By 1000 BC, Greece has already established a distinct cuisine, which even then was viewed as an art,” says culinary historian Evelyn Thompson. She’s speaking from the front of a bus headed down Halsted Street, detailing Greece’s climate and topography, as well as the impact of wars and trade. “The Middle Eastern invasion brought cinnamon and spices, while the Slavics introduced yogurt and cheese.” Her audience is participating in the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs’ first Neighborhood Sampling tour: a four-hour taste of Greektown, Little Italy, and Pilsen. Stops on the tour will include Artopolis bakery, Conte Di Sevoia delicatessen on Taylor Street, Chiarugi Hardware (which sells wine-making supplies), and La Casa Del Pueblo in Pilsen. The group will wind up at the Mexican Fine Arts Museum, to sample sweets transported from the Paraiso Bakery on 18th Street.
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Thompson has been leading culinary tours of Chicago since 1994, covering neighborhoods from Little Village to Ukrainian Village. A tai chi teacher by day, the energetic 64-year-old Kansas City native has been exploring and documenting Chicago’s ethnic markets and their unique ingredients since the early 1980s. She moved around the country frequently as a child, living from 1942 through 1946 in Garfield Park, then an ethnic Jewish neighborhood. In 1962 she moved back to the Chicago area with her husband.
Her pursuit was thwarted in 1986, when she was struck with a severe bout of environmental illness. “I was out of commission for seven years,” she says. “I was extremely sensitive to everything from wood to formaldehyde, smoke, and cleaning supplies….I couldn’t go out, I couldn’t eat. I lost 30 pounds and was basically incapacitated.”
