Special Reports

Yogurt Is Chic At Berry Chill

635 N. State St

(312) 266-2445

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CHICAGO (CBS) ― When it comes to trends, yogurt is cool in more ways than one.

For this edition of Table for 2, CBS 2's Vince Gerasole sat down at a new yogurt bar that is really "chill."

At Berry Chill, at 635 N. State St. in the River North neighborhood, you won't find the ice cream-substitute frozen yogurt that was the rage among the calorie conscious circa 1990. Instead, you'll find chilled yogurt – an all-natural and fat free concoction with all the healthy live and active cultures you find in a regular grocery store yogurt cup.

Berry Chill serves it up at their yogurt bar.

"When you first taste it, it kind of catches you off guard, because you're maybe expecting a vanilla flavor," said Michael Farah, owner of Berry Chill.

But their signature variety has a taste that is both sweet and tart at the same time.

For $4, you can complement your yogurt it with up to three toppings. They include more than a dozen healthy, freshly-cut fruits with no syrups or sugars added, as well as more than 30 dry toppings that include cereals and a fair number of sweet indulgences – from rainbow sprinkles to Gummi Bears.

"It's a healthy breakfast, or a meal, or a snack," Farah said.

Chilled yogurt bars are a craze working their way across the country. But locally, Farah thought he could concoct his own recipe, by consulting with some real kitchen magicians.

"I worked with a lot of yogurt scientists around the country. I initially started in these labs and got a yogurt machine in my condo," Farah said. "I initially invited friends and family over to try our yogurt, and when all is said and done, probably had 1,500 people try the yogurt in my condo before we even opened our doors."

With its high-tech look and young vibe, Farah hopes he is creating a chill atmosphere for 20-somethings, who will discover a yogurt bar can, in his words, be sexy.

Berry Chill is open from 8 a.m. until 4 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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