Gotta Believe: Chickiepoo's

Anyone who has worked in a professional kitchen can tell you good help is hard to find. Four-year-old Isabelle James, better known as Isa, can guarantee it.

However, the world’s tiniest chef has lucked out. Her dad, Chef Lucien Gregor, has volunteered to help her out at Chickiepoo’s, 209 E. Main Street, in the Ohio River city of Madison.

Besides kitchen staff, Isa has an additional obstacle.

Cancer.














Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, also known as A.L.L., to be more specific.

When not in the kitchen with dad, or helping mom, Phoebe James and big sister, five-year-old G.G. (Gibson) in the 14- seat dining area, Isa is undergoing chemotherapy. She and her mother trek two hours north to Indianapolis’ Riley Hospital for Children to receive medical treatment every Monday and Tuesday.

I’d like to tell you this is a sweet bedtime story with a happy ending, but the future is unknown for Isa.

Although there is approximately an 85 percent chance she may live five years after she was diagnosed in January of 2009, statistics after the five-year mark drop dramatically.

With the knowledge the tiny chef could be gone at any time, Eat Here Now! is the restaurant’s motto. Sooner, rather than later, because right here, right now is the only moment you can count on and living fully in each moment is exactly how they live. To be fully connected to every single moment, not distracted by iPods, laptops, televisions or cell phones, and to simply focus on each other is what Chickiepoo’s is all about.

No carryout orders are taken. No reservations are accepted. Cash only.

Eat here now.

Not later. Not without realizing what you are eating, or with whom you are enjoying the
meal.

Now.

In this moment.

Even more than a restaurant, Chickiepoo’s is a dream…and a reality.

When Chef Lucien realized Isa’s dream was to become a chef just like him, his own dream of becoming a corporate chef became unimportant. His new dream was to make sure Isa’s dream became a reality while he still could.

Walking away from a dream career of working for a four star restaurant, James’ new ambition became his family. With a lucrative position in a resort kitchen, he would have had a grueling 80-90 hour week away from his children and wife. He understood that was not enough.

Not enough time. Not enough family.

“I became selfish,” the soft-spoken owner told me. “I wanted every moment with my family I could possibly get.”

With next to nothing in its bank account, the James family devised a sketchy plan on how to remain together for as long as time allowed. By opening their own restaurant, they could keep the girls nearby as much as possible and make Isa’s dream a reality before it was too late.

The girls are able to be with both of their parents on a daily basis, when Isa is not in the hospital.
The success of the bistro is vital to maintaining the flexibility needed for Isa’s treatments, including home-given medicines. Realizing that life is never easy, they try for some sort of normalcy with the children without regret or self-pity.

“If Chickiepoo’s is gone, because people chose to not eat here, they missed that moment,”
said Phoebe. “Just like our Isa. She is here now, but she could be gone in the next moment, so we live in the present. The restaurant parallels our lives.”

The boutique eatery receives the same attention to detail that Isa gives to her drawings, which decorate the walls. She personally tests foods from the kitchen, including her favorite dish, pasta, whether it is spaghetti or noodles.

Chickiepoo’s buys and uses the best quality and freshest produce, dairy and meat from local farmers and townspeople. The menu is derived daily, dependent on what products the 31-pound, fragile cook is able to obtain from her sources.

However, if you like a particular dish and it is on the menu board today, order it quick, because it won’t be available tomorrow, or possibly even the next moment.

Starting the eatery on a shoestring budget, the family is rich in one thing…the ability to believe.

Even with 10 long pages of medicines and their side effects for little Isa, including almost certain sterility and the possibility of new types of cancer from the very treatments given to save her young life, the family still believes in the positives.

"When nothing worse could possibly happen, then you stay positive, because anything that isn’t bad is a positive,” explained Phoebe James. “If she isn’t dead, then that is the positive. If she’s alive and feeling ill, it’s still a positive, because it gives us another day, another moment. There is only positive.”

And yes, you guessed it, the bistro is named for Isa, whose nickname is Chickiepoo.

If you know of a heartwarming story you would like me to discover and share, send an e-mail to elizabeth@gottago.us. Me, I will be right here, remembering all the reasons we’ve gotta believe...

Chickiepoo’s
209 W. Main Street
Madison, Indiana

~ Hours of Operation ~
Thursday, Friday
and Saturday
Breakfast, Lunch
and Dinner
Sunday
Lunch and Dinner
chickiepoo.wordpress.com
chickiepoos@gmail.com

--This post was originally published under "Gotta Believe" in West Side Community News and the West Indianapolis Community News in Indianapolis.

*Photos by EJMusgrave

IRT: A Christmas Carol

This time of year welcomes many venues to produce holiday shows. I was fortunate this weekend to catch a new-to-me one and one of my annual musts.

The Phoenix Theatre, 749 N. Park Avenue, is serving up its fourth helping of holiday cheer in A Very Phoenix Xmas. A two-act menagerie of skits, with behind-the-scenes snippets during stage changes, took a fun poke at the holidays without being offensive.

There were many regulars, creating a warm sense of camaraderie with the actors and audience. The sidesplitting interaction between Sara Rieman (Shipwrecked) and Michael Shelton (The Pillowman) in the opening segment, Happy Hannu-Clog, is worth the ticket price alone.
A man with a shoe obsession, no relation to me, and his wife who attempts to explain how unnatural it is for a guy to go gaga over boots is an unadulterated delight.

Another standout piece finds Shelton and Rieman pairing up once more in The Forty-three Second Kiss, giving a glimpse into what happens after the office Christmas party.
Shelton and Amanda Lynn Meyer team up nicely in Death of a Snowman, a poignant moment
between a girl who has lost her mother and her snowman, who explains the circle of life in the coolest way possible.

To balance out the new, I went to, where else but, IRT for my annual dose of A Christmas Carol. Never tiring of the tale of why one should be kind and caring, IRT’s scaled-down, non-glamorous take continues to rank No. 1 in my book.

Turning in a solid performance is Mark Goetzinger as Marley’s Ghost, a role which, with Goetzinger, would definitely enhance the show with extended stage time and interaction with Scrooge.

David Alan Anderson’s portrayal as the Ghost of Christmas Present felt restrained, and I am unsure why the reins were held tight on this actor. The potential could well have been met if Anderson had been allowed to fulfill the enthusiasm of the character’s love of life’s joys and happiness.

The ritual of Christmas would be incomplete without Charles (Chuck) Goad at the helm of the cast as Ebenezer Scrooge. I asked the performer exactly what it meant to him to transform himself into Scrooge and, in turn, also become an annual tradition to holiday theatre-goers for the past 11 years. He replied that it is his dream role.

“It’s a great part because it has a unique emotional arc—the journey that Scrooge takes through misery and pain to love and joy is incredible,” he said. “I’m able to measure my progress as an actor in the part by continually looking for different and better ways than I’ve done it before. “In a way, doing A Christmas Carol is like being at the Fezziwig party. You can’t help but have fun. and fun is contagious.
Something happens in a theater under the right conditions that can’t happen anywhere else. A group of people come together and agree to empathize and to be moved by other human beings. That’s the tradition not just of A Christmas Carol or the IRT; it’s the tradition of theater. I’m honored to help pass that on.”

That philosophy explains why every year, instead of becoming stale and uninspiring, the performance seems to have aged…like a fine wine.

If you have an event or performance you would like reviewed, please contact me via e-mail at commnews@inmotion. net. Me, I will be right here, with my figgy pudding... whatever that is.

--This post was originally published under "Gotta Go" in West Indianapolis Community News and West Side Community News in Indianapolis.

Theater Review: Broadway Across America: Chicago

B r o a d w a y Across America’s Chicago razzle-dazzled its way into Indianapolis this weekend. Set in Chicago’s late 1920s, the story revolves around murderesses and the celebrity status bestowed upon them via the media.

Tom Wopat portrayed Billy Flynn, the slick-talking attorney who cares only about love…and money.

Bianca Marroquin, as Roxie Hart, stood out, giving a little something extra, with her best musical performance in Me and My Baby.

Terra C. MacLeod brought energy to the stage as Velma Kelly, with her best vocals and dancing during When Velma Takes a Stand

Tom Riis Farrell in the role of Roxie’s husband Amos Hart, brought the audience into the “aah factor” zone. Creating the aah factor is not an easy feat, however Farrell drew sympathy from the women and empathy from the men in the audience, particularly during Mister Cellophane.

D. Micciche, as newspaper reporter Mary Sunshine, surprised the audience by revealing she was, in fact, portrayed by a man. Although it is traditional for a male performer to portray the role, it is always pleasant to see reactions when the surprise is revealed. Adding in his flamboyant energy, the thought was entertained heavily on Micciche’s being more well-suited for the role of Billy Flynn than Wopat, who seemed to lack the devil-may-care attitude and energy required for the flashy lawyer role.

Bottom Line: The snappy, jazzy pace makes Chicago a great choice for first-timers and die-hard fans alike.

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her newest column, Infused at GottaGo.us and www.FoodandDrinkDigital.com and as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC. Gotta Go is published on www.Gottago.us, www.BroadwayWorld.com, in M magazine and these newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Thanksgiving List

Tradition dictates us to feel thankful at this time of year, and so we do. Everyone looks at you, straight in the eye, and almost demands to know what you are grateful for. Whatever answer you give had better be worthy of the occasion, too; because there will be a silence while all listening will judge and rate your list of counted blessings.

Generally the obligatory answers of health, the troops, our children, etcetera are offered up as sacrificial lambs, as we hope to avoid the ugly glare of disapproval from the others at the dinner table on Thanksgiving.

I am getting a little practice in the week beforehand, this year, so my answer will be ready, polished even. Don’t want to fumble over my answer like last year.

Not in any particular order, or priority, without mentioning the above items, for which I’m naturally appreciative, my thankful list goes something like this:

Shoes
Tall, short, open-toed, pumps, snow boots-you name the style and I have either owned it or wanted to. You knew I was going to say this one, didn’t you?

Indy’s Circle of Lights
Every year I go downtown and walk around the tree of lights, with the snow floating gently down upon my shoulders, hot chocolate in hand, enjoying the carriages and strollers passing by.

Stuffing and Dressing
Why did they both make the list? Aaah, because there is a difference and I enjoy both equally and did not want to show favoritism. Dressing is cooked outside the bird; stuffing, of course, is cooked inside Tom Turkey. Oyster is my first choice, then sage, but don’t fret; cornbread style will not be rejected, I promise.

People
Kind souls who let me go in front of them at the store. I appreciate this one especially at the holidays when most people are frazzled and impatient. If I have only an item or two in my arms,
very nice people allow me to scoot right ahead of them. That makes my whole day brighter, and
makes me smile; so thanks.

Chocolate
White, milk, dark, all of it, and in any combination. It is all good and anything it is poured over, dipped with or surrounded by can slip through on this one, also. Melt it, drizzle it and serve
it up, no one is going to complain, least of all me.

Friends
The ones who allow you to call them just to vent. They don’t try to solve the issue; you’ll do that later. They just listen, or pretend to, while you rant and rave about some insignificant or larger problem such as the guy who can’t drive right or the in-law who annoys everyone.

Bubble Bath
It may seem really trivial, but after a day of salsa dancing, go-karting or working in the yard, it is so nice to slip into a tub of bubbles and float away for a few minutes. You know, before the muscles tighten up and start screaming at you that you are too old to be doing whatever you did.

Truly there are far more pressing issues to count in my blessings, but certainly my family members will cover those for me. Much like the ‘guilt by association’ rule, I shall let their choices
count for me, which leaves me with the fun ones. Don’t you love how I make them do the hard stuff?

If you would like to submit your thankful list to me, e-mail it to commnews@inmotion.net or elizabeth@gottago.us, I promise not to judge. Me, I’ll be right here, figuring out how to dip stuffing into melted chocolate. That won’t be too messy, will it?

--This post was originally published under "Gotta Go" in the West Side Community News in Indianapolis, and the West Indianapolis Community News.

A Chirstmas Carol

Disney’s A Christmas Carol 3-D opens the holiday season with a timeless classic tale. Jim Carrey tops the list of voices used for this Robert Zemeckis film. Using the same technique as in The Polar Express, A Christmas Carol is a slightly darker, more realistic movie version of the Charles Dickens story than those in recent years.

Ebenezer Scrooge (Carrey) is the penny-pinching, blackhearted soul who must learn the lessons of humanity and kindness through the visits of three ghosts, also portrayed by Carrey. Colin Firth gives voice to Scrooge’s nephew Fred, and Gary Oldman takes the part of Bob Cratchit,
the lowly employee of Scrooge’s counting house.

With slight differences, such as the Ghost of Christmas Present being returned to the original candle apparition, the movie stays along familiar lines. Audience members under the legal age seemed to enjoy it, with a few preschool-age tots a little scared of this version. Nothing a box of Milk Duds couldn’t solve, though.

--This post was originally published under "Gotta Go" in the West Side Community News in Indianapolis, and the West Indianapolis Community News.

The Indiana Ballet Company: Phantom of the Opera

Phantom of the Opera was performed this past weekend at the Madame Walker Theatre by The Indiana Ballet Company. Converting Phantom to a ballet production was an interesting concept, and accepting the invitation, I was sitting dead center.
The love triangle between Christine (Tuesday Mayhew), Raoul, Ballet Master (Ogulcan Borova) and Phantom (Sergey Sersiev) begins in Act I with only Christine aware of the masked one’s presence. Unable to resist his charm, a spell is cast upon her, causing confusion for Raoul, who cannot understand the power of the Phantom. In a moment of weakness, Phantom allows Christine to remove his mask, horrifying her by the sight of his disfigurement, and she runs.
In Act II, the three principals dance through a Spanish Masquerade Ball, and Phantom declares his love for Christine. Making her decision to stay with the Phantom, the ballerina is left alone as
Phantom vanishes, unable to face his fear of love, leaving behind only his mask and cape.

Powerful and moving are the best descriptors to this switch in the familiar story. Sersiev wraps the Phantom character in his own cape of dark sensuality. Watching him dance is an intense assault of the senses, holding your attention raptly, breathlessly waiting for his next move. Able to sense his vulnerability, fear and desire, the audience members are left feeling awakened in their own frailties.

Alyona Yakovleva, IBC’s founding director, has set a mission for the classically trained company to connect with the Indy community, with each of its artists living and working in Indiana, year round.
Nutcracker will be the next venture for the company on December 11 and 12 at the Madame Walker Theatre.
Photos: Polina Pesherov
This post was originally published under "Gotta Go" in the West Side Community News in Indianapolis, and the West Indianapolis Community News.