Tala Coffee Roasters Co-Founder shares her favorite local spots and why the suburbs are great
Tell us about yourself:
I'm Joanna Tong, one of the co-owners at Tala Coffee Roasters. I grew up in Minnesota, and came to the Chicago area for school. I fully intended to move back home, but my husband and I were invited to start a coffee company, and well, here we are eight years later. We launched Tala with two of our friends as just a roastery, and opened our first cafe in Highwood a year later. Last year, we opened two more cafes: one in Libertyville (adjoined to our roastery), and one in Winnetka.
What town do you live in?
Grayslake
What are your favorite restaurants in the suburbs?
With pretty severe dietary restrictions, I don't end up eating out often, but my husband and I have the usuals we love to hit up. For a quick dinner or lunch our go-to is always The Other Door in Lake Bluff (you have to try their crispy tacos). For a date night or nicer occasion we have loved The Spirit Elephant in Winnetka--a fully plant-based restaurant, with plenty of GF options that make it extremely easy for anyone to dine there. Our favorite place to meet up with friends is Milwalky Taco in Libertyville, which has incredible tacos and a killer drink menu.
My go-to breakfast place has always been Egg Harbor Cafe (which is plenty delicious), but with the new opening of the Elawa Farm Cafe, that's about to change! Their beautiful cafe serves locally grown food, and (bonus!) serves our coffee.
Any favorite events you like to attend?
Since our first cafe was opened in Highwood, we have been most plugged in there over the years. Highwood celebrates what feels like every weekend across the year with festivals and markets and exciting things all the time, so we find ourselves stopping in to share in the fun often. Summer concerts at Independence Grove are always an amazing way to enjoy the great weather and connect with friends. We always try to hit up the various events over the year at The Chicago Botanic Garden, like the holiday lights show and the spring orchard show.
What is your favorite place to grab a drink?
Milwalky Trace has, hands down, the best cocktails around. I always go for their Old Fashioned or Whiskey Sour.
Guessing we know the answer here, but any favorite coffee shops?
Well, I am obviously biased here, but I do genuinely think that Tala Coffee is the best in the suburbs. I think the best thing about what we do is how versatile we are: serving excellent specialty coffee that you can enjoy as a purist, but also super fun and approachable specialty and seasonal drinks that we still craft with care. We really love to be a place for everyone, and we try to make that happen by having the best coffee and the best experience, regardless of your preferences or coffee knowledge.
Any favorite bakeries, donuts or sweet treats?
Although I sadly cannot partake in gluten, our cafes serve Gurnee Donuts (close to six flags), whose award-winning donuts are apparently to die for (just the smell of them makes me think all the hype is well-deserved). All of my staff is also obsessed with Hewn Bakery, which has--I'm told--the best bread in the Chicago area. We also serve Holcomb Hollow Bakery's muffins at our cafes which are GF and vegan, so I enjoy those often and can honestly say they have the best muffins and scones I've ever had.
Where do you go to stay active?
I often run all along the North Shore Bike Path, or spend the day hanging out in forest preserves. The best preserves around are Ryerson Conservation Area, Daniel Wright Woods, Middlefork Savanah, and McDonalds Woods (especially if you take the woodchip trail!).
Any favorite weekend getaways?
If given some time away, we will almost certainly end up using it to hike or camp (or both). We end up doing a day trip to Starved Rock once or twice a year at least, and love it for its canyons and sprawling forest. Skip the actual Starved Rock trail and just go as far toward Illinois Canyons as you can get before the sun starts setting. We enjoy it in the winter and summer.
If we're taking a weekend, we have loved heading over to Turkey Run area. Our tactic is always to snag a hike-in campsite at the nearby Shades State Park, and then spend a full day hiking at each park. Don't forget to bring a cheap inner tube to float down the river at Turkey Run for an hour or so after you hike.
Why do you think the suburbs are great?
I never thought of myself as a suburb person (I grew up in the city in Minneapolis). Initially, when I came to college here, I assumed I would find the same thing that exists in the suburbs back home: chain restaurants, no sidewalks, cookie-cutter houses, and no diversity. It wasn't long before I realized the Chicago Suburbs are different. Living here is like having the benefits of a small town (running in to people you know all the time, getting to know the history of the places you frequent, being a regular at your favorite places, etc.), but the amenities of the city (local restaurants, small businesses, fun events, access to some public transportation, etc.), and without all the ridiculous parking and traffic fiascos. Not to mention, the trail system and forest preserves in the area make being outside so accessible to everyone. It really is the best.
Where can readers connect with you?
See what we're up to at Tala at www.talacoffeeroasters.com, where you can learn more about us and check out our current coffees, our subscription offers, and learn more about coffee in general. We have frequent blogs that range from coffee nerdiness to fun local events as well as recipes and more!
Life in the Burbs is an ongoing interview series where we profile local entrepreneurs and tastemakers from the Chicago Suburbs and have them share their favorite local places. Want to be featured or know someone we should chat with? Contact us here or send me an email at joe(at)burbsexplored.com.
