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Hungry? Come to Whiting and enjoy some incredible meals because new eateries are springing up all over the place.

Francisco and Alisa Delgado have brought upscale Italian cuisine to our community at Piggy's Lounge located at 1656 Indianapolis Blvd. It's Chicago food at Whiting prices. There is a limited amount of seating available so many customers are doing take-out and enjoying it at home.

Salads Etc. is holding their grand opening event today with free salad samples, a gift certificate raffle plus every 10th customer will receive 20 percent off a purchase. Located at 1401 121st St. (the corner of Indianapolis Boulevard and 121st Street), it's a wonderful fresh idea for lunch. According to owner Sara Taylor, this take-out only restaurant will soon be adding hot sandwiches and soups to the menu.

Then straight from the heart of Pierogi Fest comes a new ethnic restaurant called Dan's Pierogies. In a couple of weeks you can have your own "pierogi fest" at 1865 Indianapolis Blvd. Owner Dan Pierce, who has been one of the big pierogi vendors for the last two years at our festival, says his restaurant will offer 14 different varieties of the little dumpling. Dan also plans to add stuffed cabbage, halusky and sausage to his tempting fare.

The Whiting Perk, which started out as a coffee shop, is perking up customers' interest as they prepare to become a restaurant as well. The Perk, at 1309 119th St., will soon be featuring a menu of different homemade soups served in edible bread bowls as well as gourmet sandwiches from the creative hands of Allison Ferconio and John Sopo.

Now all of these restaurateurs are from the Whiting-Robertsdale community and we're delighted that not only are they sharing their tasty talents, they are making a commitment to their own hometown. Again I'm sure you'll find that personal touch at any of these eateries that you'll not find in a chain restaurant. At any of them you can meet the owners who truly care what you think.

Now for dessert. Sue Papach, of the new shop So Sweet Chocolates, has received her "just desserts," which you can find out about by tuning in to the John Walsh Show at 10 a.m. Friday on Channel 9.

Sue makes handmade gourmet chocolates. She started out making these personal pieces for her children's events at school. Sue's work has been lauded by www.ivillage.com, which chose her as "mom-preneur." This is where the John Walsh Show found her.

Sue has a lovely shop in Whiting where she has more than 2,000 molds for her personalized chocolates. There's virtually nothing a client could ask for that she can't produce. She also offers truffles, turtles and even chocolate wine bottles for sale as well as chocolate CDs and foiled candy. There are even sugar-free candies as well as pre-made gift baskets.

So after she was contacted, a TV crew showed up and followed Sue through her daily routine from getting the kids ready for school to producing her gourmet delights, all right here in the little city. The show then flew her to New York for a taping where she was featured along with other women who are lucky enough to have "dream jobs." For Sue, her job has allowed her to be creative while not sacrificing time with her husband and five children.

While in New York, Sue met a woman who makes purses for those expensive gift baskets for the Emmy's and the Oscars. Guess whose coveted chocolates will be in those purses soon to be in the hands of Meryl Streep and the like next spring? Chocolates made by the hands of Whiting's own entrepreneur Sue Papach. After you check Sue out on TV, you can check her out at www.sosweetchocolates.com.

Now isn't that really a "sweet, sweet" story?

Gayle Faulkner Kosalko is the executive director of the Whiting-Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce. Kosalko's column solely represents the opinion of the writer and not necessarily that of The Times. Readers can reach Kosalko at the chamber or in care of The Times.