As a single mother living in Eugene, Oregon, Ms. Janet Schlarbaum never expected a life as a city-dwelling newlywed in urban Chicago, IL. Once the center of America’s original 13 colonies, the sprawling metropolis of Chicago has changed considerably since 1776, and Janet Schlarbaum is committed to the surety that more change is coming.

The whirlwind of activity that brought Janet Schlarbaum to Chicago started with an unexpected business trip. As the industry of vegan cuisine rarely brought Janet Schlarbaum out of Eugene, she was surprised to receive a call from a publisher in 2006. Janet Schlarbaum’s pet project, a vegan cookbook, was being considered for potential publishing, and Janet was asked to take a trip to the publisher’s office in Chicago. Although the publisher did not pick up Janet’s cookbook, she did not board her return flight dejected. In fact, Janet Schlarbaum was visibly elated as she took her seat on her flight home, and the reason why was the man sitting beside her.

When she was Janet Creighton, Janet Schlarbaum met Jason Schlarbaum in her Algebra II class, where they had shared a brief flirtation. After graduation, Jason Schlarbaum returned to his Chicago home, and Janet Schlarbaum went to the University of Oregon. When they met again in Chicago, roughly 20 years later, neither could believe their eyes. The eyes of Janet (formerly Creighton, now Schlarbaum) and Jason have been locked since that Chicago reunion. They married in May 2007, and now live with their two children, Simon and Evie, in Chicago, IL.

Janet Schlarbaum’s goal of transforming Chicago into a healthier, fitter metropolis has inspired her to create a children’s book dedicated to the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. Ms. Schlarbaum hopes to begin shopping for publishers in fall 2009.