The Two Gentlemen of Verona : The Cuisine
Inspired by Shakespeare’s classic comedy of friendship, love and betrayal, Chefs Dan Pancake and Beth Partridge present a one-night only event, featuring a four course culinary journey from Verona to Milan. They will partner with Berwyn’s 16th Street Theater (Chicago Magazine’s Best Emerging Theatre & 2016 American Theater Wing Award Recipient) to present Three Takes: Two Gentlemen, original scenes inspired by Shakespeare’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona. This unforgettable evening will combine cuisine with pop-up performances by playwrights Arlene Malinowski, Juan Villa and Rob Koon.
 

 
Chef Dan Pancake + Chef Beth Partridge
Dan Pancake and Beth Partridge quite literally live farm to table. As chefs who have a deep culinary history with Mediterranean and Italian cuisines, the duo also owns and operates Cakeridge Farms in the Ohio River Valley and supplies Autre Monde Café with some of their produce from the farm.
 
Both chefs have rich experience that includes helming the kitchens at Café Spiaggia & Spiaggia respectively under James Beard Award winner Tony Mantuano, as well as living and cooking as a couple together on the Costa Brava in Spain and numerous cooking-centered trips to Italy and the South of France. They have collected a wealth of combined experience in other kitchens, such as Mantuano Mediterranean Table, Ambria and Tuttaposto. Their combined passion for fresh ingredients treated with respect and restraint is matched only by their insistence on exacting execution.
 

About Autre Monde Café & Spirits
Autre Monde Café is a neighborhood restaurant celebrating all things Mediterranean with a fresh, seasonal menu, old-world focused wine list showcasing the best organic and artisan producers as well as cocktail program inspired by small batch spirits, fresh juices and old school techniques.
 
A three season patio and greenhouse provide a hidden oasis for dining and provide a constant source of fresh herbs and veggies for the restaurant. Serving dinner six nights a week and brunch on Sundays as well as offering a number of classes and special dinners, Autre Monde Café aims to keep things fresh in all aspects of the restaurant.
 
The clean lines of the dining room are highlighted by beautiful tables, hand crafted by Mennonites out of fallen ash trees from Cakeridge Farms (the chefs' Ohio home) mixed with vibrant vintage French subway posters and the warm glow of repurposed blown glass lights, all designed to transport the diner heart and soul to another world.

About 16th Street Theater
16th Street Theater is Berwyn’s first and only professional Equity theater company. Created to be a theater for all, they are committed to honoring the diverse stories of their community by producing engaging, dialogue-provoking new plays. Three Takes features work by three of 16th Street’s Artistic Associates, each bringing a unique perspective and fresh voice to this classic comedy.
 
Rob Koon (Playwright-in-Residence 2010) is a resident playwright alumnus of Chicago Dramatists, where he has also served as the theater’s staff dramaturg. His work has been featured at Visions and Voices, Infamous Commonwealth Theatre, Stage Left Theatre, the Ashland New Plays Festival (Oregon), The Lark Theatre (New York), the Dayton Playhouse and Mirror Stage (Seattle). His plays, Vintage Red and Dust of the Road, received a Joseph Jefferson Awards Citation for New Work in 2003, and Odin’s Horse was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award in 2009. 16th Street Theater produced the world-premiere of his play, Menorca, in 2010.
 
Arlene Malinowski (Playwright-in-Residence 2008) is an actor and playwright who views her solo work as an extension of the social justice issues she has been committed to for the last 25 years. Her solo plays, What Does the Sun Sound Like, Til Deaf Do Us Part, Kicking the Habit and Or Forever Hold Your Peace have been produced and performed in venues nationwide. Her work has been honored with an LA Theatre Ovations nomination, an LA Weekly Award, a Garland Award and named one of best solo shows by Windy City. Aiming for Sainthood was her first commission for 16th Street Theater.
 
Juan Francisco Villa is an actor, playwright and teaching artist. His credits include numerous theaters in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Syracuse, from the Goodman to Rattlestick, as well as television and film. He has been nominated for two Joseph Jefferson Awards and three New York Theatre Innovation Awards. He has also received the ITBA Patrick Lee Award and performed in the Jeff-winning production of Luis Alfraro’s MOJADA. Villa was last seen at 16th Street Theater in his original play, Empanada for a Dream, co-produced with Teatro Vista in 2013.