Our Story
As early as she could remember, Chef Andrea had a vision of opening her own restaurant in her home town of La Grange Park. Before culinary school. Before her time at renowned restaurants like Lula Café and Eataly. Even before she found her passion for making great meals cooking with her parents as a child.
That vision began taking shape in 2020, when she and her mother Donna put pen to paper and built a plan for what would become Happier Now Café & Market.
Their shared mission and guiding principals became immediately clear. Treat guests to a casual, but gourmet dine-in experience. Foster a sense of community and focus on all things local. Create a relaxing and welcoming space to gather with friends and family, bring the kids, or work remotely with a glass of wine. Offer a market with variety of pre-made foods, beverages, and other goods that can be enjoyed at home.
Guiding Values: What Makes Us Happier Now
Building A Community
A place to
Neighborhood
Giving back
Value inclusiveness
Casual Gourmet
Chef Andrea puts a great deal of thought and consideration into all aspects of the menu and beverage selection. The menu is curated to be unique, unpretentious, and __.
No processed foods, high-fructose corn syrup,
Nearly every individual ingredient, from the __ to the __ is made by hand in house
Constantly evolving menu
Local
We opened Happier Now Café to bring an ___ experience home to La Grange Park. Chef Andrea began her ___ in her family kitchen
Our business is independently owned and operated, with no outside investors, meaning every decision…
Artists (link to page about Isabel’s works)
Chef Andrea
Chef Andrea grew up in LaGrange Park and has always dreamed of opening a restaurant in her hometown.
After graduating from Columbia College Chicago and working in marketing for several years she decided to follow her heart and attend culinary school. Andrea graduated from Kendall College and proceeded to work at some of the most interesting restaurants in the Chicago area, including Lula Cafe, Eataly, and Found Kitchen and Social House. Most recently she worked as a regional corporate chef for a large food distribution company.
Though formally educated at Kendall College, Chef Andrea has been cooking with her parents since she was a small child. She is influenced by her father's Eastern European background and the many types of cuisine you are able to eat in Chicago! Her experience ranges from comfort food to casual fine dining.
During her time working and learning Andrea was able to really focus on the type of restaurant she wanted to open; Happier Now Cafe and Market was born.
Donna Slivka
Donna was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Princeton, New Jersey. She moved to Illinois with her husband in the late 1970’s and has been a resident of LaGrange Park for over 40 years.
Over the course of her career Donna worked at Princeton University, Forsgate Country Club, and Real Estate Education Publishing. She received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Benedictine University while working at BorgWarner Automotive. After working there for 22 years Donna retired as a Payroll Specialist.
Donna is the proud mother of Andrea and Daniel and grandmother to Emma and Reilly.
She also has a dog child named Rigby who is her actual favorite.
