There’s something really special occurring in the heart of Little Italy.
One would think the residents and patrons of this quaint Italian village would be running for AC and a vat of Italian Ice but what I discovered was far more invigorating and equally fascinating.
As I walked through the door of Ralph’s, a charming brick and mortar cigar shop on Taylor Street, the sweet seducing bouquet of cognac-dipped cigars with hints of cedar and peppery spice greeted me. Soft swirls of smoke gently wafted through the air like perfect summer cumulus clouds. “Would you like a Mocha mini Corona?” asked Zarinah Ali, cigar specialist and lovely 23-year-old UIC theater performance grad whose demeanor was as warm and hospitable as that of a Southern Belle.
I imagined it challenging for a beautiful, young African American woman to be taken seriously in an industry known for being male-dominated, moreover underrepresented by the fairer sex.
“In the beginning it was very difficult. I didn’t smoke cigars so it was very difficult to remember a Corojo from a Connecticut wrapper … but after while I started realizing what I liked and what I loved and found my way from there,” Ali states.
She credits a former shop associate and Ralph himself for her in-depth knowledge of the leaf. “A young pretty woman isn’t expected to smoke,” she says, regarding the reaction from some men who initially see her with a cigar.
“Sometimes they see me and still ask for Ralph,” she says. But to the regulars she’s family, and nothing deters her spirit. “My passion is the service aspect. I love helping people find what they need. The culture’s become a part of my life.”
