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Paul sold the restaurant to his daughter Elaine Paul and her partners. (Taylor Glascock/For the Tribune) |
He started building the current restaurant on the property and, eventually, the landlord sold Paul the disputed lot. And then business took off.
"We started making real money," Paul said.
Paul has since sold the restaurant to his daughter Elaine Paul and partners John Caribacas and George Georgaklis.
Smith said the restaurant, which has given free Thanksgiving dinners to families in need for 30 years, has a history of helping people. "They just about raised Rosie," he said, pointing to a petite, smiling waitress near the breakfast bar.
Rosa Delgado moved to the U.S. from Mexico as a young girl. She lived with her five brothers in Elgin, who told her she had to get a job at 13.
"They wanted to make sure I kept out of trouble," she said, with a laugh.
Delgado, 40, still lives in Elgin and has worked at Paul's for 27 years. Her brother was working at Paul's at the time and helped her get the job. She started bussing tables, not knowing English. In school, she learned the language and by 15 she'd graduated to making some of Paul's famous, giant salads. By 17 she was a waitress.
The restaurant is currently raising money to help Pete Giannaris, a manager at Paul's, with living and medical expenses. He hasn't been able to work for several months because he needs a kidney transplant.
Among Paul's' most popular items are its soups, salads and desserts.
Paul's has had its own garden next to the restaurant for 10 years, so the salads are fresh, organic and monstrous. Paul owns another plot of land on Randall Road in Elgin, near Sherman Hospital, where he keeps an additional garden.
"He's so cute," Elaine said of her father. "He'll take his tractor from Randall Road, and he'll come back here and plant it."
In the garden's first year, the restaurant had tomatoes the size of melons, Elaine said.
Elaine's mother, Stella, has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, but even that, Elaine said, doesn't keep her from staying involved in the restaurant.
"She'll call me and tell me she thinks we need a new item on the menu," Elaine said. "She's so sweet. She just lives and breathes the restaurant."
In the '80s, when a pie-maker used by Paul's wasn't "up to snuff," Elaine said, her mother, who had never baked in her life, decided to learn.
"She didn't know how to make a birthday cake," Elaine said. "She could cook, but she never baked. … Suddenly, she discovers this hidden talent. She started out with fresh strawberry pies. Then all of a sudden the dessert sales tripled."
The most popular soup, Elaine said, is chicken with rice, which has a lemony flavor and chunks of chicken. It used to be available only on Sundays, but now is served Thursdays and Saturdays as well. The recipes have not changed much in 40 years, Elaine said.
And the regulars' loyalty dates back nearly as long.
By 7 a.m., a retired bricklayer, a retired firefighter and a 95-year-old auctioneer had joined the other three morning regulars. Ed Schmidt, the auctioneer from Elgin, served in World War II as a staff sergeant who bred and trained pigeons for messenger missions in the South Pacific. Elgin City Council member Robert Gilliam also joined the group.
By 7:30 a.m., there are few seats available. Childress leaves at 7:45 a.m., about the time founder John Paul sits down for breakfast with a friend. Childress whispers to the cashier and shares a laugh before heading out the door, knowing he'll be back, same time, tomorrow.
Paul's Family Restaurant
1300 Lawrence Ave., Elgin; 847-695-8687
Established: 1961, originally as Douglas Coffee Shop
Known for: Soups, salads and desserts
ehirst@tribune.com
"We started making real money," Paul said.
Paul has since sold the restaurant to his daughter Elaine Paul and partners John Caribacas and George Georgaklis.
Smith said the restaurant, which has given free Thanksgiving dinners to families in need for 30 years, has a history of helping people. "They just about raised Rosie," he said, pointing to a petite, smiling waitress near the breakfast bar.
Rosa Delgado moved to the U.S. from Mexico as a young girl. She lived with her five brothers in Elgin, who told her she had to get a job at 13.
"They wanted to make sure I kept out of trouble," she said, with a laugh.
Delgado, 40, still lives in Elgin and has worked at Paul's for 27 years. Her brother was working at Paul's at the time and helped her get the job. She started bussing tables, not knowing English. In school, she learned the language and by 15 she'd graduated to making some of Paul's famous, giant salads. By 17 she was a waitress.
The restaurant is currently raising money to help Pete Giannaris, a manager at Paul's, with living and medical expenses. He hasn't been able to work for several months because he needs a kidney transplant.
Among Paul's' most popular items are its soups, salads and desserts.
Paul's has had its own garden next to the restaurant for 10 years, so the salads are fresh, organic and monstrous. Paul owns another plot of land on Randall Road in Elgin, near Sherman Hospital, where he keeps an additional garden.
"He's so cute," Elaine said of her father. "He'll take his tractor from Randall Road, and he'll come back here and plant it."
In the garden's first year, the restaurant had tomatoes the size of melons, Elaine said.
Elaine's mother, Stella, has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, but even that, Elaine said, doesn't keep her from staying involved in the restaurant.
"She'll call me and tell me she thinks we need a new item on the menu," Elaine said. "She's so sweet. She just lives and breathes the restaurant."
In the '80s, when a pie-maker used by Paul's wasn't "up to snuff," Elaine said, her mother, who had never baked in her life, decided to learn.
"She didn't know how to make a birthday cake," Elaine said. "She could cook, but she never baked. … Suddenly, she discovers this hidden talent. She started out with fresh strawberry pies. Then all of a sudden the dessert sales tripled."
The most popular soup, Elaine said, is chicken with rice, which has a lemony flavor and chunks of chicken. It used to be available only on Sundays, but now is served Thursdays and Saturdays as well. The recipes have not changed much in 40 years, Elaine said.
And the regulars' loyalty dates back nearly as long.
By 7 a.m., a retired bricklayer, a retired firefighter and a 95-year-old auctioneer had joined the other three morning regulars. Ed Schmidt, the auctioneer from Elgin, served in World War II as a staff sergeant who bred and trained pigeons for messenger missions in the South Pacific. Elgin City Council member Robert Gilliam also joined the group.
By 7:30 a.m., there are few seats available. Childress leaves at 7:45 a.m., about the time founder John Paul sits down for breakfast with a friend. Childress whispers to the cashier and shares a laugh before heading out the door, knowing he'll be back, same time, tomorrow.
Paul's Family Restaurant
1300 Lawrence Ave., Elgin; 847-695-8687
Established: 1961, originally as Douglas Coffee Shop
Known for: Soups, salads and desserts
ehirst@tribune.com