Kevin Doellman

1 week ago | wgntv.com | Mike Lowe |Kevin Doellman

DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. (WGN) — On an early spring day in unincorporated Lombard, Robert Lee Fritz needs an extra pair of hands. “The smallest gloves are the far left,” he says to Austin Klot, his grandson and apprentice. Klot has been studying the art of hot glass blowing since he was 7 years old. He’s learned that glass and relationships have something in common: both are strengthened with patience and practice.

2 weeks ago | wgntv.com | Mike Lowe |Kevin Doellman

DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. (WGN) — In west suburban Lombard, inside the corner restaurant Gnarly Knots, Funi McLoughlin is hard at work, making soft pretzels. She was raised in suburban Philadelphia and brought her hometown’s signature street food to the Chicago area 13 years ago. “It’s a simple twist,” she said as she flipped the pretzel dough. “I’ve been doing it so long that it just comes naturally.”But there’s another twist to her story: Pretzels aren’t her passion. Art is.