Homewood Brewing Co., a brewpub created by Carmela Wallace as a tribute to her son, the rapper known as Juice Wrld, will have a grand opening Friday and be open for a short window before regular operating hours begin.
The brewery and restaurant, 18225 Dixie Highway, has been under construction for nearly two years at the site of the former Bogart’s Charhouse.
It will be open to the public only from 2 to 5 p.m. Friday following a ribbon cutting event.
At the project’s groundbreaking in December 2022, Wallace talked about the brewpub being a tribute to her son, Jarad Higgins, the rapper known as Juice Wrld.
Homewood Brewing said the brewery and restaurant will be “filled with artistic tributes to his spirit.”
Higgins grew up in Homewood and attended Homewood-Flossmoor High School. He died Dec. 8, 2019, six days after his 21st birthday. An autopsy showed he died accidentally from an overdose of oxycodone and codeine.
Wallace was not available for an interview prior to Friday’s opening event, according to a publicist for the brewery.
Homewood Brewing said head chef Robert Lauderdale will oversee the menu, that will feature upscale comfort food and from-scratch cooking. Brian Wallace, Jarad’s brother, is lead brewer.
Rapper Jarad Higgins, better known as Juice Wrld, throws the first pitch during a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Minnesota Twins June 30, 2019, at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)
Jarad Higgins suffered convulsions and went into cardiac arrest as Chicago police and federal agents searched his and his entourage’s luggage for guns and drugs at a private hangar at Midway Airport.
Higgins, his girlfriend and other members of his group had flown on a private jet from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Higgins’ music career took off after he gained support from freestyling on his high school’s radio show, according to a 2018 Chicago Tribune profile.
He landed a $3 million deal with Interscope Records, according to the article, and in 2019 was one of two artists chosen by fast-food chain McDonald’s to be part of a philanthropic campaign, representing their hometowns by partnering with a local charity and performing concerts.
His posthumously released final album, “Legends Never Die,” was the No. 1 album in the United States for two consecutive weeks, according to an August 2020 Tribune article.
Higgins had been open on social media as well as in media interviews and his music about his struggles with drug use, according to the article.
Following her son’s death, Wallace established Live Free 999, a nonprofit intended to “support programs that provide preventive measures and positive avenues to address mental health challenges and substance dependency,” according to its website.
Homewood Brewing said it will support Live Free 999 by donating a percentage of all proceeds from an always-on-tap benefit beer.
For World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, Live Free 999 said it donated $100,000 to several groups, including the Chicago Foundation for Mental Health and National Alliance on Mental Illness-Chicago. A donation was also made to the Homewood Science Center.
Regular operating hours for Homewood Brewing will be 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. It will be closed on Mondays.
mnolan@southtownstar.com
