Social groups allow former Chicagoans to reconnect

Chowing down on deep-dish pizza, gyros and Chicago hot dogs, a group of Windy City natives gathered Nov. 19 at the TASTE A Chi-Town Eatery in Centennial Hills for two of their favorite pastimes: watching Chicago sports and eating Chicago food.

Mary Romano founded Chicagoans In The Desert in May but moved to Las Vegas eight years ago with her now ex-husband and 16-year-old son.

Romano's group partnered with the Chicago Sports Fans - Las Vegas MeetUp.com group for the first time that night, and at least 30 people attended to watch a game, eat and participate in the fundraiser to donate items to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission.

The mission behind Romano's group is to gather fellow Chicagoans and support businesses owned or staffed by former Chicago residents. She said she has 60 members on MeetUp.com and 170 on Facebook.

"When you're from Chicago, your roots are dug deep," she said.

Romano said she is told by locals that she has an East Coast edge, which upsets her because she is proudly from the Midwest. Still, she said she and members are told that they have a "mean edge" but she thinks it is normal.

Though the group loves to support Chicago sports, Romano said supporting any sports team is part of its Chicago culture, which is why the group will also be found at University of Nevada, Las Vegas games and local hockey games.

"There's a feeling when you're with other people from your hometown that can't be beat," Romano said.

TASTE A Chi-Town Eatery's owners, Mike Mortensen and Dion Katsoris, opened the 6050 Sky Pointe Drive establishment five months ago for the demographic in Centennial Hills. They said the middle- to upper-class residents in the northwest reminded them of Chicago. From opposite ends of the Windy City (a big rivalry there), Mortensen and Katsoris met in Las Vegas while working as apartment managers. They talked about opening an authentic Chicago restaurant for years and finally decided to do it this year. Mortensen has been in Las Vegas for seven years, and Katsoris moved to the area in 1998.

Romano said she likes to frequent the TASTE A Chi-Town Eatery because she can take her son to watch the games in a family environment.

"Our children are being raised like they are living in Chicago," Romano said.

Mortensen agreed.

"We have the same values, and you want people who have the same values," he said, referring to Chicago's neighborhood atmosphere that he said he has not yet found in Las Vegas.

Eric Williams and his wife, Danielle, moved to Las Vegas more than 10 years ago and work with Danielle's father at Las Vegas Towing, which offers a 25 percent discount to Chicagoans.

"There's a bond between Chicagoans," Danielle Williams said. "I think we all have similar work ethics."

Chicagoans In The Desert is more than a social group, though. Danielle Williams said the focus is supporting business as its own chamber of commerce thousands of miles from home.

"There are many other Chicago-owned businesses here in the valley, and we simply support one another," she said. "We take care of each other."

Mortensen said the group has been a big help in attracting people to their new spot.

Members of the group receive press releases on their media page, articles highlighting their company in the group's newsletter, loyalty rates at Chicagoan-owned stores and invitations to mixers and sports events.

"We need both these ladies," he said, referring to Romano and Rhonda Slafer, who runs Chicago Sports Fans - Las Vegas on MeetUp.com). "They stuck with us and supported us and tried to promote us in their group . We love what they do."

Slafer began her sports aficionado group in 2010 after moving to Las Vegas the previous year. She was frustrated with her favorite Chicago teams' games not being aired at local bars. She said she has not looked back since her move.

"I always wanted to be in warmer weather. I didn't want to shovel snow anymore," she said. "I had to get out of there . It was not for me."

They may love Chicago and want to shop at Chicago businesses and meet with Chicago friends twice a month but they are happy in Las Vegas. The warmer weather makes it worth it, even when they're homesick, Mortensen said.

"If Chicago had this weather, I would never leave," he said. "But there, you can go a month without seeing the sun or it can take two hours to warm up the car when it takes two hours to get to work."

He said he flies back to Illinois once a year but has many friends visit him during the winter.

"From January to March, all of my spare bedrooms are full," he said. "I missed the food and I missed the people. Well, I brought the food, and now the people are coming."

Chicagoans In The Desert and Chicago Sports Fans - Las Vegas MeetUps plan to meet again at 7 p.m. Thursday at TASTE A Chi-Town Eatery. This time, the Las Vegas Pizza Posse MeetUp will join them, too.

For more information, visit meetup.com/chicago-sports-fans-lv or facebook.com/chicagoansinthedesert.

Contact Centennial and North Las Vegas View reporter Laura Phelps at lphelps@viewnews.com or 702-477-3839.