A bakery/restaurant specializing in cannabis-infused goods still has not been approved to open and operate on Harlem Avenue, as the two owners continue to fight with the state and Cook County health departments about what the business can and cannot serve.
Pretty Original Thing, located at 123 S. Harlem Ave., was supposed to have opened in May. However, owners Nick Kollias and Jason Skiouris have been going back and forth with the state and Cook County, which have prevented the business from opening, apparently over what the new business will be allowed to sell and serve.
Kollias and Skiouris were until recently operating a Mr. Beef and Pizza restaurant at the Harlem Avenue location.
In documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the Forest Park Review has learned that the state has prevented the business from operating because of regulations regarding THC and CBD, ingredients found in cannabis.
In an email sent to the business owners, the Illinois Department of Public Health stated that THC and CBD may not be included in “human food.”
“There is no food additive regulation which authorizes the use of THC or CBD as an ingredient in human food. THC and CBD are therefore unapproved food additives,” the email stated.
The state health department stated further that in Illinois, the only products that may contain THC/CBD are cannabis-infused products made in Illinois Department of Agriculture licensed cultivation centers, craft growers and craft infusers, and sold by dispensaries licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
However, in response to the state, Kollias and Skiouris have indicated that their business is similar in scope and operation to a business called Blaze Bakery on Dundee Road in Northbrook, which the two said the state and Cook County reviewed and approved. They also cited Sunrize Café, operating in Calumet City and Star Budz Canna Café, operating in Lansing, as two other examples of business that follow a similar business model. Pretty Original Thing also operates a location in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.
When reached for comment, James Leach, the public information officer for the state health department declined to comment because he said the issue was under legal review.
The documents obtained through the FOIA indicate that, in addition to other similar businesses now operating in Cook County that offer cannabis-infused food, Kollias and Skiouras cite a policy from the Illinois Department of Agriculture that permits their business to serve such items.
However, the state responded to Kollias and Skiouris stating that the IDOA’s policy doesn’t allow for such items to be sold in a conventional food establishment. Throughout the documents obtained, the state and Cook County health departments refer to the business as “Mr. Beef and Pizza,” which had operated at the 123 S. Harlem location previously.
Kollias and Skiouris did not respond to repeated attempts for comment seeking to clarify whether the state and county had known the business was no longer a Mr. Beef and Pizza and that they were attempting to become a Pretty Original Thing franchise.
Attempts to reach the Cook County health department also went unanswered.