SAVORY & SWEET SISTERS | Café on the Park In Wheaton

A CAFÉ WITH A PURPOSE Sitting with Pete Leonard over-looking Adams Park in Wheaton, the word intentionally kept coming up. Leonard, owner of Café on the Park, shared the journey of how he got to this moment. His love of coffee started at age 12. Years later on a church mission trip to Brazil, watching a man roasting coffee over a fire set him on a mission of his own. To roast coffee the way he liked it. A self-declared techno geek Leonard designed a mechanism to roast coffee on his grill. I Have a Bean coffee was born. Needing more space Leonard set out to open a roasting company. Witnessing someone close to him face employment challenges because of a prison term, he set out to help. Offering post prison people a job, training and a reference enables them to be successful in other endeavors. From that idea Second Chance Coffee Company began.

As popularity of his specialty coffee grew so did the idea of having a café located adjacent to the Wheaton library. Tucked between Adams Park and the library, they make a perfect partnership with patrons being able to have a beverage delivered right to their seat while studying.

Whether it is the fresh baked from scratch daily pastries, the locally sourced 1871 Dairy milk, sauces and syrups made in house, Italian ceramics or the best medium roasted coffee made with beans sourced from the top one percent from the 87 coffee growing regions; Leonard’s passion for perfection and his love of quality is evident. Just a few of our favorites are the Roast beast wrap with the in house horseradish cream or the vegetarian croissant with the honey mustard. Our favorite beverages were the Cubano Liso which is a combination of smooth sugar in the raw, cinnamon, and espresso and any Steep it Real tea. Stop by to experience the best cinnamon rolls although they are only available on Sundays. Another sweet sensation is the chocolate chocolate donut with heath toppings.

Café on the Park is an ideal location to get lost in a book or watch the snow fall while sipping exquisite coffee. This café has a purpose as Pete Leonard believes elevating coffee while redreaming lives—one bean at a time.

Café On The Park 225 N. Cross St. Wheaton (224) 443-9679 www.cafeontheparkwheaton.com Owner: Pete Leonard Manager: David Rowan

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Stephanie (right) & Tiffany (left) Schmoker are west suburban sisters who have always shared a love for dining out and they also enjoy cooking together. They came from a family of 7 and grew up on farm with fresh fruits, veggies and more. Watch for their review of a different west suburban restaurant in each issue of Glancer Magazine. Invite them to your eatery at editorial@glancermagazine.com.

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