Lemon Tree Grocer

Tim Canning attained his B.A. in Culinary Arts from Kendall College right here in Chicago. Canning quickly got his start under the watchful guidance of Chef Steven Chiapetti at the renowned Chicago restaurants Mango, Rhapsody, and Mossant Bistro. He then traveled west and honed his skills within the fine dining restaurants of Vancouver and San Diego. Mr. Canning then moved to the opposite coast to open Arbor, a local bistro in Boston, as Chef de Cuisine. During Tim’s seven year span in Boston he worked as Sous Chef under Chef Tony Maws (Best Chef Boston Magazine 07′,08′,09′) at Craigie Street Bistro (Food and Wine “Top Ten Places to Eat Meat in the World”) and also cooked with Michael Leviton at his accomplished restaurants Lumiere and Persephone. Tim Canning has worked hand in hand with local farmers, fish mongers, and meat distributors during his career as chef. In January, Tim moved back to his native home of Chicago with dreams of opening a locally driven fresh produce market. Tim and his business partner Shaun Black were mentored by the industries leading minds in developing the Lemon Tree concept. Canning is the creative mind behind the Lemon Tree’s kitchen as well as running the day to day of the store.

Shaun Black is from the Detroit area and earned his B.A. in Advertising from Michigan State University. Following graduation he joined C.H. Robinson Worldwide, one of the largest transportation and logistics organizations in the world working in produce brokerage. While becoming the top sales associate in the Detroit office, he learned the ins and outs of 21st century produce handling. However, Shaun is a true entrepreneur, always wanting to have his own businesses. His enthusiasm and passion to do things right have left him with strong ideas about how business should be run in order to best serve his customers. Taking the expertise gained at C.H. Robinson, he moved to Chicago and opened the business he runs today, the International Produce Exchange which also serves as the Chicago office of Sunterra, a national produce brokerage firm. Shaun has been incubating the concept of a small specialty grocery for a few years after a good friend brought the concept his way. After searching for just the right location, he and Tim Canning have joined forces with the beautiful community of Downers Grove to make the Lemon Tree Grocer a reality.

“Retail” is in Mimi’s blood.  At 13, she began stocking shelves, helping customers, and ringing up sales in her father’s drugstore.  She saw her Dad’s entrepreneurial spirit in both Tim Canning and Shaun Black and felt the emotion of great things to come when she first stepped into the hollow shell of what would become Lemon Tree Grocer.  Knowing that they were the young owners of such an undertaking she wanted to do all she could to help their dream materialize.  She provides crucial support as their Personal Assistant and Office Manager, as well as HR Representative and Payroll Processor in the Accounts Payable and Receivable Department.  She explains, “I love this job.  It’s so enjoyable and so very different from positions I’ve held in the past except one aspect remains constant – I help others.”

Raised in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago, Mimi successfully pursued her college degree in New York.  After two years of working in Manhattan, she returned to her roots to teach for a few years, when the opportunity of managing an indoor tennis complex arose.  She helped guide this enterprise from its infant stages to an immensely popular facility.  Then came marriage (you guessed it, the Tennis pro!) and with the birth of two wonderful sons, a thirteen year hiatus from the workplace.  She’s subsequently worked as Personal Secretary to Dr. Michael Collins at Hinsdale Orthopaedics, for MidAmerica Bank, and for the President of State Bank of Countryside.  She brings considerable skill and dedication to Lemon Tree Grocer, where she’s found the young, talented team a joy to work with and has happily accepted her informal crown, “House Mom.”

Jonathon Zellar has worked in kitchens for more than 15 years. He is classically trained in French cuisine with a degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago. Jon has traveled the world through cooking, preparing everything from Thai specialties to pizza. He spent time in Ireland, working in restaurants and bars, before moving to Utah to manage a kitchen at Snowbasin Ski Resort, an official venue of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. After moving back home to Chicago, Jon worked under Chef Rick Gresh at David Burke’s Primehouse in The James Hotel. He moved on to managing the kitchens at two of Chicago’s favorite bars, Tuman’s and Mac’s American Pub. Jon joined the Lemon Tree Staff in May of 2011 and is excited to be cooking with top-quality, fresh ingredients at Zest.

Todd Hoffman was born and raised in Southfield, Michigan—a suburb of Detroit. With a deep passion for film and photography, Todd attended Columbia College Chicago for several years before falling into the fine wine industry. What started out as just a hobby, quickly turned into a new passion and ultimately a new career path. The wine industry has taken Todd all over the country in search of the perfect pairing of circumstances. While strategically placing himself in nearly every different aspect of the industry; from restaurant to retail, logistics to operations and auction houses to warehouses, Todd has developed a very well-rounded knowledge and understanding of the fine wine business.

Still very much in tune with his creative side, Todd started his own photography business in 2010. Shooting mostly stills for local film productions and indie filmmakers, he recently tried his hands at documentary style wedding photography. He has found great balance in both his passion for wine and photography, and is grateful to be an integral part of Lemon Tree Grocer where he can continue to explore both.

Yuriy hails from Tambov, Russia, where he graduated with adegree in Linguistics and English. Drawn to the vibrancy and dynamism of life in the US, he resolved to move here permanently in 1999. With a unique perspective on how the Russian and American food industries differ on many of levels, Yuriy appreciates Lemon Tree Grocer’s “customer service and human factor at the core of its business.” His deli experience began at Samuel’s, a Jewish deli in Lakeview Chicago. The neighborhood’s sandwich maker, he worked there for 7.5 years and managed for 3. He also notched time at Manny’s Cafeteria and Delicatessen in the South-West Loop and New York City Bagel Deli Downtown Chicago.

Lemon Tree provides Yuriy a tremendous opportunity to put his skills to good use and expand his horizon. In addition to managing, he’s thrilled to explore the whole new world of artisan cheeses, pates, quinces and home made items in the chef’s case. Whether you’re a foodie or just want to try something different that has a great taste, Yuriy can help you discover Lemon Tree’s deli variety—freshly made salads, mushroom arancinies, crab cakes with homemade remoulade sauce, natural grilled chicken, beautifully arranged grilled vegetables. “Selling our products is a lot of fun,” he says, “you can look at every item and see something people put passion into.”

Christina Thomsen (or Tia, as she prefers to be called), from Eastern Iowa, joined the Lemon Tree in August of 2011. After working in kitchens in restaurants to country clubs, she discovered her passion for all things food related and obtained a degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa, Californa. During her time there she served an externship under chef Molly Harrison at Green Zebra in Chicago. Prior to graduating she took a job working production for a charcuterie shop, the Fatted Calf, in Napa. There she gained experience smoking, curing, preparing and cutting meats, specializing in pork. There she fostered an interest in all things meaty and is now happily working with the Lemon Tree team. She strives to incorporate her cooking background into the Lemon Tree’s meat department to not only deliver a unique and quality product to each customer but to go beyond just a retail experience and provide an inviting and informative environment.

Mike has a heart for art & communication with a bachelors degree in Advertising graphic design from Columbia College. Born & raised in the suburbs of Chicago he has designed for big clients such as The Chicago Bulls & CTA to start-up businesses around the US. Don’t be fooled by his boyish good looks because this guy has years of creative knowledge.

He started as a server in our Zest cafe and fell in love with Lemon Tree’s motto; We’re more than your neighborhood grocer, we’re your neighbors. “I value the way the employees interact with customers. You can see their true dedication, knowledge and customer care.”

Lemon Tree values Mike because he is like a box of chocolates. You never know what he’ll surprise you with next. When he’s not one on one with his laptop being a creative genius you’ll see him at dinner in Zest for a glass of white wine, calamari & the honey mustard encrusted salmon, his favorite dish.

Maggie’s face is probably one most recognize as she has been with Lemon Tree since the beginning.  She has lived in the suburbs of Downers Grove her whole life.  Majoring in psychology at Benedictine University has been a great motivator for her.  Classes and homework as well as work have kept her busy.  Her psychology courses have helped her think differently and more positively.  She simply loves connecting with others.  No wonder Lemon Tree is such a good fit.

Maggie always wants to participate and help make changes all around the store but especially in our Zest cafe.  She just loves the atmosphere at Lemon Tree and at Zest and feels so lucky to be able to interact with such incredible people all the time.  ”It’s such a great feeling”, says Maggie.  She also feels fortunate to have experienced all she has so far with the company.  It’s been quite a journey for us all. So much progress has been made at Lemon Tree, and her strong sense of loyalty and drive have helped contribute to that growth.  Maggie is excited to continue to watch Lemon Tree and Zest evolve and become better and better every day.

Cori grew up in Downers Grove with her two younger brothers and just moved toWestmont. During high school at Downers Grove North she began working part time at Glazed Expressions, then known as The Mad Potter. Moving into the food service field Cori found her niche in hostessing and serving at the Lemon Tree last winter. Despite her busy schedule Cori enjoys reading in her spare time and listening to new alternative music. She likes to discover new indy bands and attends concerts in small venues. Cori’s main goal is to focus is on her career and continue to manage a strong team of co-workers at Zest Cafe with a new training program she has created.

As the Head Cashier/Manager at Lemon Tree Grocer I am happy to be the person to greet each customer with a smile, and offer them assistance and suggestions. I have been with Lemon Tree since day one and have gotten to know so many of our guests by name that it is a joy to come to work. I look forward to giving the best customer service possible for our “new friends”that come to shop or meet in the cafe for coffee or lunch.

My first cashier position was for McDonald’s. I moved on to working as a New Accounts Clerk for a bank. By the time I was 20 I was Secretary to the Controller at Official Airline Guides in Oak Brook. After getting married and having a family, I took a new career path and started working in the food industry. My past experience as a head cashier for Marriott for 5 years and 10 years working at RockBottom give me the knowledge of giving the best customer service to all the guests. I was a Girl Scout Leader and Assistant Religion Teacher. When I am not at Lemon Tree, I also work as a Caregiver for Seniors. I grew up in Darien and then moved to Naperville where I raised my two daughters and reside now.

At Lemon Tree you get that old time “small grocer” feeling that you will get the best quality of meat, bakery, produce, deli selections and wine. I am glad to be a part of such a wonderful store. So many guests have said, “I just love this store and we are so glad Lemon Tree is here in Downers Grove”.

Deanna has been in the restaurant and Customer Service field for over 30 years, and has been a team member at Zest Cafe and Lemon Tree for just under a year. Ms. Anatra has worked for such Chicago stalwarts as Carlucci, Francesca’s Restaurants and Chinn’s 34, and also worked as a General Manager for Mario Tricocci and as a Wine Consultant for Sam’s Wine and Spirits.

She is truly passionate about food, wine and great customer service, and she believes in treating each and every customer as if they were guests in her home.

Her theory of “You can never learn too much” has given her the opportunity to attend numerous business and customer service related seminars, as well as work within several departments at Lemon Tree Grocer.

Ms. Anatra loves talking with the Guests at Lemon Tree, and especially enjoys recommending new or unusual items for them to take home.