When he was young, David Marienthal wanted nothing to do with the family business, even though his family's business was as hip and successful as a family business could be.

His father, George, and uncle, Oscar, ran three of the most renowned nightclubs in the country. For almost the entire third quarter of the 20th century, Mister Kelly's, the London House and the Happy Medium hosted a parade of a musical and comedic talent that would define American entertainment at the time and influence coming generations.

"I'd been going to the clubs since I was a young boy, getting all dressed up," says Marienthal, who was born in 1951. "And there was some talk of us (he and younger brothers Philip and James) of one day getting in the business. But as a teenager I had long hair, torn jeans and …. Well, that just wasn't going to happen."

So off he went to college here and there, eventually getting a degree and working as an architect and builder in Sante Fe, N.M.; coming back here to open and run for 17 years the successful Blue Mesa restaurant on Halsted Street with brother Philip; studying and getting a teacher certificate at the School of the Art Institute; moving to California to teach and paint. In 2010 he was back, doing arts consulting and managing some real estate.