COUNTRY VS. TOWN: GABRIELA GARCIA

GABRIELA GARCIA spent her early childhood in Lincoln Park before moving to Lubbock, Texas, where her dad worked as a civil engineer. Her mom used that time to attend Texas Tech to earn her law degree. Eventually, they moved back to the Chicagoland area. Gabriela grew up with a love of reading, writing, and music. She reminisces, “I loved writing stories and getting lost in the make-believe worlds I created in my mind. I played the violin from three to 17 years old, was involved in the theater, and participated in cheerleading. I think I just loved creating things— anything. Stories, music, cheer routines—I loved being creative!”

Gabriela goes on to say, “I don’t think I knew what that meant career-wise. Should I be an actor? A musician? A novelist? So, I struggled in my late teens and early twenties to find my ‘thing.’ I attended the University of Southern California for Comparative Literature. This is where my love of writing was solidified. I had an internship at Paramount Studios and met so many creatives; they had jobs that I had never heard of at career fairs in high school. You could win an Oscar for writing? It blew my mind!”

After graduating from USC, she stayed in Los Angeles and worked in Hollywood. “Initially, the plan was to work in television development, but I landed on the talent side and absolutely loved it! At the time, I was the only Latina agent to become a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).”

Los Angeles will always be a second home to her. “From participating in talent discovery and pitch development to visiting my clients on set and meeting iconic industry leaders, my time in Hollywood has shaped me in many positive ways,” Gabriela says.

Eventually, she knew she wanted to raise a family in a non-Hollywood environment. Gabriela moved to Chicago to be closer to her family and started to focus on writing. She worked for a small consulting firm and eventually started freelancing at various publications focusing on beauty, fashion, and lifestyle.

Gabriela lives in Hinsdale with her husband, Adam, two tween kids, and two fur babies, where she writes full-time as a valuable contributor to outlets like InStyle, Well+Good, Glamour, Editorialist, TheEverymom, The Pioneer Woman, and more. She also runs a website called Modern Brown Girl, which amplifies black and brown voices across beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and culture spaces.

“Hinsdale embodies both the innocent small-town values drawn by Norman Rockwell and the modern suburban complexities depicted in John Hughes’s movies. I love it here! I lived in the Pacific Palisades for a while in California, and Hinsdale reminds me a lot of that town (minus the ocean!). I think that’s why I’m so comfortable here—it has a small-town feel with big-town culture.” Gabriela is a board member of the Clarendon Hills Middle School Parent Teacher Organization and contributes to The Hinsdalean.

She appreciates that her kids study violin at the same school she attended as a child and are involved in various activities around town. With her parents and in-laws live close by, they are over often. “Family is super important to us, and we are fortunate to have family members who live nearby so they can be a part of our children’s lives.”

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Do you have a mantra? My dad bought me a copy of Think and Grow Rich in my early twenties, and I very much live by that philosophy. Aside from that, I love to collect quotes relevant to specific seasons of my life. The one that has stuck with me the most has to do with raising children, which is the season of life I’m currently in. “Parenting is not like math where 1+1 equals 2. Parenting is like music, where an endless combination of notes can result in something beautiful.” On your reading stack? I rotate between fiction and non-fiction to strengthen my vocabulary and writing styles. Right now, I’m reading On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, which is devastatingly beautiful. After that, I will re-read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. I’m no different from any other writer whose dream is to draft that great American novel! When my kids are off to college, I plan to distract myself from being sad and finally finish the novel I’ve had brewing in my head since I was 25 years old.

What is the area of expertise on which your group chat will seek your advice? Anything beauty-related—makeup, skincare, and everything in between. Any daily rituals that make you feel centered? Besides making my morning iced matcha latte, I would say cooking dinner every night has become ritualistic for me. It’s almost meditative—the process of turning random ingredients into something delicious that my entire family enjoys. Music you love? I have synesthesia—I can “see” shapes when I listen to music. Therefore, I love all music. I can listen to anything from hip-hop to country and classical music as long as the music has soft and interesting shapes. Favorite spring tradition or activity? I look forward to the Hinsdale Kitchen Walk every year. The only downside is that after seeing so many beautiful homes, I want to renovate everything in my house! What beauty products are you loving currently? I test dozens and dozens of products each month, so not much impresses me. But Elta’s MD Tinted Sunscreen and Augustinus Bader’s Face Oil are two products that I continually purchase.

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WHEN IN THE COUNTRY

What’s your go-to outfit? I love casual, simple, yet refined outfits. I love The Row and Mary-Kate and Ashley’s oversized, messy, yet somehow polished looks. For me, it’s white t-shirts, oversized black pants, big sunglasses, and a “ludicrously capacious” bag. But some days, I’m more Adam Sandler than Mary-Kate and Ashley! Is there anything you can’t leave the house without? My phone, my readers, big sunglasses, and a lipstick, lip oil, or chapstick. Where do they know you by name? Kramers! If an ad agency asked you to write a commercial for your town, what would you say? In Hinsdale, we don’t just preserve history, we create it! With nationally recognized schools and a community that feels like family, every day offers something to celebrate. From historic architecture to modern luxury, quaint coffee shops, and fine dining, Hinsdale isn’t just a place to live, it’s a place to belong. Hinsdale: where tradition meets tomorrow.

WHEN IN TOWN

Do you wear any outfits or accessories that feel like too much for the school run but are perfect for the city? Nothing is too much for this town! What’s in your bag? Wallet, small makeup bag, mini first aid kit, sunglasses, reading glasses, phone, a notebook and pen, and a protein snack. View that never gets old? The Hancock building, looking south from Lake Shore Drive along the S-curve. Best quick bite or hidden gem? I will never get tired of dining at the Ralph Lauren cafe. It’s quaint, cozy, and feels like you’re in someone’s living room. The wooden booklined walls and moody lighting feel like you’re in some secret out-of-the-way restaurant, even though you’re in the heart of Michigan Avenue. Do you have a favorite museum? The National Museum of Mexican Art and the Art Institute are my two favorite museums in the city. They both have fantastic gift shops as well! What is your favorite movie filmed or set in Chicago? There are so many! TheBear, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and My Best Friend’s Wedding. My husband would be disappointed if I didn’t add Blues Brothers to the list as well!