I was dismayed to see the terse announcement in the Journal about the departure of Michael Romain. I have felt for some time that were fortunate to have a writer and thinker of his caliber and had been concerned that he might move on to greener pastures sooner rather than later, which seems now to have occurred.
But then to find another similar announcement about the departure of Melissa Elsmo is doubly concerning, given the expansion of coverage that she instigated of our local and regional food scene to the benefit of our small businesses, as well as to her readers by piquing the interest of residents and alerting us to the breadth of local dining options through her lively writing.
I will miss both of them and feel that the Journal has lost two of its most important contributors.
Christine Worny
Oak Park
