Brenna and Dan Velcich, owners of Burger Antics restaurant on Grand Boulevard in downtown Brookfield, took home a pair of awards at the Chicago Beer Society’s 19th Annual Chicagoland Brewpub and Microbrewery Shootout, which was held Jan. 21 at Baderbrau Tap and Brewery in Chicago.
The competition challenged brewers and chefs to select a beer and pair it with a dish that’s either on or off the menu. A total of 17 brewer/chef teams paired up, including some big names in the Chicago brewing scene.
Burger Antics teamed up with Lemont-based Pollyanna Brewing, pairing the brewery’s “Fun Size” milk stout with chef Brenna Velcich’s “Ten Drops” coffee-rubbed chuck and brisket slider on a toasted pretzel roll topped with Ghirardelli chocolate covered Applewood smoked bacon, Madagascar vanilla bean-infused mascarpone cheese and a sea salted caramel crisp.
The slider won first prize for Best Food, while the Pollyanna/Burger Antics team won first prize for Best Beer and Food Pairing. Pollyanna’s “Fun Size” stout also won Best Beer.
Welcome to our world
A couple employed at Tony’s Family Restaurant in Brookfield gave birth to the first child born this year at Westlake Hospital in Melrose Park on Jan. 1.
Anthony Alexander Hernandez was born at 6:18 a.m. on New Year’s Day to Nicole Breitenbucher, 20, and her fiancé, Antonio Hernandez, 26. Anthony weighed 5 pounds, 12 ounces and was 19 inches long. He’s the couple’s first child.
“Anthony was due Jan. 24, so this took us totally by surprise,” said Breitenbucher in a press release issued by the hospital. “Anthony’s birth is a terrific way to start the New Year.”
Breitenbucher works with her fiancé at Tony’s Restaurant, which is owned by Hernandez’s family.
On campus
North Riverside resident Tierney Duffy has been awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude in Spanish from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. She is a 2012 graduate of Riverside-Brookfield High School.
Justin Kemper, of Riverside, has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. He received his degree during the winter commencement exercises Dec. 16-17, 2016.
Liam Lesniak was named to the dean’s list at Ripon (Wis.) College for the fall semester of the 2016-17 school year. Students must achieve a grade-point average of at least 3.4 on a 4-point scale for dean’s list recognition.
He is the son of David and Bridget Lesniak of Riverside.
Jack Gavin, of North Riverside, and Rachel Heuel, of Riverside, were named to the dean’s list for the fall semester of the 2016-17 school year at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.
Ashley Rayfield, of Riverside, was named to the president’s list at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, for the first semester of the 2016-17 school year. Rayfield was ranked in the top 3 percent of undergraduate students in her division.
Brookfield residents Gina Crisanti and Mayra Baeza and Riverside resident Emily Michl were named to the dean’s list at the University of Dayton for the fall 2016 semester by attaining a GPA of at least 3.5 for the semester.
Brookfield residents Connor Berek, Jordan Peklo and Evan St. Paul; North Riverside resident Monica Fiala; and Riverside residents Rebecca Fernandez, Anne Mitchell and Moira Dunn were named to the dean’s list for the 2016 fall term at Augustana College in Rock Island. The students each attained a GPA of at least 3.5 to qualify for inclusion on the dean’s list.
Hannah Likness, of Brookfield, has been named to the Iowa State University College of Human Sciences fall 2016 dean’s list for earning a GPA of at least 3.5 for the semester.
Keri Burke, a health sciences major from Riverside, has been named to the Butler University (Indianapolis) dean’s list for the fall 2016 semester.
Dean’s list students must earn at least 12 credit hours and finish the semester in the top 20 percent of all eligible students in that college.
Riverside resident Julia A. Boge was named to the dean’s list at the College of William and Mary for the 2016 fall semester by attaining a GPA of at least 3.6.
Monica Mascitti, of Riverside, was named to the dean’s list at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for the 2016 fall semester by attaining a GPA of at least 3.4.
North Riverside resident Luca Melone, an accounting major, has been named to the dean’s list at Aurora University for attaining a GPA of at least 3.6.
Riverside residents Guillermo Arroyo, Riley Mullen and Lucille Roudebush and North Riverside resident Enrique Trujillo have been named to the 2016 fall semester dean’s list at Marquette University in Milwaukee.
Riverside resident Caleb Clark and Brookfield residents Jeremiah Clarkson and Sonja Davy were named to the dean’s list at Wheaton College for attaining a semester GPA of at least 3.5.
North Riverside resident Hollie M. Ferrer was named to the dean’s list for the 2016 fall semester at Bradley University in Peoria for attaining a GPA of at least 3.5.
Riverside residents Gregory Bernasek and Colleen Mandell were named to the dean’s list at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, for the 2016 fall semester after attaining a semester GPA of at least 3.5.
Bridget Halvey, of North Riverside, and Monica Kasper, of Brookfield, were named to the dean’s list for the fall 2016 semester at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The students achieved a GPA of at least 3.5 for the semester.
Jacqueline Skokna, of Brookfield, was named to the dean’s list for the fall 2016 semester at Belmont College in Nashville, Tennessee, for attaining a GPA of least 3.5.
Kalyn Harris, of Brookfield, was named to the fall semester dean’s list at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Harris is a member of the Class of 2020 and is majoring in fashion merchandising.
Several local high school students were recognized with 2016 Youth Service Medals by Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart for their efforts as volunteers in her community. All of the students volunteered more than 100 hours and were required to submit essays detailing their experiences.
Among those recognized were Nazareth Academy student Brittany Schneider, of Brookfield, and Riverside-Brookfield High School students Jovita Berzanskyte, Gianni D’Altorio, Madison Darcy, Alexandria Hodges, Derek Johnson, Bailey Schejbal, Jacqueline Servin, Cynthia Smith, Jakob Veselsky and Clark Williamson.
Brookfield resident Michelle Dinh, a senior at Lyons Township High School, was one of 30 students in 24 different categories qualifying for the state Business Professionals of America competition in Oak Brook in March.
Dinh advanced in two categories after finishing third at the regional competition in Fundamental Accounting and in first place as part of the LTHS Global Market Team, which included Caroline Spitkovsky of Countryside and Jack Dudley of LaGrange.
Nazareth Academy in LaGrange Park has announced the following local honor roll students for the first semester of the 2016-17 school year:
Named to the A Honor Roll were Brookfield residents Grace Acosta, Gloria Corona, Leilani Dodson, Jeremy Kolasa, Brittany Schneider and David Sullivan; North Riverside resident Danny Zontos; and Riverside residents David Hertogs, Carlie Merola, Justin Rokicki and Hana Sedivy.
Named to the B Honor Roll were Brookfield residents Jocelyn Contini, Gunnar Hendrix, Joseph Noga, Braden Schneider and Archer Wagner; North Riverside residents Diego Arroyo and Samantha Escalante; and Riverside resident Ben Bernasek.
Isabella Smith, a senior at Lyons Township High School, received an Award of Distinction for her art work, which was displayed recently at Elmhurst College’s 18th Annual High School Art Exhibition.
The exhibition featured hundreds of paintings, prints, sculptures, computer art and other media.
Miles Hession, a junior at Lyons Township High School, has won recognition twice so far this season in competitions as a member of the LTHS Model United Nations Club. At the University of Chicago Lab Schools Model Conference, Hession received an “outstanding” designation representing USA/UNESCO, while at the St. Ignatius Conference he received a “best” designation representing Russia/UNEP.
Riverside-Brookfield High School speech team member Elona Selenica won first place in Humorous Interpretation and Marissa Neiburg broke into the finals in the Impromptu category at the Elk Grove Invitational at Elk Grove High School in December.
