Cook until well browned on first side, 3 to 4 minutes. Cover pan with a lid (or a second pan) to seal in the moisture and ensure juicy patties. Add a drizzle of canola oil and set the patties in the pan. Set a large cast-iron pan over high heat. Keep warm until ready for use.įor the burgers: Mix the ground beef, onions and some salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. (Alternatively, add both the rinsed rice and the chicken broth to a rice cooker and turn the machine on - it will keep the rice warm until ready to serve.) Fluff with a fork and cover. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Add the rice, cover and reduce the heat to low for about 15 minutes. In a medium saucepot over high heat, bring the chicken broth to boil. Signs in the window indicate Glimco is already hiring.For the rice: Wash the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. 1, though the space needs to be equipped and redecorated. “I know that her regulars will probably go with her, and she’ll have the business on the south side of the tracks, which she’s never had before,” said Glimco, who added that her café will sell more than bakery food items. Glimco said she and Maria are friends and that her café isn’t meant to compete directly with Loca Mocha. When Glimco learned Loca Mocha was heading across the tracks, she found it. “In the last two years I’ve been looking around to find a good spot.” “It was my dream for 15 years,” said Glimco, who said the name “Gosia” is a nickname for Margaret in Polish. In early November, Gosia’s Café is expected to open in that spot, says business owner Margaret Glimco.

While Loca Mocha has vacated the storefront at 8836 Brookfield Ave., the space shouldn’t be vacant for long. Before the coffee shop arrived, commuters waiting inside would just look at their phones or read quietly. Commuters have told her they didn’t realize just how much echo there’d be. The only complaint she’s hearing from customers, Verduzco said, is that sound echoes through the station. Verduzco is also meeting a lot of new people who didn’t make it to the north side of the tracks before catching their trains to the Loop. “It’s going to be strange,” said longtime regular Larry Baron. “It was very emotional, because it was 14 years,” she said.īut Loca Mocha’s group of morning regulars, some of whom stay for an hour or more each morning, helped them move and then started coming into the train station starting early last week to see if the doors were open, bringing their own coffee from home just in case they weren’t. Leaving the old location was difficult, Verduzco said. Verduzco is bringing all of the coffee shop’s furniture across the tracks to the train station (some sofas are being upholstered and should be in place soon), hoping to recreate the cozy atmosphere of the Brookfield Avenue store amid the commuters rushing to and from their trains. There’s also an ADA-accessible bathroom that customers can use, which also invites people to linger as they did on Brookfield Avenue. All of the products the shop sold across the tracks are back, including the pastries from Kay’s Bakery in Forest Park. While a couple of prior attempts to run a coffee shop at the train station didn’t work out for others, Loca Mocha’s shop at the station is far more ambitious.

Loca moca