Two More Women Allege Ex-Schubas Co-Owner Used Spy Cameras to Record Them

After pleading not guilty in December to allegations that he and his wife made inappropriate recordings of two women at their Roscoe Village home, two more women have come forward claiming that the former owner of Schubas and Tied House used spy cameras to record nude footage of them.

In November, Michael Johnston was forced out of his job as chief executive of Audiotree, the parent company of Schubas, the 34-year-old bar and music venue, and neighboring restaurant Tied House. Johnston faced a felony charge of making an unauthorized recording in a bathroom.

Johnston pled not guilty to the charge in December in Cook County circuit court. Now, Johnston faces a pair of new felony charges. One victim alleges that she was recorded in 2019 while dog- and housesitting. The woman was nude in those recordings, according to the lawsuit. Another, a housekeeper, says she was recorded in 2019 and 2020. She was fully clothed. Johnston is due in court on Monday, April 4, according to Block Club Chicago.

As for the first complaint, filed in October 2020, Johnston and wife Kelly Johnston, are due in court on Monday, March 14, according to Cook County records.

Home Run Inn marks 75 years with year-long giveaway to hungry Chicagoans

Tavern-cut expert Home Run Inn, one of Chicago’s longest-running pizza chains, will on Thursday celebrate its 75th birthday with a year-long pizza giveaway for residents in need. The company plans to distribute 10,000 pizzas throughout 2022 to houseless Chicagoans, seniors, and low-income families in partnership with the city’s Department of Family and Support Services (DFSS), according to a rep. Organizers will hold the first giveaway for homeless centers on Thursday, March 24 at its restaurant at 4254 W. 31st Street in Little Village. More giveaway events are expected in the coming weeks and months.

Green City Market to unveil Sustainable Supper Series and local food panel

Green City Market on Thursday, March 31 will launch a Sustainable Supper Series and panel discussion about local food at catering company Big Delicious Planet, 412 N. Wolcott Avenue. Tickets ($90) include a three-course meal made with ingredients sourced from market vendors, beer from Haymarket Brewing in Fulton Market, organic wines from local distributor Candid Wines, and canned cocktails from Misoo Aperitivo. Green City executive director Mandy Moody will moderate a discussion among Avrom Farms owner Hayden Holbert and Big Delicious Planet owner Heidi Coudal. More details and booking information are available via Tock.

Dat Donut pushes back reopening after city officials shut down its Chatham shop

Dat Donut, the popular hand-cut doughnut shop at 8251 S. Cottage Grove Avenue in Chatham, has pushed back its reopening date after the city shut it down last week over a failed inspection. City inspectors temporarily closed the business over 11 violations, including exposed wiring, no smoke or carbon monoxide detectors, and improper storage of flammable gases, according to Block Club Chicago. Owners and spouses Darryl and Andrea Townson, who first opened the shop in 1994, told reporters that they planned to reopen by Monday, March 21. But in a Monday morning phone call, an employee said the team aims to be back in business “by the end of the week, or something like that.” Inspectors have visited the shop annually since 2019, according to city records, with the most recent stop in October. The city dubbed them each time as a “medium” risk in its three-prong scale (low, medium, high).

New documentary platforms disgraced ex-42 Grams chef

Ex-42 Grams chef Jacob “Jake” Bickelhaupt has left Chicago and resettled in Denver, but isn’t done dissecting the circumstances of his exit. Bickelhaupt closed two-Michelin starred-42 Grams in June 2017 and a month later pled guilty to attacking his ex-wife, who managed the restaurant in Uptown. This month — five years after the restaurant’s closure — the production team released 86ed, a documentary that gives Bickelhaupt (who is listed as a producer) a platform to unfurl his version of events, including what he describes as a “cloud of cancel culture and online bullying” that in his view led to the demise of Stone Flower, his follow-up restaurant in Bucktown that closed in January 2021. Bickelhaupt has spent much effort streaming YouTube content since 42 Grams’ closure.