“I lived in Illinois my entire life until April of this year. My wife and I moved to Cypress, Texas, outside of Houston. I’m back in Chicago for a conference. I was paying $12,000 a month in property taxes in Highland Park. As soon as I had to get a property tax attorney a light…

“I’m against buying anything in Chicago. I wouldn’t want property. You basically have to pay a mortgage and pay rent still, because of the taxes.” Craig Alexander Hero Coffee Bar

“When I was a kid this is what I used to make with my grandmother. She would always make two batches of tamales: one batch [to] sell and one batch for family. For family there would be a lot more meat, a lot more flavor, a lot more lard. There would be nothing from a…

“Talk about a dream come true. I started this business and I started it with my best friends. There’s a lot of pride in building something together. We all grew up in the suburbs and live in Chicago now. We knew we wanted to start this here because it’s our home and doing it for…

“I’ve been in the kitchen my whole life. Never finished college. Almost everybody out here is going all-in on on their truck. Make it or die. Nine out of 10 trucks out here are putting every dollar they have into their business … At the end of the day it’s about more than the food….

“Our dream is to make people happy, provide jobs and earn an honest living while serving great food. Same dream of any restaurant owner.” Gabe Wiesen Beavers Donuts