred. The winery sold its first bottle Oct. 14, 1979.
Winery tours
Those and other winery “secrets,” such as the differences among the various woods used in casks, are included in the free tours Lynfred offers on weekends. It’s a great place to begin a trip to Roselle.
The tour includes the cellar, tank room, barrel aging and bottling areas. For a small fee, visitors may sample wines in a special tasting room at the conclusion of the 40-minute tour. It’s also possible to skip the tour and get right to the tasting.
Lynfred’s gift shop is open all week. In addition to wine and its myriad accoutrements, the shop has a gourmet bakery. Specialty breads, candies and soups are made daily in a wood-burning oven. The most popular breads are the French onion loaf, topped with melted Swiss cheese, and sourdough bread. The sourdough starter is made with cabernet grapes from the winery. Another favorite is chocolate-dipped wine bottles. The bottles of Lynfred wines are hand dipped into European chocolate and decorated for the season. (For Valentine’s Day, the chocolate-covered bottles were sprinkled with red and white heart-shaped confetti.)
Koehler describes Lynfred as “a hobby that got out of hand,” but his history is linked to winemaking. His ancestors were winemakers in Germany. The family had an orchard and specialized in fruit wines. Lynfred still makes 10 varieties of fruit wines.
But Koehler “didn’t want to be a farmer,” and instead focused on blending flavors to make the perfect wine. Each year, Lynfred buys 225 tons of grapes from California vineyards, 27 tons from Michigan and 22 tons from southern Illinois.
Pizza and white linen
Lynfred wines show up on tables all over the world, and Roselle’s restaurants are no exception. JoVannis, which opened in September, recently added the hometown product to its menu. JoVannis, owned by two young culinary school graduates, is unlike other restaurants in the area. After a winery tour, it’s a quick drive to JoVannis for lunch.
By day, it’s a pizzeria and sandwich shop. On weekend nights, JoVannis becomes “a fine dining experience,” said co-owner and chef Vito Misceo, 23.
Misceo and his partner, fellow chef Joseph Rossi, 23, graduated from culinary school together. A couple years working in the restaurant business taught the pair that “if you want to control your own destiny, you have to open your own restaurant,” Misceo said.
But stacking sandwiches gets boring, especially for chefs trained in gourmet French and Italian cuisine.
“We didn’t open our own place to do pizzas,” Rossi said. “But to cater to the lunch crowd, we do them. About 90 percent of our lunches are sandwiches and pasta.”
Even those are non-traditional. The two classically trained chefs make their own sauces and use homemade breads for the sandwiches. Fries are cut daily. The pizzas are topped with gourmet cheese and the pasta is fresh. As a pizzeria, the restaurant, which seats about 40, is decorated with vinyl tablecloths. Patrons order at the counter and carry food to tables.
It’s a whole other setting after sundown, when the only pizza available is carry-out. Imported Italian linens, fine china, candles and a menu featuring steamed clams in white wine sauce and marinated rack of lamb with grilled asparagus and mushrooms make it seem like a different restaurant.
Misceo and Rossi take turns creating the evening menus, which change daily. Fresh meat and seafood are flown in each morning. The only staple is the popular warm chocolate souffle, Misceo said.
“We both really like the creativity that goes into designing the menus,” Misceo said. “And we’re happy to do something special, even if it’s not on the menu.”
Cooking school
For those who would rather cook themselves, Roselle offers Pina’s Culinary Experience, a cooking school with classes that include soups and bread, European gourmet and “poultry splendor.” A cooking class can round out a visit to Roselle.
Co-owners Pina Andreiw and Janet Lisinski opened the school and catering business in January 2001.
The school functions as an escape, Lisinski said. “It’s a getaway. You come and meet new people, enjoy some nice wine, work with your hands. It’s not a threatening environment.”
Some students have to be taught the difference between dicing and julienne, Andreiw said. Her goal is to make people feel comfortable in the kitchen, even when they’re not at school. It’s not unusual for Andreiw and Lisinski to field calls from panicked students trying a recipe at home for the first time.
“If you’re here, you’re cooking,” Andreiw said. “I want you to feel comfortable doing something different than what the recipe calls for. Be creative.”
Classes begin at 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Many also are offered for credit through College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn or Harper College in Palatine.
Just down the road from Pina’s is a one-of-a-kind sausage shop, Usinger’s. It’s the only retail outlet for the famous Milwaukee sausage company outside the factory. Ralph Kamradt opened the store three years ago. Visitors to Roselle can stop by for sausages, lunch meat and even pretzels before heading home.
While local grocery stores carry some Usinger’s products, Kamradt has them all, including deli meats, brats and the chicken and pineapple sausages sold at Disney World. He also carries hard-to-find items such as andouille for Cajun dishes and pistachio bratwursts. This month, he added a meat market as well, with steaks, chops and poultry.
“We have lots of people come in looking for those Disney World sausages,” Kamradt said. “What’s good about us is that I can sell in bulk. You can buy one package or 10 pounds of brats.”
But customer Priscilla Alvik of Schaumburg wasn’t lured by Usinger’s apple seasoned ham.
“I came for the pretzels,” she said. “A friend had them at work and they were so good I had to come find them myself.”
Alvik said the dill seasoned Bavarian pretzels are the best and well worth the trip.
“I was here two weeks ago and they were closed,” she said. “But I wanted those pretzels, so I came back.”
THE TOUR
Lynfred Winery: 15 S. Roselle Rd. Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily. Free 40-minute tours at 2 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Sunday. Wine tasting $5. Free parking. 630-529-9463, www.lynfredwinery.com
JoVannis Restaurant: 342 Irving Park Rd. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 4-10 p.m. Sunday. Lunch starts at $5; dinner is about $25 on Friday, Saturday. Free parking. 630-529-0196.
Pina’s Culinary Experience: 632 E. Irving Park Rd. Classes 7-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Single classes start at $45. Four-week classes run as high as $160. Call to register. Free parking. 630-529-1877.
Usinger’s: 247 E. Irving Park Rd. Hours: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday, to 6 p.m. Friday, to 5 p.m. Saturday. About $4 a pound for premium sausages. Free parking. 630-893-4870.
Time: 3-5 hours.
Total cost: day visit, about $20; evening visit, up to $100.
DINING
Under $10: Fazio’s Table, 11 Monaco Drive, 630-582-3535, deli and bakery.
Under $20: Villaggio, 1242 W. Lake St., 630-671-9000, fine Italian food, known for clay pot cooking and extensive wine list. About $16 a plate.
TIPS
Lynfred Winery: Opening a high-end bed-and-breakfast in the spring. Call for information and reservations.
Pina’s Culinary Experience: Classes are small and fill up fast. Call ahead to register.
JoVannis: Make reservations for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays.
ANOTHER DAY
Roselle Historical Museum: 102 S. Prospect St., 630-351-5300. Includes restored early 1900s house.
Roselle Public Library: 40 S. Park St., 630-529-1641. Full range of children’s programs.
