Latest news with #Aronson
Hospitality Net
29-05-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Dawn Aronson has been appointed Director of Sales at Cypress Inn
A California hospitality professional with more than two decades of leadership experience, Aronson brings both strategy and heart to her new role—qualities that resonate with the hotel's enduring identity as a boutique destination where old Hollywood charm meets coastal elegance. As Director of Sales, Aronson will oversee corporate, social, and group sales initiatives, working closely with clients to deliver seamless, personalized experiences rooted in the Inn's long-standing tradition of gracious service. Born in Long Beach, Aronson studied Business Administration at the University of Arizona before moving to Monterey in 1989. She served for 12 years in the California Air National Guard at Moffett Field as an administrative specialist with the 129th Rescue Squadron. She later established her own business as a global account executive and meeting planner with ConferenceDirect LLC, overseeing high-level events across California and beyond. Her career includes leadership roles at properties such as Sanctuary Beach Resort, Hyatt Place Santa Cruz, and Carmel Mission Inn. Most recently, she served as Senior Sales Manager at Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds, leading a team and managing association and nonprofit group accounts. A longtime Peninsula resident, Aronson has lived in Seaside, Marina, Carmel, and Carmel Valley, and currently resides in Monterey. She enjoys travel, biking along the coast, walking Carmel Beach, and spending time with her family. She was recently married in Seaside to Mark Spainhower, and her daughter is a graduate of the Carmel school district.
Chicago Tribune
27-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Restaurant news: My Pi closing last pizzeria in Bucktown after 54 years of deep dish
My Pi, the pizzeria founded on deep dish in Chicago, which once had 17 restaurants across the country, will close its last shop after 54 years next month. 'On June 29,' said Rich Aronson, owner of the last location in the Bucktown neighborhood, and son of 89-year-old founder Larry Aronson. They will return, however, for one more day at Pizza City Fest this summer. 'We're going to be there Sunday, Aug. 24,' added Rich Aronson. 'Which will be the 54th anniversary of my dad opening the original restaurant on Aug. 24, 1971.' They've always been famous for their deep dish pizza, but one became their signature. 'The My Pi Special,' Aronson said. 'Which is your classic Chicago sausage, mushroom, onion and green pepper pizza.' So why are they closing? The very short answer, he said, is because they've never really had a dining room, since they originally opened primarily for takeout and delivery, and that now hinders their business. 'How that came about is kind of twofold,' he added. 'One, early on, back in the '90s, people were not really going to dine out at pizzerias anymore, you could see that in how Pizza Hut got rid of a lot of their dine-in restaurants.' Then things changed with a kind of rebirth of pizza in Chicago, said Aronson, from Spacca Napoli to so many different pizzerias opening, and people were willing to go out and try great pizza. 'But they want a dining room to really experience it,' he said. 'And then we get to COVID in 2020.' Their shipping business went up 400%, he added, so they replaced their little indoor dining area with freezers and storage. But now that business 'has come down to a realistic level, or even less than that.' 'If I had a dining room, we would be fine,' Aronson said. 'But without the dining room, things haven't been going well enough.' And then just the overall economy, he said, it's just not worth trying to get through that. 'And finally, the cherry on the top of all of it, is just that I've been working in restaurants for 44 years now,' he said. 'I've owned this restaurant for 25 years. And it's gotten to the point where I'm just a little tired.' He's not going to retire, but would like to possibly teach or do something else in the food industry besides restaurants. My Pi in Bucktown does still have limited seating in an enclosed and heated outdoor all-seasons room with four tables, which can be found in their free small parking lot. Will they do anything special on their last day? 'No,' said Aronson. 'Especially since once we announced the closing, we've been busier than we've ever been.' They're just trying to accommodate all their customers who are coming from all over the United States to have their last pizzas, plus locals ordering parbaked pies for their freezers, he said, with a smaller staff than they used to have. What slice will they serve at Pizza City Fest? 'Our chicken pesto pizza,' he said. 'It's a deep dish pizza with chicken breast and spinach. It comes with our regular signature tomato sauce, but then our homemade pesto is drizzled on top.' What's the last thing he's planning to have at his restaurant? The menu has expanded over the years to include several Chicago-style pizzas and more. 'It's probably going to be the deep dish pizza,' Aronson said. Almost every Friday, he makes deep dish, thin crust and their stuffed spinach souffle pizza for his extended family. 'My parents come over, my brother's family, our family,' he said. 'We all meet at my brother's house, and we've been doing that for decades.' His mom and dad still own the My Pi concept, he added, so it's their decision on what might happen next. But he's sure that Friday, before the last Sunday in June when they close, they'll have their pizza night. 'And I'm probably going to make a few pizzas, parbake them, take them home and then we'll have pizza together the Friday after, the week after I close,' he said. 'With the whole family.'More pizza news, in alphabetical order: Aurelio's Pizza of Homewood, founded in 1959, celebrated when Robert Prevost, taking the name Pope Leo XIV, began his papacy on May 8, especially since he had visited the flagship pizzeria with friends just last August, ordering their signature Chicago-style, thin crust, square cut tavern pie, but with pepperoni, which will be available soon as the Deep Dish Tavern, by pizzaiolo George Bumbaris, who makes pizzas named for famous Georges, including a spaghetti-and-meatballs-topped Michael S&M, an homage to the late singer-songwriter George Michael, just opened a second location in Harwood Heights on May Pizza in the Pan, an ode to pizza master Robert Maleski's grandmother, and his spiritual pizza godfather, Burt Katz (Burt's Place, Pequod's), announced that Milly's will be moving their Uptown location to the Noble Square neighborhood, home to an existing rare and bigger Middleby Marshall oven, sometime in late Garden at Independence Grove, a seasonal cafe on a lake in the forest preserve, offering Lake County-brewed beers plus nonalcoholic drinks, snacks and light meals, began pouring in Libertyville on May 2. (Do note they're not pet friendly.)Norman's Bistro on the Lake, a new South Side lakefront outpost on Rainbow Beach of Norman's Bistro, the namesake restaurant of owner Norman Bolden in Kenwood, is expected to sail with their Creole, American Southern and South American menu in South Shore, postponed their Memorial Day weekend opening due to weather, but plans to kick off a summer series with live DJs on June Chingón, the creative taco restaurant by chefs and owners Marcos Ascencio and Oliver Poilevey, who closed their popular, but small and weather-dependent original location in the Bucktown neighborhood last November, relocated to the West Loop on May 17 and launched their expansive dog-friendly sidewalk patio on May Bendersky, veteran journalist and founding editor of Eater Chicago, premiered a documentary-style series on behind-the-scenes looks at restaurants called 'Family Meal,' the first episode featuring chef John Manion at the South American-inspired Brasero in West Town, now streaming on Dolinsky, the 13-time James Beard award-winning journalist, best known as the Hungry Hound, and founder of Pizza City Fest, has joined the Levy restaurant group as The Food Guy, a new role focused on culinary innovation and hospitality Hennessy, recently restaurant critic at Time Out Chicago, has joined The Party Cut, a Substack by irreverent food writer Dennis Lee, and her debut review covers Mister Tiger, a new family-owned homestyle Korean restaurant in the Noble Square the futuristic beverage-focused concept by McDonald's, which opened in 2023 with hourslong waits and news helicopters hovering overhead, will close the original location in Bolingbrook along with all stand-alone stores starting in late June.
Time Out
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
This iconic Chicago deep-dish pizzeria is closing this summer after 50 years in business
After over half a century of cheesy, saucy, deep-dish glory, one of Chicago's most iconic pizza institutions is calling it quits. My Pi (yes, that one with the Greek symbol and the buttery crust) has announced it will permanently close its Bucktown location on June 29, marking the end of a pie-slinging era. Founded in 1971 by Larry Aronson across from Loyola University in Rogers Park, My Pi helped put deep dish on the national map, opening 25 restaurants across nine states at its peak. Its distinctive recipe, which Aronson began perfecting in the '50s, used lower-acid tomatoes, a top-secret 'spice pack' and dough built on generations of baking knowledge (his family arrived from Bialystock, Belarus, in 1905). Forget the gut-bomb stuffed pies of rivals: My Pi's crust is lighter, airier and baked with balance in mind. The current Bucktown location, tucked inside a low-key strip mall since 2000, is the last of its kind. It has weathered decades of shifting pizza trends and even a pandemic-era resurgence through takeout and nationwide frozen pie shipping options. But with rising costs, delivery app pressures and limited dine-in space, owner Rich Aronson (Larry's son, who's been working in the kitchen for 44 years) says the time has come to shutter. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MyPiPizzaChicago (@mypipizzachicago) 'I just feel bad that the more balanced kind of tuxedo version of the deep dish... is kind of going away,' the owner said to Eater. For fans who know the difference between stuffed and true deep dish, this one hits hard. The restaurant will continue to ship nationwide through June 22, and it will make one last public appearance at Steve Dolinsky's Pizza City Fest this fall. But, after that, it's oven off. So if you've got memories of those vertical signs in Lincoln Park, Pac-Man in the waiting area, spinach soufflé pies or made-to-order salads that somehow made you feel less guilty, this is your last chance to experience it all. Bucktown's
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paramount Shows Off Action and Animation at CinemaCon as Skydance Merger Looms
Paramount's Thursday CinemaCon presentation comes as the studio has hit a crossroads. With its upcoming merger with Skydance going through a lengthy government review process, this is expected to be the last time that Paramount chief Brian Robbins will be on the Las Vegas stage. 'I'm incredibly proud of what we've accomplished at Paramount amidst all the noise going on at our parent company,' Robbins said in his speech, which reflected on the century-plus history of the Melrose studio that is about to move under David Ellison's ownership. Whenever he may exit, Robbins, along with a team that includes film president Mike Ireland and animation president Ramsey Naito, would leave behind a lengthy slate. Robbins listed some of those films in his opening remarks, which include Gina Prince-Bythewood's adaptation of the book series'Children of Blood and Bone,' David Ayer's 'Heart of the Beast,' and the next chapter of one of Paramount's most dependable franchises, 'Sonic the Hedgehog 4.' Domestic distribution chief Chris Aronson also continued his CinemaCon tradition of dramatic entrances, taking part in a 'Mission: Impossible'-themed motorcycle stunt show, along with candid thoughts on the challenges facing moviegoing. 'We have to offer a premium moviegoing experience, not just charge premium prices,' said Aronson. He praised movie theater chains that are making pro-customer changes like fewer trailers, grassroots marketing to potential moviegoers, daily deals on concessions, and extended matinee prices until 6 PM. To drive that home, he presented a graphic listing theater chains that do each of those things, such as Midwest chain Classic Cinemas, which has extended matinee prices across all of its locations. But Aronson mixed that constructive criticism with a little dash of snark. 'Discount Tuesdays. Everybody does them. But why not Discount Wednesdays? Unless you're already at full capacity,' he said. Robbins and Aronson gave way to a presentation that was focused on action and animation, starting with Glen Powell and Edgar Wright presenting their take on 'The Running Man,' which Paramount hopes will play a role similar to what 'Gladiator II' played against 'Wicked' and 'Moana 2' and attract moviegoers who want fight scenes instead of music numbers. On the comedic side, 'The Lonely Island' member Akiva Schaeffer will bring back the 'Naked Gun' series, which got the audience roaring with laughter when an extended trailer showed a biting acknowledgment of O.J. Simpson's involvement in the series. Ramsey Naito also took the stage to announce the new title for 'The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender' and new trailers for 'The Smurfs' and 'Spongebob SquarePants: The Search for Squarepants' And at the end of the show, Tom Cruise took the stage to reveal a new trailer for 'Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning' and to present the film's director, Christopher McQuarrie, with the CinemaCon Director of the Year award. He also took a moment to honor the late Val Kilmer, with whom he shared the screen on both 'Top Gun' films. The post Paramount Shows Off Action and Animation at CinemaCon as Skydance Merger Looms appeared first on TheWrap.
NBC News
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Gen Z is falling in love with the charm and 'cringe' of millennials
Not too long ago, if you asked Derek Deng, 22, to describe millennials, the Gen Z term 'cheugy' — outdated or uncool — may have come to mind. But in recent months, the Brooklyn resident said he's been overcome by a different emotion when thinking about the generation that came before him: nostalgia. 'That millennial era of like, BuzzFeed quizzes and … mustaches, nerdcore and … hipsters, is very much, like, delightfully cringe, but in a very wholesome way,' said Deng, whose video about his love of millennial culture on TikTok was viewed thousands of times on TikTok. Many Gen Zers — typically defined as those ages 12-27 — have expressed similar feelings of longing for the era they never got to experience as adults. Across TikTok, hundreds of people have posted videos celebrating things that are typically associated with millennial culture, including Tumblr, skinny jeans, upbeat music, Barack Obama and, maybe most prominently, HBO's TV series 'Girls.' Of course, Gen Zers are not the first generation — nor will they be the last — to romanticize the lifestyle of a different era. But Pamela Aronson, a professor of sociology at University of Michigan-Dearborn, said this recent surge of nostalgia from Gen Zers has likely been fueled by the uncertainty and volatility of the current climate. Today's young adults are entering adulthood with unique challenges, Aronson said. While millennials came of age during a recession, the professor said she worries about the implications of Gen Z stepping into their adult years amid a pandemic that stifled natural interactions and led into an era of more turbulent social and political discourse. In taking comfort in millennial culture, Gen Zers are 'sort of looking back at a time when, you know, it's perceived that things were more stable,' Aronson said. Christian Guarin, 22, described the 2010s as a more 'hopeful time,' which he partially attributed to the country electing and re-electing its first Black president. It feels like 'at the turn of every decade, there's, like, a renewed sense of optimism towards what this new decade could be and what it could hold,' said Guarin, who works as a barista in Orange County, California. 'There was kind of the sense that we're really moving towards progress,' he added. Even music during the 2010s felt like more of a pick-me-up, according to Guarin, who said he enjoys listening to artists like Katy Perry and Walk the Moon, acts whose peak albums topped charts between 2012 and 2014. Resurfacing popular jams from that time has almost become its own trend online, part of the larger 'millennial-coded' content genre. In February, comedian and internet personality Kyle Gordon released a parody song on TikTok titled 'We Will Never Die,' which is reminiscent of catchy songs from the mid-2010s like Fun's 'We Are Young.' Gordon's audio has since been used in videos by thousands of millennials who have also posted nostalgic throwback videos. Still, a general sense of happiness has dwindled among Gen Zers, especially after the pandemic upended a critical time in their young adulthood. 'About three quarters (73%) of Gen Z describe themselves as very happy or somewhat happy,' according to a 2024 report published by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation. 'However, this percentage declines significantly as Gen Z reaches adulthood, alongside many of the factors that coincide with happiness.' Of those surveyed by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation, 'overall nearly half of Gen Z report often (30%) or always (17%) feeling anxious, and about one in four report they are often (15%) or always (7%) depressed,' according to their report. 'These mental health challenges are especially pronounced among Gen Z adults.' Many Zoomers also have lamented the lack of clubbing culture, noting that they feel like they aren't socializing enough or taking advantage of being in their 20s. 'I think we all just share a collective frustration with everything that's going on, like, socially and politically right now,' said Deng, who works as a beauty editor. 'And I think that this nostalgia has been such a cool way to share experiences and frustrations with the past and the present.' The harsh realities of adulthood have also been exacerbated by the pressure to be extremely online. During the peak of millennial culture 'technology was like the perfect mixture of what you want technology to be,' said Serena Carpenter, 26, a program coordinator in Weehawken, New Jersey. 'We have everything that we need access to,' she added. 'I can very easily look something up if I want to, but it wasn't so prevalent at that time, right?' To be cringe is to be free. -Christian Guarin, 22 Platforms like Tumblr, which were among the websites that thrived in the 2010s, feel more authentic to some Gen Zers, who say there is more pressure to curate their personal lives on apps like Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. 'When I was on Tumblr, it's like people didn't really have too much of a place to make all these hate comments,' said 27-year-old Steph Peralta, who works as an associate at a nonprofit in New York City. 'Now it's every little aspect is captured, and you don't want to have an outfit that seems too crazy, and then is captured in public, and then people are like, 'What is she wearing?'' Many online have also resurfaced clips from the Lena Dunham-run HBO show 'Girls,' which aired from 2012 to 2017 and followed a group of women in their 20s in New York City. It has become associated with peak millennial culture, as each of the characters embodied a different stereotype. 'Hannah Horvath, I am always like, 'I am her,'' Peralta said of Dunham's protagonist. 'I think it's her messy nature and kind of like her selfishness, which in a way I think is horrible to see, but it's also comforting to see other people's flaws.' The show's resurgence in popularity coincides with the shift in Gen Z's perception of millennials. No longer does Gen Z feel burdened by the label 'cringe,' according to Guarin. Or, as he put it, 'to be cringe is to be free.'
