***** Devon Avenue in Chicago ( an area called West Ridge, formerly West Rogers Park) is a street of which I am very familiar . As a high school student, I worked at Dann-Dee Red Hot on Devon at Seeley. Later, I was employed at Kassner’s California Shop at Devon and California and in the 1960’s, had my own store on Devon and Rockwell, The Little Brick Shirthouse. At that time, Devon was very Jewish, with many high fashion apparel shops, jewelry shops, delis and more. Over the years, the street changed and while remaining a street or should I say Avenue of ethnics, the population changed, making it an Indian/Pakistani street from California , east to Damen.

While I was no loner in business on the street, I was involved with the Chamber of Commerce, as we were doing a yellow page directory covering the area. I worked closely with Irv Loundy of The Devon Bank in planning functions and working with the area business people to bring traffic to their shops. At one time, anyone who was seeking authentic Indian or Pakistani items or food, would make the trip to Devon Avenue, the “hub” of the ethnic community. In fact, our tech people from Missouri came to work on our computers knowing that they could fill their vans with grocery items from Patel Brothers on Devon.

My experience with the Avenue is what perked my interest in the production at Writers Theatre co-produced with Timeline Theatre ( who always has their backstory, and that is why I did mine). “Dhaba On Devon Avenue” written by Madhuri Shekar, about a restaurant on Devon called Dhaba Canteen, a place that has charmed the community for years and years. It’s owner chef ,Neeraj (an incredible performance by Anish Jethmalni), who has Parkinson’s and is slowly losing his sense of taste and smell , is struggling to keep afloat. He has two daughters,  Sindhu ( deftly handled by Arya Daire)  with whom he has lost contact, and Rita ( played to perfection by Tina Munoz Pandya) who he has working with him.

The world has changed and those who opted to come to Devon for the specialty meals, are no longer doing so. Their tastes have become more Americanized and many more places have been established in areas other that Devon. Rita cannot seem to match what her father expects from her, She is able to create foods that are different,  based on the recipes of the Canteen, yet her dad says no- “it must remain as his parents created”. The restaurant has one employee, Luz ( Isa Arciniegas is terrific) who is also Rita’s “lover”, again pointing out that the world has changed and they have become more liberal.

While the bank is threatening to foreclose, there is a friend of the family, Adil ( Mueen Jahan) who loves them dearly and offers to buy in as a partner, so when the bank turns Neeraj down, and he does go to Adil, we find that this was more talk than action, because, he agrees with Rita and Sindhu, that change is what is needed. Much of the story, sharply directed by Chay Yew is about family and tradition, as well as survival in a world that is ever changing and of course, the legacy of building a business to hand over to the generations to come. I found it to be a heartwarming story with characters that were quite realistic and very believable.

The set designed by Lauren M. Nichols reminded me of the kitchen at Dan Dee Red Hots and others. It was quite realistic and the stove appeared to be lit ( it was only lights). The lighting (Christine A. Binder) was very realistic and as I said, the use of lighting made it appear that they were truly cooking. The costumes (Christine Pascual) and sound (Eric Backus) were spot on. The program and notes do not list the props person, and I think that this may be one of the most difficult jobs. Think about the pots and pans, dishes, containers and other items that might be found in a restaurant kitchen. Then imagine that during the final scene , all of these items must be packed up and cleared from the set. We know that they have to be reset for the next performance so this is one heck of a job.

“Dahba on Devon Avenue ” will continue thru July  27th with performances as follows: