Flossmoor resident Juanita “Nita” Tribo, 86, who died Sept. 20, is being remembered as a tenacious businesswoman who left a lasting legacy in her community satisfying sweet-tooth cravings for generations of customers at her CarmelCorn Shop in Chicago Heights. Tribo’s family members described her as a phenomenal cook and devoted caregiver who is famous for her hand-written notes often scribbled on various scraps of paper, according to her daughter, Lisa Hallberg.
“We’re looking at a note now that says, ‘Take your pills before coffee,'” Hallberg said, referring to a reminder she wrote for her husband, Enzo Tribo, who is now 92. Nita Tribo ran CarmelCorn while her husband operated Enzo’s, an Italian beef establishment that had been serving the community since 1946. Eventually the two beloved businesses merged to become Enzo’s and CarmelCorn.
Before the restaurant closed in March, Enzo’s and CarmelCorn was among the last remaining landmarks from downtown Chicago Heights. Paul Eisenberg/Daily Southtown Enzo’s Beef and Sausage and the CarmelCorn Shop were mainstay businesses from the heyday of downtown Chicago Heights that survived a redevelopment effort there that ended badly in the 1970s. The businesses closed in March.
(Paul Eisenberg/Daily Southtown) “It was like the last man standing in the Heights, the last last good place to go,” said Pamela Sebastian Ridge, Tribo’s younger sister. After the once vibrant Chicago Heights downtown area began to decl.
