Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am thankful to have such a fun job, and thankful to all of you who read Best Bites each week.

Here’s an email we sent out this week with ads for Johnny Angel’s and Bull’s Pit Smoked BBQ.

Thanksgiving Email Blast

The owners of La Villetta Restaurant have begun holding a weekly free soup kitchen. The free soup and crackers are offered from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Wednesday at The Kohl Center, 435 E. Oak St. in Kankakee. Everyone is welcome.

Congratulations to Ryan “Bull” Wilder of Bull’s Pit BBQ in Kankakee. Earlier this month he competed in Arthur, Illinois’, annual barbecue competition and his honey barbecue sauce was ranked third best among more than 35 entries.

A food-loving reader emailed me last week to ask me if I knew of any local cooking classes, or a food/restaurant-enthusiast club in the area. Any suggestions?

I’m back!

I had a little girl six weeks ago and have been on maternity leave. Brendan and I welcomed Madeline Marie to our family in July, and it appears she inherited my red hair. She joins big brother Grady, who will be 2-and-a-half next month.

There was a flurry of restaurant news while I was gone, so I’ll be spending the next few columns catching up.

I’m expecting a baby in a few days, and to be very honest, one of the most challenging parts of pregnancy for me is not being able to enjoy an occasional glass of wine or beer. That’s especially true now, at the height of summer, when nothing satisfies your thirst like an icy cold beer.

In an attempt to satiate my cravings, I’ve been giving the various non-alcoholic beers on the market a try. I’ve discovered that most of them are terrible, including O’Doul’s. which for some reason is the one N-A option available at most bars.

However, I’ve found two non-alcoholic beers that are quite drinkable. The most accessible is Clausthaler, a German import. I’ve found it at Liquor World in Kankakee, Liquor Zone in Bourbonnais and Berkott’s in Manteno. I’m told it’s occasionally available at Ultra Foods in Kankakee. Clausthaler contains 0.45 percent alcohol by volume, and according to the Clausthaler Web site, that compares to an alcohol-by-volume percent of 0.1 – 0.38 for apple juice,  0.20 – 0.80 for sauerkraut, 0.34 for rye bread and 0.62 for German chocolate cake. Who knew?

The second N-A beer I can recommend is Buckler. It’s made by Heineken, though it’s a stand-alone brand and therefore not intended to taste similar to Heineken. I’ve only seen it locally at Liquor World, and I was excited to discover that several restaurants in downtown Chicago also offer it.

So if you want or need to abstain from alcohol, but still crave the taste of beer or the psychological satisfaction of kicking back with a cold one, those are two brands to try.

I’ve been asked when Rietveld’s Farm Stand in Bourbonnais will open for the season, and since I live nearby, I’ve been wondering myself.  Unfortunately, the phone numbers that I’ve been able to find for them have both been disconnected. If anyone has any information, please let me know so I can pass it along. You can call me at (815) 937-3374 or email me at drenckens@daily-journal.com.

Condolences to the family of Lalo “Lucky” Vachhani, 30, who was killed in a car crash on May 22.

If you ever stopped into Liquor Zone in Bourbonnais, chances are that Lucky was behind the counter. And chances are very good that he greeted you with a smile and by name if you were a regular.

Some of Lucky’s family lived in the area, including cousin Pradip “Pete” Vachhani. The two co-owned the Liquor World and Liquor Zone stores. Lucky’s wife, parents and much of his extended family still live in India, where they will hold services.

You will be missed, Lucky.

If you would information on restaurants that will be open on Easter (or Mother’s Day), please sign up for our Insider Club email newsletter. An Easter-themed email will be sent on Monday, and a Mother’s Day email will be sent on May 2. To sign up, go to www.i57life.com/email.

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