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BY NATASHA WASINSKI | Contributor
October 30, 2012 7:40AM
Lake Zurich Village President Suzanne Branding and husband Fred operate the Shady Oaks Bed and Breakfast out their restored century-old home on the lake. | Joe Cyganowski~For Sun-Times Media
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Updated: October 30, 2012 11:40AM
LAKE ZURICH ? Breakfast is a big deal in the Branding household.
After all, where else could one find a mayor personally whipping up a hearty meal for visitors on regular basis?
?I like to make quiche, frittata and baked pancakes,? said Lake Zurich Village President Suzanne Branding, who owns the Shady Oaks Bed and Breakfast.
With her husband, Fred, the Brandings have hosted guests in their three-story Dutch colonial lakefront house since 2006.
The couple purchased the historic property at 15 Lakeview Place in 2000.
The former 10-room boarding house went under extensive renovations before it was reopened for lodging. Built in 1904, the second and third floors didn?t have plumbing, electricity or heat when purchased by the Brandings.
?It probably hadn?t been used since 1950s,? Branding said.
The house now features five guest rooms, each with a full, private bathroom and a king- or queen-sized bed. Each is available for rent.
Since the house accommodates up to 10 guests at a time, it frequently fills up during the summer when families are in town for special events, Branding said.
The bed and breakfast is a ?quick and easy? destination for locals, Branding added, as well as for people passing through town for business or leisure.
Regular guests include folks traveling for work who tire of the monotony of hotels.
?They?re able to be in a place that?s more roomy and homey,? Branding said.
People also seek out Shady Oaks under unique, and sometimes unusual, circumstances. Last summer, the Brandings received a knock on their door from a man from Switzerland. He was traveling across the United States but only staying in cities with Swiss names.
?That was kind of a chuckle,? Branding said.
Another guest included a college professor who was writing a book on the history of Wrigley Field. She made a reservation with Shady Oaks in order to be near the property of Charles Weeghman, the former Chicago Cubs owner for whom the ballpark was first named.
Turned out Fred Branding?s grandfather built Weeghman?s house.
?(The professor) looked at us and said ?now I know why I?m staying here,?? Suzanne Branding said.
She said the bed and breakfast business all comes down to playing host and offering a nice breakfast for people in a home away from home.
Branding explained that she caters to the specific tastes and needs of her guests. Thankfully, she said, it?s a joint effort with her spouse.
She recalled a visitor who had asked her to make a simple meal of bacon and eggs instead of her typically decadent dishes.
?You bet we will,? Branding had replied, though she doesn?t like to cook bacon.
Branding then turned to her husband and joked: ?You?re cooking this morning.?
Article source: http://buffalogrove.suntimes.com/lifestyles/15900933-423/lake-zurich-mayor-also-runs-bed-and-breakfast.html
Source: http://bnbpe.co.za/10/lake-zurich-mayor-also-runs-bed-and-breakfast/
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