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The family purchased the former Rockome Gardens on Sept.1, 2015. Several family members work there, including Kelsey,who is the chief executive officer.James Aikman shows offThe Loft, which sinceJanuary of this year isback to hosting events.Unique,Fresh, Decadentand Delicious.SinfullyThere are more than 200 animals comprised of more than 70different species native to six different continents. Zebras,camels, bison, horses, llamas and water buffalos walk andgraze along the mile-long route.“And kangaroos are back,” Aikman said. “They have not beenhere for at least a couple of years, but now we have kangarooencounters where people can go in and actually pet thekangaroos. We have a couple of new bird species, a couple ofsmaller animals and later this year we are hoping to add a bearor two.”But the wildlife park is only half of the business.The Loft is located on the second story of the red barn in theWalk-Thru portion of the park. It features rustic lighting, ceilingfans and a ramp entrance.“When we bought it, Rockome Gardens had shut down, but theywere still doing a few weddings and events there each year,”Aikman said. “That first year, we inherited three weddings,but got those only by word of mouth. In January 2020, wewere starting to promote the wedding and event portion of thevenue.”They attended a few bridal expos and were getting the word out.Then COVID-19 003289“That put everything on pause,” he said. “But this January, wewent back to promoting the event side of our park and it hasbeen well-received. We have 16 to 18 weddings booked for thisyear and we already have five or six for next year and even acouple for 2024.” 9

Ask theexpertKaren Devine,owner of DevineDesigns anda member ofCentral IllinoisBusiness magazine’s Class of2011 Forty Under 40, answersreader questions each issue.Submit them atkarendevine@yahoo.com.Q: I live in a 100-year-old house with a supersmall kitchen full ofdoors, odd angles, nocounter space and noroom for a dishwasher. Therefrigerator doesn’t evenfit in the kitchen properly!Do I have to open it up tothe dining room in order tocreate a functional space?AfterPHOTOSProvidedA: Well, this is a real question from a real client.This project was all about coming up with good space planningand focusing on the homeowner’s priorities. Initially, Christy andPaul thought their only option was to open the kitchen up into theirbeautiful dining room that had the most gorgeous proportionsand fit the home’s original aesthetics. They were hesitating totake out the wall but didn’t think they had another option inorder to create a kitchen that would function for their family.After a consultation discussing their needs, I went to work. Once Icreated a floor plan moving the exterior door and adding a window, wehad the floor space needed to create a perfect working triangle in thekitchen proper. Then, in the closet area where the refrigerator originally10Before

was housed, we were able to create a better entryto the kitchen from the backyard. We also usedevery bit of available space to create an efficientpantry space. The space became much morefunctional and with custom cabinetry, beautifullighting, new ceiling and flooring — very aestheticallypleasing! The combination of form and function wasachieved beautifully in Christy and Paul’s kitchenwithout upsetting the integrity of the home.We asked Christy some questions about her remodel.What was the best advice you receivedon renovating your kitchen?I had ideas of taking some space from our largedining room and Karen pointed out that we wouldn’twant to disrupt its beautiful symmetry. That forcedus to work within the existing footprint of the kitchenwhich was, ultimately, the best thing for our house.What was the goal/vibe/functionyou were hoping for?Our main goal was improved function: We hada rollaway dishwasher, the refrigerator was in acramped and dark “pantry,” and the workflowwas terrible. Aesthetically, our goal was toconnect the kitchen to the period and style ofthe house. I wanted someone walking in for thefirst time to wonder if some of it was original.What is your favorite part of the reno?Moving the location of the back door and makingit glass brought in so much more light andcreated wall space for a much better layout forcabinets and countertops. Our custom cabinetsmaximize the use of the space and are worth everypenny. I love that we kept the laundry chute. Myhusband’s favorite thing is the smart faucet.Talk to me about THE WALLPAPER?!?!?Since we went with neutral and classic finishes,this was the place I could express some designpersonality! I knew I wanted to use this patternsomewhere in the house and when the kitchenwas finished, that wall was just screaming for it. Itwas an easy DIY install and it’s peel and stick, so Ican easily remove it when I’m ready for a change.Advice for folks considering anold house kitchen reno?I think the best thing we did was a designconsultation. I had spent so much time thinkingabout the kitchen remodel and had lots of ideas.After standing in the space with Karen and tellingher what I was thinking, she immediately offeredsolutions to some of our challenges. From thereit was a no-brainer to have her design the layout. 11

SUMMER’S HEREOwner RodKroemer at5-Acre DaylilyFarm in ruralVille Grove.12We’re putting sprglorious? — so he

ring in the rearview mirror — weren’t those few daysere are three ways you can get enjoy these warm months.1.GET OUTIN THEGARDENStory Carolyn Maille-PetersenPhotos Robin ScholzTucked behind a curve in the road asyou’re driving south on Illinois 130toward Villa Grove is a glorious littleflower farm called 5-Acre Farm Daylilies.It’s off the beaten path, so if you’re notpaying attention, you might miss it.That would be a travesty, because inthe midst of mile-after-mile of corn andsoybeans, 5-Acre Farm is a panoramicoasis of color.The owners — Rod Kroemer and hishusband, Jim Wuersch — have beencultivating daylilies for 16 years, and theirefforts have definitely paid off. They nowhave close to 650 varieties of dayliliesthat bloom from early June until lateSeptember, providing wave after wave ofcolor and texture in the curving beds thatare spread all across their farm.What’s surprising is that this hidden gemwasn’t intended to be a daylily farm.Rod, a retired communications andmarketing executive, and Jim, a retiredpolice officer, bought the five-acre plotwith no intentions of growing anythingother than prairie grass. Though they lovedgardening and had both grown up on farmsand worked in nurseries at various times intheir lives, it wasn’t on their radar.“We had no idea we were ever going to13

A few of the manyvarieties of dayliliesgrown at 5-AcreDaylily Farm.5-Acre FarmDayliliesis located at 1578County Road 300North, five milessouth of Philo onIllinois 130. Thefarm’s open 10 a.m.– 4 p.m. on Saturdayand Sunday or byappointmentduringthe week at 217621-8474.be nurserymen,” Rod said.But when a dear friend who owned ValenteGardens in Maine unexpectedly passed away,the opportunity to carry on his legacy wassomething Rod couldn’t pass up. He went toMaine to visit with their friend’s wife, found outshe wasn’t planning to carry on the business,and made a snap decision to take it on.“I called Jim on the phone and he said, ‘You’velost your mind,’ ” Rod said with a grin.He told Jim to start digging holes.“One-hundred sixty-two UPS boxes later, we hadValente Gardens here in East Central Illinois,”he said.This was in the fall, so time was of theessence; they had to get the flowers plantedbefore the ground got too cold.“We started digging like shocked squirrels,”said Rod, and through many long days of work,they were able to accomplish their goal.Now, almost two decades later, they have notonly succeeded in keeping the Valente Gardenslegacy alive, but they’ve also created their own.14Daylillies ready to be shipped at 5-Acre Daylily Farm.

When most people think of daylilies, Rod said, they think ofthe orange daylilies that grow wild along the side of the road.But the daylilies they’ve cultivated at 5-Acre Farm aren’t youraverage “ditch lilies,” Rod said.Those old-fashioned beauties come straight from MotherNature, he said, with no help from hybridizers. But the liliesthat Jim and Rod grow have been carefully hybridized until theyare unique enough to be considered sales-worthy.Every year, the men plant upward of 1,200 seeds that theypersonally hybridized the previous year. Then, it’s a waitinggame to see what pops up.Generally, the survival rate is 85 percent, Rod said.The surviving seedlings are planted out in the fields behindtheir house the following summer and are expected to fend forthemselves from there on out. If they can’t survive the climate,then they aren’t meant for Illinois growers.This is followed by more watching and waiting – five years’worth, to be exact – to see if the hybrids they created areunique enough and hardy enough to be introduced to the world.What makes this process amazing is that out of the 1,000-plusplants that grow each year, they may get four “introductions” ordaylily hybrids from each five-year process.The ideal daylily needs to be able to withstand both droughtlike and swampy conditions brought on by typical Illinoisweather, Rod said. “I want something that is going to beamenable to just about any kind of treatment.”Besides being resistant to the vagaries of Midwest weather,another perk of these hardy lovelies is that they are pest-resistant, with the exception of deer.Additionally, as perennials, they not only come back on theirown year after year, but they also duplicate.“One of the miracles of buying daylilies is that you will never beout of them,” Rod said. “In fact, you have gifts to give peopleyou know.”Because they multiply, it’s good to divide daylily plants everyfew years and give your extras to friends and family, he said.Finally, contrary to popular belief, daylilies aren’t just springbloomers. They bloom all summer long and into the fall; it’sjust a matter of picking out the right variety. The biggestproblem gardeners will have is whittling down the choices.If you go out to the farm, give yourself time to tarry. Take a seatin their gazebo and soak in the peace and quiet.When you’re ready to start browsing, be sure to take one of thepads of paper and pens that they have at the table so you canwrite down the names and growing season of the flowers youlike. Of course, a visit to the farm wouldn’t be complete withoutsaying hello and chatting with Rod and Jim.“I have felt so special in July and August to have people comeout and just relax. They come out, and they look at you, andtheir eyes are shifting and they can’t sit still, and they wantto hurry,” Rod said. “By the time they leave, they’re breathingagain, and they’re actually talking; they’re actually laughing.”“It’s so cliché,” says Rod, “but this is an experience to comeout to the farm.” Owner RodKroemerchecks ongrowthprogress onsome plants at5-Acre DaylilyFarm.15

2.ENJOYA NICEMEALStory Carolyn Maille-PetersenPhotos Robin ScholzDo you love seafood? How aboutMexican food?Then you’re in luck.A new restaurant recently opened indowntown Champaign and the owners sayits unique style is something that — untilnow — could only be found in bigger citieslike Chicago and Indianapolis.La Bahia Grill specializes in Nayarit-styleMexican seafood, which according to coowner Magaly Avila means more choicesin the preparation and in the types ofseafood offered.Nayarit is a state on the central westcoast of Mexico known for its seafood.At La Bahia, they offer whole tilapia, redsnapper and oysters, as well as crab,prawns and octopus. While most Mexicanrestaurants only offer their fish fried,Magaly said, La Bahia gives customerschoices.“It’s taking it to the next level,” she said.Magaly’s husband and partner, LeonelCarmona, is the chef. He honed hisskills through years of experience inthe restaurant industry, beginning as adishwasher and working his way up.“He came to a point where he wanted asay in what happened,” Magaly said. “Hehad all these ideas.”Magaly encouraged him to think aboutopening his own business. To prep forthis new venture, Leonel took a job at aNayarit-style restaurant in Indianapolis,commuting for six months while hesoaked up all the knowledge he could.Once he felt confident in his abilities, hecame back and began practicing at home,16

Maggie’s Green Spaghetti,which gets its green colorfrom the poblano peppers.experimenting with recipes and puttinghis own twist on them.They found a storefront downtownbecause they like the urban vibeand they want to attract more of theHispanic and Latinx community to thearea.With the help of friends and familythey made the place their own; a friendpainted the murals on the walls andLeonel’s mother and sister, who livein Mexico, embroidered the whimsicalsea creatures on the tablecloths.La Bahia, which means “the bay” inSpanish, opened in December 2021and has been serving up tasty seafooddishes and cocktails since. In additionto seafood, you’ll find a unique sideitem on the menu: “This dish wasinspired by the popular Mexican sidedish green spaghetti that is typicallyserved at special family gatherings,”Magaly said. “Since this is one of ourfavorite side dishes, we decided toinclude it in our menu.”One of the questions they often get is“Why is it green?” The answer, Magalysaid, is that it comes from the poblanopeppers used to make the sauce. MAGGIE’S GREEN SPAGHETTILa Bahia Grill ownersLeonel Carmona-Cortes,top, and Magaly Avila witha mural of artist FridaKahlo on one of the wallsof the the restaurant’sdining room.Ingredients for sauce5 Poblano peppers4 ounces cream cheese1 can of Media cremaCilantro to tasteChicken flavor bouillon to tasteSerrano pepper (add according to preferred spiciness)Ingredients to complete dishChopped red and green pepper (to taste)Cooked spaghettiGrilled shrimp and chickenRoast whole poblano peppers on the grill at medium-high heat for 12-15minutes. Turn them every so often to fully roast all sides until the skin is easyto peel; then place in a plastic bag to cool offOnce the poblano peppers have cooled down, peel off the skin and take out theseedsMix the poblanos peppers in a blender with the cream cheese, media crema,and cilantro (serrano peppers if you want it spicy)Heat the sauce in a pan. Add the red and green peppers and the cookedspaghetti.Serve on a plate, top with grilled chicken and shrimp and enjoy.17

3.MAKE A COOLDRINKStory Carolyn Maille-PetersenPhotos Robin ScholzSummer is here and with it comes the chance to host friends inthe backyard while chatting and sipping a cool drink.One of the greatest of those is a mojito, with its blend of freshlypicked mint and cool lime flavors.But when you’re having a party, you don’t want to spend all your timemaking drinks. That’s where Champaign couple Ata and Amy Durukancome in. They have perfected the art of making mojitos by the gallon.For 10 years, they hosted a “Third of July” bash complete with a vat ofmojitos, and invited their friends and families to attend.It all began when their daughter, Erin, was 5 years old. They thought itwould be fun to invite Amy’s book club friends and their families to herparents’ home to watch the fireworks over the Champaign Country Clubgolf course on July 3.When they began planning, they were casting around for a summer drinkthat was fresh and refreshing. They landed on the mojito and decided totry their hand at making it in large quantities prior to the party.Ata found a recipe and multipliedit by the number of glasses hethought they would need, andthen he and Amy got down tobusiness.“We did everything fresh,” hesaid. “Juicing all the limes,mixing everything together.”It was a lot of work, they said,but worth it. As the years wentby and the party got bigger, theamount of mojito mix needed kept increasing as well. For a couple years,they tried a store-bought mojito mix, but it wasn’t the same, Ata said, sothey went back to fresh.Along the way, they learned a few things.They made enough mojito mix to fill a large beverage cooler, but theydidn’t want to add ice because it would melt and dilute the drink. Instead,Ata and Amy chilled all the ingredients separately and then mixed ittogether in the cooler just prior to the start of the party. They then putcups, ice and fresh sprigs of mint next to the cooler so people couldserve themselves.“We also learned not to have giant Solo cups next to it,” Amy said.18

A mojito is an easy drink tomake, says a refreshed AtaDurukan. Simply squeezethe limes (opposite page),muddle the mint withsimple syrup) (above) andadd your mixer (eitherlight rum or Bubly).As the amount of mix they made increased, it also meant a needfor a lot more mint. They discovered that it’s good to have that one“foolish” friend who planted mint — which is highly invasive — inthe ground instead of in a pot, Amy said with a laugh, because thenthey’ll be begging you to mow it down and use it in a drink.Luckily, they did have that one friend who gave them carte blancheto cut down as much as they needed.“I would take a lot of mint and a lot of sugar in a container andmuddle it so that it would release the essential oils of the mint,and that’s what went into the vat,” Ata said.Finally, the beauty of mojitos is that you don’t have to be precise.“I think you can fudge

R. Sean Hocking Craig & Craig LLC Mattoon 217.234.6481 Personal Injury Defense: General; Products Liability Defense . we'd love to hear them! Email me at camaillepetersen@gmail.com with your thoughts and ideas. Cheers, — Carolyn At Home in Central Illinois Warming trend . By his college years, he could tell you all of the physical .