Photography by Lisa Predko

Julie Horowitz Jackson owns the lovely Bucktown gift shop Virtu, where you can find ceramics, textiles, jewelry, handbags, and more. She was kind enough to finish a few sentences.

1. My most prized home accessory is a fabulous tea cabinet that my husband found who-knows-where before we were married. It's the only piece of furniture I let him keep. Well worn and loved, each shelf is stocked with an array of teas to suit each of our evenings together.

2. My go-to meal to cook is spaghetti squash with roasted zucchini and peppers or risotto with something green, such as asparagus or spinach and artichoke. I happen to have a kid with an curious palate. As long as he helps me make the meal, he'll eat it. For this very reason, I adore Head Chef utensils for kids. Who can say no to a frittata made with eggs beaten by a whisk with feet?

3. My favorite restaurant in Chicago is very hard to choose. I adore the apple and machego salad at The Bristol, love the caramelized lobster and quinoa at the Gage, and send every customer who walks through my door down the street to to Hot Chocolate for a Half & Half (1/2 espresso and 1/2 dark hot chocolate) and warm brioche doughnuts. On a chilly winter night, all I want is a chicken pot pie at Silver Cloud. Oh, and did I forget to mention the oatmeal shake at Irazu? You have to go have one. Right now.

4. My bring-everywhere tote is a one-of-a kind recycled-leather bag from h(om)e. It has about a dozen pockets and a handy place to stash my keys. Everything is at my busy fingertips.

5. The best advice I've ever gotten is to speak the truth, even if your voice is trembling.