It’s never lacking in lots of natural color and sunlight, making it the perfect haven away from the hustle and bustle of the main street. During the summer, their back patio is open for dining, a paradisiacal hideaway in the middle of downtown Oak Park. What brings people to this amazing place isn’t just their food, though it’s the atmosphere. So, whether you’re a meat-lover, a vegetarian, or a seafood aficionado, Maya Del Sol has a delectable dish made just for you. Their avocado relleno is an absolute must to share with the table, and their surf and turf platter pretty melts all of your problems away at the first bite. This Oak Park staple is the quintessential gathering place for everyone from baby boomers and millennials, offering amazing Latin cuisine made fresh and on the spot. degree in biology from the University of Illinois Chicago.If you’re into Latin American eats, it doesn’t get better than Maya Del Sol. A Palestinian, he grew up in the Gaza Strip. 17 years in business in Oak Park, also owns two restaurants in Chicago.I want to create meaningful change from what we’re doing today.” About Anan Abu-Taleb I feel the board has great minds, but we need a new perspective on that board,” he said. I would bring a whole new perspective to the board, which is badly needed. I feel like I would bring a whole new energy. “I feel that I would bring a lot of creativity and innovation to the job. His ability to communicate his vision as a business owner is one he thinks would translate well as a village leader. He thinks his success in business demonstrates his abilities to be an effective leader. In addition to Maya, there are two pizza-focused eateries in the city. He insists Oak Park must find a way to preserve what’s unique about the village while adapting with the times.Ību-Taleb owns three restaurants. Abu-Taleb’s approach, he said, will tap into the thoughts of stakeholders across the community and ensure the discussion goes two ways. He said his “common-sense approach will look outside the Oak Park box of traditional governance. “I’m fiscally responsible, but I want to approach projects with money I have.” “I’m for progress and I’m for updating infrastructure,” he said. He wants the village to stop spending the money it doesn’t have so the burden on taxpayers is lessened. This also means not letting the ways of the past dictate how Oak Park moves forward in its search for economic sustainability. The first step to reversing this, he said, is to look at the village’s spending habits to see gaps where inefficiencies exist and find ways to bring more revenue into the village without hiking taxes. This also includes the rising tax burden, which he says is driving residents and businesses away.Ī father of four - age 17 to 25 - he worries his own kids won’t be able to call Oak Park home because of the high costs, and he suspects this is the case for other residents, both young and old. “There is a general sentiment that Oak Park is difficult to do business with.”īut Abu-Taleb insists he is not a “single-minded candidate,” running on one issue instead, he thinks his campaign is opening up the conversation to anything that needs to change in Oak Park. “There is this perception out there that we are not business-friendly,” he said. The village, he said, needs to change how it works with local businesses. He also felt overlooked when streetscape plans were being made for Oak Park Avenue. “Our community is special,” he said, but with the rising tax burden, “we are pushing minorities and older people out.”Īs a business owner, he wasn’t pleased with the permit process when he opened Maya del Sol on Oak Park Avenue several years ago. He described Oak Park as “an accepting and loving community” and talked about the many aspects of diversity - economic, generational, racial - that attracted him and his wife to the village two decades ago. Abu-Taleb, 53, said that’s a vision he’ll work to restore if elected.
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