A visiting slam poet from New Mexico will headline a literary event in Highland.
Champion slam poet Gigi Bella and local poets will perform at 6 p.m. Sunday at One Best Life at Tinkers Attic at 2513 Highway Ave. in downtown Highland. Â
Organizer Lily Rex, a former poet laureate of the town of Highland, met Bella at the 2019 Individual World Poetry Slam in San Diego.
"When I heard she was coming to the Midwest, I had to snap her up for a NWI show," she said. "People know me as a poet, but my songwriting and guitar obsession actually predate the poetry in my creative timeline. One has always informed the other, and I've gotten back into music in a big way as a coping mechanism during the pandemic. I believe in music as a healing force and a force of redemption, and Gigi is one of those unique artists combining my two loves, incorporating music into poetry in a really cool way."
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Bella and her partner Tito Dameron will headline the event.
Other performers include Rex, the poet and rapper Eric "Rota" Sirota of Chicago, and a surprise performer.
"You scarcely meet someone who can't vibe with some kind of music. Gigi's work can build connections with those who might not otherwise engage with poetry or think of themselves as literary types," Rex said. "I'm all about upending people's expectations about poetry. A lot of us are exposed to it in small doses of the classics in school, but there's a poem out there for everyone if you only take the time to find it."
The "Too Hot for Genre" reading is a stop on Bella's book tour.
"My work is a Mexican Catholic prayer meets 'Primadonna' by Marina and the Diamonds. I discuss, in large part, my Mexican identity, mental illness, and everything sparkle and bright and feminine about me. It is my aim to be unapologetic, neon plus unforgettable," she said. "My influences stem from early spoken word juggernauts like Sarah Kay, Franny Choi and Andrea Gibson (after 11 years as a spoken word artist, I've had the good fortune to open for Andrea twice. Andrea was even kind enough to blurb my book, Big Feelings.) I am also highly influenced by popular culture and, as I continue to create, more academic/page poetry. My writing is rooted in musical theater story songs, an Ada LÃmon poem about carrots, an Olivia Rodrigo music video. I take inspiration from all of the things I can most easily pick even more poetry out of."
She is touring in support of her book "Big Feelings," which is available at gameoverbooks.com and will be sold at the event.
"My live performances take heavy inspiration from musical theater cabaret and function as a fluid movement between story and song," she said. "I perform original poetry as well as original music. The colorful, spunk sparkle outfits are a big part of it too."
She's already working on her new book.
"Right now, I am working on the beginnings of a new book about my Mexican lineage and the women in my family," Bella said. "I received a grant to write a first draft and I am currently gathering up as many stories as I can and learning so much about my family. It's truly so enriching and informs so much of what I know about myself. I am also the lead singer/songwriter of my band, Uno Bueno, and I plan to work toward recording our original songs in the near future. Also, working on earning enough money to buy tiny future for my cats, Ducky and Frankie, to sit on so I can take photos where they look like giants."
Tickets are $10. Food will be available for purchase from the Hasta la Vista restaurant. People should bring cash if they are considering buying books or other merchandise from the artists.Â
NWI Business Ins and Outs: St. John Planet Fitness, Buzzin Barbecue and Edgewater Health opening, Whiting Cafe and Anna's Kombucha closing
Coming soon
Planet Fitness is bringing its low-cost, "judgment free" gym concept to St. John.
The fast-growing chain of fitness centers, which recently opened new locations in Portage and Highland, plans to build an 18,000-square-foot gym in St. John, Director of Building & Planning Sergio Mendoza said.
The new gym will be on the northeast corner of 101st Place and Earl Drive.
Planet Fitness offers members free pizza and bagels once a month, along with an array of weightlifting and cardio equipment. It has several Northwest Indiana locations, including in Hammond, Schererville, Merrillville, Hobart, Valparaiso and Michigan City.
Coming soon
Buzzin Barbecue plans to start serving up slow-cooked meats in downtown Whiting.
Antonio "Buzz Lightyear" Cisneros is opening the new barbecue joint at 1423 119th St. The space was previously occupied by Hen House Charcoal Chicken and before that by Comfort Roast Coffee House.
"I do craft-style barbecue, how we make it nowadays," he said. "It's wood-smoked on two different woods. The pulled pork, ribs and certain meats are smoked on cherry, while the turkey and beef brisket are smoked on woods from Texas."
He brings in seasonings and pepper straight from Texas.
"We do Texas brisket, central Texas-style," he said. "Sauce is on the side. It's on the side for everything except for the Chicago-style rib tips. They don't need sauce but we keep it traditional."
Buzzin Barbecue will sell meats by the pound, such as pork belly, ribs, rib tips, turkey, brisket and sausage links. People will be able to get sandwiches and platters with sides like mac and cheese, jalapeno coleslaw, Tex-Mex street corn, pimento cheese with jalapenos and Texas Twinkies — bacon-wrapped jalapenos are stuffed with Philadelphia cream cheese and chopped brisket.
"Texas Twinkies and pork belly are usually the hottest items," he said. "Those go quick."
Cisneros has been smoking meat for more than 20 years and has been grilling skirt steak and hamburgers since he was young. After buying a commercial smoker, he started catering to private events and pop-ups.
He cooks everything on wood.
"There's no gas, no propane," he said. "It's all wood-based."
When it's gone for the day, it's gone.
"Everything's fresh," he said. "It's quality over quantity. Everything's made fresh daily."
Initially, Buzzin Barbecue will offer a sweet and tangy barbecue sauce and a North Carolina-style mustard-based sauce. They will be available at the table and also sold by the bottle.
"We're working on more sauces, some really hot sauces," he said. "They're in the works."
The restaurant will serve agua fresca from Poco Picoso, including horchata, watermelon, mango and strawberry flavors. It also will have Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, Sierra Mist and other pops. Eventually, it hopes to add a selection of craft beer.
The restaurant hopes to open on March 26th if it passes its final inspection on time. The 2,900-square-foot restaurant will seat about 40 people at seven tables and three booths. It will offer dine-in and carryout.Â
It's looking into delivery but that's up in the air for now.
"It's a great community right by the lake," he said. "It's a very welcoming community. We're going to bring fresh quality barbecue."
Buzzin Barbecue will be open from 11 a.m. until the food is sold out, likely around 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Over time, it plans to increase hours and days.
For more information, call 219-655-5342 or find the business on Facebook and TikTok.
Coming soon
Edgewater Health is opening a new clinic in Cedar Lake.
The Gary-based health care provider will be located in the Summer Winds Plaza. The new location will focus on women's health while providing primary care services to everyone.
People can go there for routine checkups, screenings, wellness education and chronic disease management, such as with diabetes or hypertension.
“We are excited to join the Cedar Lake community,” said Dr. Danita Johnson Hughes, CEO of Edgewater Health. “We saw a need in the community that is perfect for Edgewater Health’s approach: we believe it is essential to treat the whole person rather than just a condition. We look forward to expanding our services to this community and establishing new relationships at the Cedar Lake Clinic.”
Edgewater Health started as the Gary Community Mental Health Center in 1974 and rebranded as Edgewater Systems for Balanced Living, Inc. in 1993 and then simply as Edgewater Health in 2017.
Construction has begun on the new clinic in Cedar Lake, said Brett McDermott of Latitude Commercial, a Crown Point-based real estate firm that represented both Edgewater Health and the landlord in the transaction. It expects to open in May.
“Edgewater was looking for a location in Cedar Lake for quite some time before focusing in on Summer Winds,” said McDermott. “The Cedar Lake community currently has a need for health care services, and we thought this was an ideal location to open the office.”
For more information, visit edgewaterhealth.org.
Closed
Whiting Cafe and Cantina has served its last huevos rancheros.
The restaurant at 1320 119th St. in downtown Whiting specialized in breakfast fare such as skillets, eggs Benedict and huevos a la Mexicana. It offered both American and Mexican cuisine for breakfast and lunch.
"After some downtime, initially due to COVID, we have decided not to reopen. We are so thankful to the city of Whiting, and all of our customers from near and far. We are proud of how we came into Whiting and sparked a growth spurt of small, family-owned businesses. We made it and people saw our example and paved their own paths in this beautiful, little city by the lake," the owners posted online. "Growth is good and we continue to grow our minds and souls. Don’t count us out, you may see us back one day, with a different concept or even with a completely different business model. In the meantime, continue to support all of the great small businesses in Whiting, new and old alike! Love you all and miss you! Til we meet again, happy eating."
Tom Dabertin with the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce said a new Italian restaurant was eyeing the space.
Patio reopening
Carriage Court Pizza in downtown Crown Point hopes to reopen its patio for the season by St. Patrick's Day.
The alfresco dining area seats about 60 to 70 more customers, who also can imbibe craft beer from the neighboring Crown Brewing.
"It all fills up in the summertime," owner Fred Laud said.
The pizzeria at 211 S. East St. is currently running several Lenten specials, as well as offering a corned beef and cabbage pizza for St. Patty's Day.
Closed
Anna's Kombucha is wrapping up its operations.
The Gary-based business brewed kombucha, a fermented tea with ancient Eastern roots prized for its digestive and health benefits. It was sold at many local businesses in Northwest Indiana, Illinois and Southwest Michigan.
"After a lot of thought, Anna’s Kombucha has come to an end. I want to thank everyone who has supported me in the almost seven years that I’ve been in business," owner Anna Martinez posted. "Going through these pictures and the others on social media reminded me of just how much we really pushed out of our makeshift kitchen. Anna’s moved a total of six times in our short life. Many times with little warning. Yet, we endured. And it would have never been possible without your support."
The business originally operated as Anna's Kombucha Cafe at two spots on Lake Street in Gary's lakefront Miller neighborhood. It then closed the cafe, switching to a production model.Â
A staple on local shelves, it was stocked by many local businesses, such as Indie Indie Bang Bang, Vibrations, Fluid Coffeebar, Smartbelly, Oh Gee, Octave Grill, Sip Coffee House, Charcuterie, Tomato Bar, Nature's Cupboard, Produce Depot and Grounded Earth Farm.
"Thank you to everyone who came by and got some kombucha, coffee, breakfast or lunch," Martinez posted. "I will definitely miss a lot of what this experience has brought to my life. But, I want to express the most thanks to my former staff. I couldn’t have ever asked for better people to be around and I’m glad I still get to talk to most of you on a regular basis. Much love to you all."
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Joseph S. Pete
Business Reporter
Joseph S. Pete is a Lisagor Award-winning business reporter who covers steel, industry, unions, the ports, retail, banking and more. The Indiana University grad has been with The Times since 2013 and blogs about craft beer, culture and the military.
