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  • Inside Bridgeport’s Smash-Hit Bakery With Long Lines Fueled by Strawberry Milk Croissants and Mexican Mochas

    Inside Bridgeport’s Smash-Hit Bakery With Long Lines Fueled by Strawberry Milk Croissants and Mexican Mochas

    The lines form about an hour before the 9 a.m. opening time, with customers waiting outside Fat Peach Bakery hoping to grab a treat like a strawberry milk croissant. Owners David Castillo and Kerrie Breuer opened their small bakery on August 31 at 2907 S. Archer Avenue, replacing the former Bridgeport Bakery, a neighborhood icon for nearly five decades.

    The lines start early at Fat Peach.

    Judging by the long weekend lines, the neighborhood has embraced the change. Fat Peach specializes in laminated pastries, and they’ve quickly sold out of croissants and Danishes while open three days a week — Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Breuer’s strawberry milk-filled croissants, a play on Strawberry Quik, has been one of the stars. Another highlight is a mushroom Danish which uses a paste made of sous vide mushrooms and English cheddar mornay sauce. It’s then twice-baked with an enoki mushroom conserva.

    “It takes me forever to make all of that — I don’t know of any place that does that,” Castillo says.

    12 mushroom danishes on a tray

    Mushroom Danish

    A couple wearing aprons inside their bakery with baked goods in a case.

    Kerrie Breuer and David Castillo are Bridgeport residents.

    There’s no online ordering option, for now. Castillo and Breuer have thought about opening on more days, but they want to ease into any expansion plans. Castillo’s resume includes working for Sodexo at the Shedd Aquarium and with Hogsalt, working at Restoration Hardware in Gold Coast. He worked for Rich Labriola and at White Oak Tavern in Lincoln Park. Breuer moved to Chicago in June 2019 from North Dakota. Her background is in cake decorating and she appeared on Amazon Studios’ Dr. Seuss Baking Challenge. The two met while working together at a Chicago bakery. Castillo, a Mexican American, grew up in suburban Blue Island. Breuer grew up in North Dakota after being adopted from South Korea.

    Castillo visited Mexico City as a child, and the bakeries there — using simple ingredients and techniques — left an impression. He wondered why he couldn’t find similar pastries in Chicago. He credits White Oak’s opening chef, John Asbaty, with sharing a similar philosophy in using the best ingredients in his dishes. That showed Castillo that bringing those memories of Mexico City to Chicago was possible. But not everything is hyperlocal and they’ll source from all over. Sourcing tropical fruits, for example, is a challenge during midwestern winters.

    A pink sign for Fat Peach Bakery on a house with blue siding.

    Fat Peach replaces Bridgeport Bakery, which was open for nearly 50 years.

    The interiors of Fat Peach bakery.

    Most of the business is to-go, but there is seating.

    Putting together creme-filled croissants.

    Fat Peach specializes in laminated pastries.

    A tray of pastries

    Fat Peach was inspired by Mexican bakery culture.

    “This place is kind of a mishmash of the best flour, local flour, butter we can get,” Castillo says. “But we also we also like to use fruit in our pastry — because who doesn’t want that? It’s a nice reminder of, you know, how sweet life can be.”

    They’re using Four Letter Word Coffee, and for Fat Peach’s mocha, they’re mixing chocolate and cinnamon from Mexico in their syrups. They’re looking for ways to incorporate more Mexican flavors into their pastries, waiting to see what their customers toward.

    Breuer left Korea when she was 6 and grew up with a white military family in America. As a teen, she spent a year in South Korea, familiarizing herself with the culture (she jokes that she sometimes considers herself a banana). Flavors like red bean, sesame, and matcha could be incorporated into future pastries. There have been tasty experiments like a kimchi-pimento Danish with English cheddar, and roasted potatoes with rosemary. Breuer wants balanced flavors that work versus gimmickery.

    The couple looked at spaces for six months and had targeted a location in suburban La Grange, but that deal fell through. The two are Bridgeport residents and pounded after Castillo noticed a “for lease” sign. It wasn’t exactly a turnkey operation. Beyond cleanup, the couple needed to purchase some new equipment which they found via Facebook Marketplace.

    Kerrie Breuer fills pastries.

    Let there be quiche.

    As Chicago’s demographics change and tastes continue to evolve, Fat Peach has a different bent compared to its European-focused predecessor. Customers won’t find Bridgeport Bakery’s sausage and bacon buns (the bakery officially closed in October 2021). They might not find paczkis either. Castillo says he doesn’t want to lean on the Polish doughnuts to sustain business. He’d rather Fat Peach be busy with unique offerings regularly.

    As far as the name? Yes, it’s no longer stonefruit season, but nothing on the menu ever contained peaches. The couple just loves puns.

    “I feel like everyone, like, wants to have a fat peach nowadays — especially the ladies,” Breuer says with a laugh.

    Fat Peach Bakery, 2907 S. Archer Avenue, open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Chicago Chefs Raise $30K for Hurricane Helene Relief as Locals Prep for Hurricane Milton

    Chicago Chefs Raise $30K for Hurricane Helene Relief as Locals Prep for Hurricane Milton

    Over the weekend, Chicago Chefs raised more than $30,000 to benefit Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The fundraiser, held on Sunday, October 6 at Chicago Q in Gold Coast, was a success, says chef Art Smith.

    Smith is from Florida, which was in Helene’s path, and the chef’s connection has led to the launch of a second fundraiser as another storm, Hurricane Milton, is forecast to hit Florida on Wednesday, October 9. As the Chicago Marathon will take place this weekend, Smith is holding an event so runners — and their supporters — can carb-load before Sunday, October 13’s run.

    The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, October 12 on the second floor of Chicago Q, 1160 N. Dearborn Street. There’s a suggested donation of $65 with all proceeds going to World Central Kitchen’s hurricane relief efforts. Smith says he’s got a celebrity chef lined up to help at the event but can’t reveal their name due to security reasons.

    Milk Bar teams with Portillo’s

    As Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar is opening its first Chicago location, the bakery has already lined up a collaboration with another Chicago entity. Portillo’s, the Chicago street food chain with around 80 locations scattered in 10 states is, starting on Tuesday, October 8, launching the Portillo’s Chocolate Cake Cookie. It combines Portillo’s famous chocolate cake — which was the inspiration for the cake that appeared in Season 1 of The Bear, and a Milk Bar chocolate cookie. They’ll be available individually wrapped at Portillo’s or in multiples of six packed into a cookie tin available online on Milk Bar’s site.

    Portillo’s and Milk Bar are collaborating.
    Portillo’s

    La Gondola finds a new home

    Earlier this year, La Gondola closed its location inside a Lakeview strip mall after 40 years at 2914 N. Ashland Avenue. But ownership has found a new home inside a West Town restaurant with a menu of old favorites. Loyal customers can visit Mirella’s Tavern, 2056 W. Division Street, and find their old Lakeview favorites. Both Mirella’s and La Gondola coexist with the two parties working together.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Middle Brow Will Open a Second Location in Michigan

    Middle Brow Will Open a Second Location in Michigan

    Middle Brow, the Chicago brewpub that earned a James Beard Award earlier this year as a semifinalist for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program, is opening a second location in Michigan. Ownership is keeping the exact address a secret, but say they’ve signed a lease to take over a space off Red Arrow Highway in Sawyer, Michigan, about 50 miles west of Downtown Chicago. Sawyer is along Lake Michigan and is a popular tourist destination. Co-owner Pete Ternes says they’ll take over a one-acre plot where customers can enjoy the outdoors.

    “We’ve got the drawings done, and we’ve got a lot of the engineering work done,” Ternes says. “We’re putting out bids and getting permitting in place now. We think that by summer, we’ll be able to — you know, at the very least — throw some fun parties.”

    First established as a brewery in 2011, Middle Brow would open a brewpub in Logan Square, Bungalow by Middle Brow, and offer pastries, bread, and eventually Neapolitan pizzas, and those pies deployed farm fresh ingredients from Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Indiana. By relying on a farm where they’ll grow their own hops, barley, and other ingredients, the unnamed Michigan Middle Brow project takes a hyperlocal strategy to procure ingredients.

    With lighter lagers, saisons, and kolsches the brewery features the kind of brews that drinkers could enjoy while camping or by a lake, a kind of counterpoint to over-hopped beers that were once trendy. Middle Brow centers on yeast-forward beers and letting yeast ferment spontaneously: “It’s exciting and it’s weird and it’s risky, and it makes the beer taste like nothing else you’ve tasted,” Ternes says.

    Last year, Middle Brow expanded operations becoming Chicago’s first natural winery with refreshing wines that, again, shared the same commitment to using wild fermentation. Natural wine is made with minimal intervention that, in theory, better showcases the grapes from the region.

    Ternes promises the new location will contain elements of the Logan Square venue. There might be a small menu of fresh breads for the weekend, and doughnuts and ice cream. Middle Brow Logan Square offers Chicago-style tavern pizza on Tuesdays. Those pizzas won’t make their way to Michigan, but Middle Brow may offer Detroit-style squares as a limited special. Beyond bottles and cans of wine and beer, they’ll also have robust to-go offerings for travelers making a quick pit stop.

    Much of Middle Brow’s wines were made from grapes grown in Michigan with ownership often hauling tanks of juice back to Chicago in trucks filled with tanks. Middle Brow already has ties to the Mitten State. Ternes points out they buy hops from Hop Head Farms, which is about 50 miles south of Grand Rapids, Michigan. They also source fruit for various barrel-aging projects from nearby farms. Ternes recalls family vacations in Michigan City, Indiana; and Michiana, Michigan. The concept of farmhouse brewing, using hops and barley made on the same premises, was pioneered by companies like Allagash in Portland, Maine; and Jester King in Austin, Texas. Those breweries inspired Ternes and Middle Brow.

    Middle Brow searched for the right land but knew when they needed a record of success before investors and banks would fund their operations. Fourteen years later they’re in the position to open the way they intended.

    Middle Brow Sawyer, Michigan planned for a summer opening

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Chicago Gourmet’s New Normal

    Chicago Gourmet’s New Normal

    Odds are few people remember the first Chicago Gourmet, which launched in 2008. Spread out over the Millennium Park lawn, the two-day event mostly became known for not having enough food and for attendees wearing high heels getting stuck in the muddy grass.

    But after 2020 and COVID, the festival has added a variety of food- and wine-focused events spread out over a few days in different venues. This year included a pickleball tournament featuring well-known chefs like Sandwich King Jeff Mauro and The Duck Inn’s Kevin Hickey. An outdoor fashion show at the Chicago History Museum in Lincoln Park accompanied a sit-down Italian dinner as part of this year’s fashion theme. Then there are the signature Chicago Gourmet events. Friday, September 27th’s sold-out Hamburger Hop featured 14 chefs.

    While aspects of the festival have grown, the main event in Millenium Park has shrunk, with Chicago Gourmet’s presence restricted to one day at the Harris Theater Rooftop. Saturday, September 28’s Grand Cru consisted of two sessions that featured some 20 chefs and their signature Chicago Gourmet dishes alongside several wine and spirits purveyors.

    Serafin Alvarado, master sommelier and director of wine education at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, a liquor distributor and one of the event’s sponsors, is a Chicago Gourmet veteran. “I’ve been part of this since year one when Mayor [Richard M.] Daley made Chicago Gourmet his initiative,” he says during the afternoon session.

    For him, the fest’s more relaxed atmosphere reflects overall changes in the wine industry: “The young consumer in particular doesn’t like the stuffiness and pretentiousness associated with wine,” Serafin says. “In order to attract the younger crowd, we need to be more creative and make it more welcoming without dumbing it down or losing the complexity of what wine means beyond an alcoholic beverage.”

    Publican Quality Bread’s Greg Wade with One Off Hospitality Group colleague Paul Kahan, and Rose Mary’s Joe Flamm.
    Chicago Gourmet

    In some aspects, the event is a love fest for organizers and sponsors. Tony Priolo of Piccolo Sogno in River West is another Chicago Gourmet veteran, having participated since the beginning. For him, it’s about hanging out with his peers as well as the charity aspect. “The Illinois Restaurant Association really supports our industry, and that’s why you’ll see all the great chefs in the city here helping out,” the chef says.

    One Off Hospitality Group’s Paul Kahan, the Grand Cru host, echoes Priolo’s thoughts about the association: “Especially during the difficult times of the pandemic, these guys were our lifeline,” Kahan says.

    Restaurants and chefs relish the spotlight to interact with potential customers. Coda di Volpe chef Jacob Saben has been part of some 10 Chicago Gourmets. His dish, a cacio di pepe riff on chips and dip, was garnished with steelhead roe from the Pacific Northwest, and spoke to Saben’s roots with “a little bit of Seattle meets Chicago vibe.”

    Dominique Leach of Lexington Betty Smokehouse in Pullman created a Korean-inspired smoked beef brisket bulgogi. She enjoys combining smoked meat with foods from different regions. Thai Dang, the chef of Vietnamese restaurant HaiSous in Pilsen, was a fan: “My favorite, honestly, is Dominique’s.”

    First-timer chef Chesaree Rollins of CheSa’s Bistro & Bar in Avondale brought two dishes that reflect the gluten-free food at her Northwest Side restaurant: a cajun lamb slider and New Orleans barbecue vegan meatballs. Rollins, who suffers from celiac disease called the event “an awesome opportunity.”

    Eric Rolden of Marina’s Bistro & Rum Bar in Uptown says his participation in the Grand Cru marked the first time for a Puerto Rican restaurant. He created a croquette filled with potatoes, ground beef, green pepper, and cilantro. “I want to show that our culture and food is beyond what people think it is.”

    Lisa Shames

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  • Inside Old Town’s Demure, Yet Mindful Modern French Fortress

    Inside Old Town’s Demure, Yet Mindful Modern French Fortress

    Gavroche, a modern French restaurant from Jason Chan — one of the city’s most beloved industry figures — debuts in Old Town. The narrow space has been transformed into a cozy, yet comfortable 32-seat restaurant with a chef’s counter. The counter won’t be activated immediately as Chan says he hopes to provide guests with an omakase-style option.

    The chef’s counter service could include a la carte choices like hamachi nicoise, duo of foie gras, and turbot au four beurre blanc. Chan, who opened restaurants like Juno, Kitana, and Butter, says he scanned every menu from every French restaurant in Chicago. For the most part, they were the same, filled with classic fare. While Garvroche will honor the classics, Chan says there’s a new for contemporary cuisine to mimic what’s going on in Paris this minute. He’s brought on Mitchell Acuña to executive his vision. The chef is an alum of Boka, North Pond, and Sixteen. Chan is eager to see Acuña take chances and to give diners something they don’t expect. Chan tells Eater that Gavroche will either fill a nostalgic niche for customers who miss French haunts like Bistrot Margot — the French restaurant that closed nine years ago a few blocks south on Wells Street — or they’ll break new ground and draw a crowd excited to for something new.

    Classic opera cake is among three desserts on the menu from star pastry chef Christine McCabe. Beyond working at Charlie Trotter’s, McCabe has started a few bakeries including the Glazed & Infused doughnut chain and Sugar Cube, a sweets stall collaboration with Chan out of Time Out Chicago Market food hall.

    Chan says he isn’t done and has some ideas — perhaps a speakeasy-style bar that goes beyond just a gimmick entrance. For now, tour his latest and check out the menu. Old Town once more has a French restaurant, as Gavroche is open.

    Gavroche, 1529 N. Wells Street, open 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. daily, except closed on Tuesday.

    The garage door remains for better weather.

    It’s an eclectic space.

    A back wall with wine and a chandelier.

    A framed oval picture and two empty candle holders

    A bankers light with a book underneath mounted on a brick wall painted white.

    The wall of a bathroom with framed photos.

    The wall of a bathroom with framed photos.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Gene & Georgetti’s Tony Durpetti Championed Chicago’s Restaurants

    Gene & Georgetti’s Tony Durpetti Championed Chicago’s Restaurants

    In 1997, Gene & Georgetti unveiled an expansion with two second-floor dining rooms that grew seating at the legendary Chicago steakhouse by 110. Owner Tony Durpetti paid big bucks for fire doors that separated the newly constructed building from the original that was erected in 1872.

    Durpetti would occasionally complain about the expenditure: “That’s $90,000 I’m never going to see again,” he’d tell his daughter, Michelle.

    The spend was worth it. In 2019, a kitchen fire raged through the restaurant, shooting up flames to the second floor. Michelle Durpetti recalls the conversation she had with the fire chief at the scene. He said they were lucky — the fire doors protected the 147-year-old building and kept the damage limited to the new space. The daughter waited until her father arrived to tell him.

    “I was like, ‘Let me talk about that $90,000 you thought you were never going to see again,’” Michelle Durpetti says. “And he’s like — literally — and this was my father, this was what he said all the time when something is, say, incredulous. He looked at me, he goes: ‘No shit.’ And that was him.”

    Gene & Georgetti Tony Durpetti poses in a second-floor dining room in 2014.
    Timothy Hiatt/Eater Chicago

    For 35 years Anthony “Tony” Aldo Durpetti had been an ambassador for Chicago’s hospitality industry, maintaining Gene & Georgetti’s iconic status after purchasing the River North restaurant from his father-in-law, Gene Michelotti (who died in 1989). Michelotti and Alfredo Federighi — nicknamed “Georgetti” — founded the restaurant in 1941. Durpetti and his wife, Marion, navigated Chicago’s turbulent restaurant scene with an eye on preserving Michelotti’s legacy.

    Durpetti died on Thursday, September 26, at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago from complications due to pulmonary fibrosis and Parkinson’s disease. He was 80.

    Durpetti’s customers included locals, politicians, and celebrities including Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Mariah Carey, and Lionel Richie. Michelle remembers an evening drinking whiskey with Russell Crowe in 2000, right after Gladiator was released. Crowe was there for a gig with his band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunts. There are no photos — Durpetti believed in leaving celebrities alone and thought pictures might make them uncomfortable.

    Michelle Durpetti dances with her father on her wedding day.
    Gene & Georgetti

    Michelle says that over the last few days, the family has received messages of support from all over the country. Before the steakhouse, her father founded a national radio advertising firm that took him all over the country — New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, San Francisco, the Carolinas, and beyond. Born on February 1, 1944, he also served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army.

    The Durpettis have plenty of family in Italy and plan on livestreaming funeral services on Thursday, October 3, from Assumption of Catholic Church, located just across the street from the restaurant. Gene & Georgetti will be closed for lunch for a private reception and reopen for dinner at 5 p.m. Dad, who enjoyed Beefeater gin martinis, wouldn’t want to miss out on a lucrative dinner service, Michelle says.

    Working in advertising, Tony Durpetti embraced a flair for gimmicks. Michelle says her father would routinely overbook the restaurant, forcing customers to wait at the bar in waves even though they booked reservations. Online reservation systems didn’t yet exist, but a crowded bar area made Gene & Georgetti a hot spot. As Chicago’s oldest steakhouse, Durpetti took on the challenge of keeping the space relevant as more restaurants and steakhouses opened and provided more competition.

    A man posing in a photo from the ‘80s.

    A younger Tony Durpetti.
    Gene & Georgetti

    “If someone waited for like an hour for a reservation, he joked, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll get you before breakfast,’” Michelle says, though she assures customers that the restaurant ditched this practice long ago.

    In 1994, Tony helped assemble a group of steakhouses across the country, forming an alliance called the Independent Retail Cattleman’s Association. The group would seek listings in airline magazines, grabbing the attention of business-savvy fliers who needed places to empty their business accounts. This was no ranking; they split the cost of the ads and would mix up placements every so often to avoid jealousy between restaurant owners. But the exposure worked, and the business drummed up by the “association” helped Durpetti pay off the loan for expansion within six months. That acumen helped make Gene & Georgetti one of the most successful steakhouses in the country, a fixture on Restaurant Business Online’s Top 100 Independents — a list of the independent restaurants that profit the most.

    Tony Durpetti’s philosophy was one of “mindful evolution.” During the pandemic, he briefly moved to Florida where the weather was easier for a senior citizen to manage. He would call in to check on the restaurant. His daughter and her husband, Collin Pierson, had quietly transitioned into running operations years ago. Michelle would joke with her father that she wouldn’t “jazz it up” too much, but the restaurant needed to evolve, and they would add more pasta dishes, leaning more into their Tuscan heritage. As his father-in-law was unable to fly due to his health, Pierson would drive him back and forth; the last trip from Florida to Chicago came in January 2024.

    A family of four in a cart.

    Collin Pierson with Tony, Marion, and Michele Durpetti.
    Gene & Georgetti

    Pierson manages the restaurant and recalls his father-in-law’s generosity. Years ago, while he and Michelle were in Barcelona, thieves stole nearly $30,000 in photography equipment, which would have doomed Pierson’s photography business if it weren’t for his future father-in-law’s immediate gesture to pay for replacement gear.

    A couple posiing

    Tony and Marion Durpetti posed outside their River North steakhouse.
    Gene & Georgetti

    Marion and Tony Durpetti on their wedding day.
    Gene & Georgetti

    Chicago’s restaurant world is in mourning.

    “He personified class and lived a daily life of hospitality. Watching him, showed us what this business should be. He set the bar for our generation,” wrote the owners of Piccolo Sogno, one of Durpetti’s favorite restaurants, on Instagram.

    Piccolo owner and chef Tony Priolo knew Durpetti for more than 25 years. He says when he first opened, Durpetti would walk around Gene & Georgetti’s dining room telling every table to visit Piccolo Sogno: “I would call him for advice and he was up always and there for me,” Priolo says. “He was an icon to our industry, he will be greatly missed.”

    Sam Toia, president and chief executive officer of the Illinois Restaurant Association, calls Durpetti a friend and icon and that “his advocacy of the restaurant industry was surpassed only by the genuine love and warmth he showered on his family, his team, and the countless guests he welcomed to Gene and Georgetti’s.”

    Durpetti was conscious of giving opportunities to women, using the phrase “glass ceiling” in conversations with his daughter. While he was the restaurant’s public face, Michelle’s and his wife Marion’s impacts could be felt throughout. “My grandmother (Ida Passaglia) was the first bookkeeper,” Michelle says. “This was a restaurant that was always run by women — it just looked like it was run by men.”

    Michelle Durpetti says that during the height of COVID, there were times when the steakhouse could have ceased operations. The establishment was evicted by its landlord in suburban Rosemont. Her father, who battled Parkinson’s for 15 years, would occasionally visit, boosting the morale of the restaurant. Michelle says her father didn’t realize but it was his meticulous financial planning through the years that enabled the steakhouse to survive the crisis the pandemic presented.

    As she recalls her father’s legacy, Michelle remembers being 18 and challenging her father at the restaurant. She didn’t care for his overbooking policy. He promptly fired her, telling her that she could only return after she accrued enough experience to bring something positive to the table. The ordeal wasn’t scarring; it gave Michelle Durpetti perspective, and in the end, Tony Durpetti trusted his daughter and son-in-law the same way Gene Michelotti trusted him to uphold the restaurant’s legacy.

    “Most people loved my dad,” Michelle Durpetti says. “If you didn’t like my dad, it was probably on you and not on him — and I don’t even say that because he was my dad. People just gravitated to him.”

    A visitation will be held on Thursday, October 3, at Belmont Funeral Home. A Mass will be held at Assumption Catholic Church.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Explore Ravenswood’s Newest Brewery Where Saisons Rule

    Explore Ravenswood’s Newest Brewery Where Saisons Rule

    When Mike Schalau first launched Is/Was Brewing five years ago, a Redditor shared an image of the poster for the brewery’s release party with the note: “It’s a new project focusing on saison, so they’ll be making hazy IPAs in two weeks.”

    The demand for hazies has since cooled, but the Redditor’s remark still resonates with Schallau.

    “I’m not a petty person, but I saw that and I said to myself ‘hold my saison,’” he says.

    Is/Was still hasn’t released anything but saisons, and drinkers can try six different versions of the French/Belgian style at their new taproom at 5121 N. Ravenwood Avenue., which opened in August. Schallau, who lives in Ravenswood and has been contract brewing from Begyle Brewing, says he’d been eyeing the Malt Row building since Urban Brew Labs closed in 2022.

    The taproom is simply decorated with a colorful board on the exposed brick wall showing off the draft list. There are plenty of outlets in the curving booths to welcome locals who want to use the place for remote work along with a scattering of small tables and seats at the bar. A secondary space with room for 50 more is currently being used for overflow seating but Schallau is considering adding Skeeball or other fun activities.

    Delicate, yeast-driven saisons were Schallau’s favorite style when he first started getting into beer while working at West Lakeview Liquors, a shop at Addison and Leavitt that specializes in imported brews. But when Schallau joined Pipeworks Brewing Company, he devoted himself to learning and drinking their preferred styles — hoppy IPAs with high ABV.

    “As I went from an intern there to running all daily operations and overseeing recipe development, I’d kind of fallen out of love with making beer,” Schallau says. “I was kind of lost. Then I had a saison, La Vermontois, a collaboration between Belgian brewery Blaugies and Hill Farmstead in Vermont and I was like, ‘Ohh, I forgot. This is what I really fell in love with.’”

    He began experimenting with what would become his flagship, Will Be, seeking to fill a void in the Chicago market while appealing to evolving tastes. Most of Is/Was’ beers are about 3.2 percent ABVs, topping out with a rare 6 or 6.5 percent.

    A brick building with the words “Is/Was Brewing” on a rectangle sign.

    The back of a wooden bar stocked with glasses and bottles with a sign.

    “I think that a lot of craft beer drinkers are getting a little older and their palates are developing in a different way than when they wanted to drink super hoppy beers and really acidic kettle sours,” Schallau says. “Saison has these flavors that are really complex if you want to dive into what’s going on in the beer, or you can kind of crush a couple of them and they’ll be super satisfying and refreshing.”

    The taproom shows off the style’s versatility by pouring Is/Was’ Will Be, Wisp smoked saison, and Saison Effyrayant — which is conditioned with fresh sage leaves — along with rotating pours developed in collaboration with other breweries including Revolution Brewing. Schalau plans to start making some other styles once his new production brewery is up and running in about a month. Until then, there’s a selection of six guest drafts including Goldfinger Brewing Company’s flagship lager and Hop Butcher For The World’s Snorkel Squad double IPA.

    A hand holding up a goblet of red beer under a series of taps.

    Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

    A goblet full of beer on a wooden surface.

    “Instead of making a mediocre version (of a style), we’d rather get the best version from our world-class brewery friends,” Schallau said. “We want people who don’t like saison to have a good time.”

    To that end, the brewery also serves Shacksbury Cider, Dark Matter nitro coffee, and a blackberry shrub prepared with Mick Klug Farms berries and housemade malt vinegar. Schalau would like to see the brewery become a third space for the neighborhood and while he doesn’t have a kitchen, he’s already hosted a popup with Motorshucker and arranged a 15% percent discount for customers who want to pick up a Detroit-style pie from Fat Chris’s Pizza and Such around the corner. He’s also planning on hosting makers markets to show off works made by his employees and artists the brewery works with.

    Schallau says he’s been overwhelmed with the response to the opening, which brought lines out the door for nearly five hours.

    “I spent most of the last five years (brewing beer) in a 600-square-foot room without windows and most of that time I was alone, wondering if anyone was drinking it or if anyone even really cared about this thing that I cared very deeply about,” he said. “It was a nice way to kind of physically manifest the fact that people had been paying attention. It was pretty emotional.”

    Is/Was Brewing, 5121 N. Ravenswood Ave., open noon to 9 p.m. Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday; noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday

    Samantha Nelson

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  • Christina Tosi and Boka Will Finally Bring Milk Bar to Chicago

    Christina Tosi and Boka Will Finally Bring Milk Bar to Chicago

    In hindsight, Tuesday morning’s news that Milk Bar would finally arrive in Chicago shouldn’t be a surprise. A release blasted the news nationwide, an announcement befitting of Tosi’s stature. Milk Bar will take over the corner cafe in the Hoxton Chicago lobby at 200 N. Green Street sometime this winter.

    For years, superstar baker Christina Tosi has teased Chicagoans as her crew at Milk Bar searched for a space. Milk Bar held pop-ups featuring the confection formerly known as Crack Pie — renamed in 2019 to the more pleasant Milk Bar Pie. As the furor over expansion cooled during the pandemic with the restaurant industry battling for survival, Milk Bar quietly set up a ghost bakery in Chicago where locals could order baked goods for delivery.

    In a competitive market, Milk Bar protected its brand. They sued the owners of a River North venue in 2019, JoJo’s Milk Bar arguing the name confused customers into thinking the two were associated. JoJo’s ultimately rebranded to JoJo’s Shake Bar to avoid trademark infringement.

    Milk Bar’s official arrival comes in the form of a partnership with Boka Restaurant Group, which manages Hoxton’s food and beverage operations. Boka has two restaurants in the hotel, Chris Pandel’s Cira on the first floor and Stephanie Izard’s Cabra on the rooftop, with a basement bar, Lazy Bird.

    Cookies, cakes, pies, and truffles are some of Milk Bar’s offerings.
    Milk Bar

    Milk Bar

    Milk Bar’s soft-serve ice cream is also available.
    Milk Bar

    The Milk Bar menu will include cookies in flavors like cornflake chocolate chip marshmallow, confetti, and blueberry and cream. Look for cake truffles, and whole cakes and pies also available in slices. Soft-serve ice cream, like the popular cereal milk, milkshakes, and Milk Bar breads are also planned.

    Founded in 2008, the chain counts 12 locations in Boston, LA, Las Vegas, New York, and Washington, D.C. Tosi is from Cleveland, and Chicago marks Milk Bar’s first shop in the Midwest. They’ve opened in hotels before including at the Ace in New York.

    Milk Bar will also pander to locals; the release teases a Chicago-style hot dog iteration of their stuffed bagel specialty, called a Bagel Bomb. There’s also an upcoming cookie collaboration with a mysterious Chicago institution.

    Boka and Tosi make for a powerful duo, one capable of opening opportunities not available to most. Chicago has no shortage of bakeries. Good Ambler, the bakery cafe run by the owners of Thalia Hall, is a few doors north of the Hoxton. Another national favorite, Levain — a New York-based chain known for its chunky cookies — debuted in Chicago in 2022 around the corner on Randolph Restaurant Row. Meanwhile, the space that once housed another bakery, Sugargoat, the sweet emporium from Boka partner Izard, remains vacant. At the Hoxton, Milk Bar will take advantage of hotel guests, which might limit competition and the surrounding impact. Milk Bar will also team with third-party delivery services.

    The expansion is reminiscent of another national brand, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams — which has a nearby location on Randolph. Like Tosi, Jeni Britton Bauer is from Ohio (Columbus). Both Jeni’s and Milk Bar routinely draw long lines outside their stores. The two are also James Beard Award winners. Tosi has a pair of medallions, winning Rising Chef of The Year in 2012 and Oustanding Pastry Chef in 2015 while working for Momofuku in New York.

    Milk Bar at the Hoxton, 200 N. Green Street, planned for a winter opening.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Avondale and Irving Park Restaurants Win Titles for Chicago’s Best Burgers

    Avondale and Irving Park Restaurants Win Titles for Chicago’s Best Burgers

    Eden, the farm-to-table restaurant off the Chicago River in Avondale, and Irving Park’s JT’s Genuine Sandwich Shop were the big winners over the weekend at Chicago Gourmet’s Hamburger Hop, the annual competition that crowns the best burgers in the city.

    Eden chef Devon Quinn took home the competition’s Judges Award, given out by an eight-member panel including former Tribune critic Phil Vettel, Chicago dining editor Amy Cavanaugh, and Mott St chef Edward Kim.

    JT’s Genuine Sandwich Shop earned the People’s Choice Award, determined by votes from the event’s sold-out crowd. Fourteen chefs competed in the event on Friday, September 27, part of Chicago Gourmet, the food festival created by the Illinois Restaurant Association.

    The competitors were bound by ingredients from sponsors, like beef from Sysco and cheese from Kerrygold. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t get adventurous with add-ons.

    Quinn and Eden chef de cuisine Brian Shim blended two cheeses — Dubliner and Reserve cheddar; and MontAmore, a Parmesan-inspired cheese from Wisconsin — into an American cheese. They also topped their burger with dill pickle-corn slaw (Quinn’s favorite pickle Claussen with grilled corn and onions bound together with black garlic aioli), flatwater arugula, and roasted tomatoes. It was served on a potato bun from sponsor Turano Baking.

    “There are lots of flavors, but each one comes through really clearly in the burger,” says Quinn.

    The People’s Choice winner from JT’s used Kerrygold aged cheddar, Dijonnaise, pickled Granny Smith apples, and hickory-smoked bacon. It was served on a Turano French brioche bun. Before his win, Chris Cunningham, a first-time competitor at Hamburger Hop, was just happy to be invited: “It’s a competition, but we’ve already won meeting all these wonderful new faces. We’re having an absolute blast today.”

    Post-award, Cunningham was planning to take his team out to dinner. “They did an awesome job dealing with the wind and everything back there on the grill, so I can’t wait to celebrate and share this with them.”

    High winds were a problem Friday night, with the National Weather Service warning Chicagoans to be ready for winds between 30 to 35 mph as a result of the remnants of Hurricane Helene.

    Creativity is a word that could also describe what some of this year’s judges, a mix of food media folks, hospitality purveyors, chefs, and restaurant owners, were looking for in a winning burger. Last year, a Seattle chef swept both awards. This year’s event featured one out-of-towner, but a repeat of 2023 didn’t occur. The 14 participants even included a vegan restaurant, Soul Veg City.

    “I look for burgers that there’s something special about them,” says Chicago’s Cavanaugh. “They have something unique, but they don’t stray too far afield from what a burger is supposed to be.”

    There were 14 competitors in the 2024 Hamburger Hop.
    Chicago Gourmet/Garrett Baumer

    Cavanaugh’s technique for judging 14 burgers? “I usually take two bites. I feel like you need a second bite to confirm.” To prepare for the meaty onslaught, she ate a big breakfast and four crackers for lunch. She had some thoughts about her eating habits post-judging too: “I might turn my back on cows entirely for the next few weeks.”

    Former Tribune critic Vettel has judged four Hamburger Hops, but he previously covered all the Chicago Gourmets while at the newspaper. “There’s an urban legend going around that I’ve correctly predicted the winner every single year,” he says. “It’s not actually true, but I go with it.”

    While more of a friendly competition than, say, Top Chef, winning Hamburger Hop does come with benefits beyond bragging rights. “I’ve seen some restaurants that have won either the People’s Choice or the Judge’s Choice burger in the past, and they still have those burgers on their menus,” says Vettel.

    Mott St’s Kim planned on keeping an open mind when it came to judging: “I’m trying not to have any preconceived notions.” He prepared by not eating too much the days prior to the event. “I’ve come in with a hungry appetite and whichever burger tastes best is going to win for me.”

    For her Seoul burger, chef Kaleena Bliss of Chicago Athletic Association Hotel and Cindy’s leaned into Korean flavors. Housemade ssamjang and a white kimchi aioli added some heat, while cucumber, cilantro, shredded carrot, and calamansi juice brought freshness and acidity to the hefty burger.

    “Who doesn’t want to be part of Chicago Gourmet?” says Bliss, who moved to Chicago last year and competed on Top Chef: Wisconsin. “Everyone cool is doing it.”

    Another first-timer was chef Jim Torres, who along with co-chef Kyle Schrage is behind Edgewater’s Beard & Belly. For their Hamburger Hop burger, they did a version of one they have at their gastropub that includes onion jam, roasted serrano, housemade awesome sauce, and cheddar cheese. “It’s a real big one just like me,” says Torres.

    For her first-time entry, chef Tigist Reda delved into the spices and flavors she often uses at Demera Ethiopian Restaurant but ones that are rarely found in a burger. That included berbere-seasoned onion jam, cardamom, and mitmita (a heat-forward Ethiopian spice blend) along with Angus beef steakburger, Kerrygold Dubliner, and a Turano French brioche bun.

    While Reda didn’t receive an award at Hamburger Hop, her burger was already a big winner. “My son was the first judge at home, and he gave it a thumbs up,” she says. “He’s a very tough critic.”

    Lisa Shames

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  • Hubbard Inn’s TikTok Lawsuit Won’t Stop as Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss

    Hubbard Inn’s TikTok Lawsuit Won’t Stop as Judge Denies Motion to Dismiss

    A judge has denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed against a Hubbard Inn customer who in March posted a TikTok video claiming the venue’s bouncer dragged her out of the bathroom and shoved her, sending her “flying down the staircase.”

    The customer, Julia Reel, is the subject of a defamation lawsuit filed by the Hubbard Inn’s lawyers. In the filing, the bar’s council claims that her social media post, which was shared more than 100,000 times, defamed the business, leading to more than $30,000 in canceled reservations, threats to their staff, and negative publicity with their Yelp page review bombed.

    “I will never be going back there, and you shouldn’t either,” Reel said in her now-deleted video.

    Reel’s video showed her sitting on her bed, calling the March 10 incident “the craziest experience she’s ever been in” and that she was “manhandled.” Cook County circuit court judge Patrick Sherlock denied her motion to dismiss the case on Tuesday, September 25, and ordered a response to the court by Tuesday, October 15.

    After Reel posted her video in March, in an unusual move for a restaurant, Hubbard Inn responded with its own video spliced with Reel’s voiceover that included security footage allegedly showing the Tiktokker and a friend walking down a staircase with a bouncer following them. The Hubbard Inn video claimed Reel was “politely escorted off the premises, ensuring a safe exit.” A week later, the club filed the lawsuit against Reel.

    Reel quickly turned to a law firm, Corboy & Demetrio, which put out its own TikTok video with a statement defending their client; it’s since been deleted and Reel has since switched attorneys.

    Part of Reel’s new council, Rebecca Kaiser Fournier, an attorney at Henderson Parks, didn’t immediately return a request for comment. Reel is also represented by Forde & O’Meara, according to Cook County documents.

    As the drama unfolded in March, online observers sat back and took their shots at Reel. The popular social media account Know Your Meme even posted about the conflict.

    Reel filed a police report following the alleged altercation at Hubbard Inn claiming she was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital after a bouncer removed her from a bathroom while she was urinating. She claims the bouncer pushed her down the stairs causing her head to hit the ground. Reel, 22 at the time, told police she suffered bruises to her head and arm. No arrests were made.

    A Hubbard Inn rep says police never contacted the bar for any follow-ups to Reel’s report.

    In the motion to dismiss, filed on Wednesday, September 4, Reel’s attorneys argue her client’s video was “not a statement of fact but rather an internet review and her opinion of the business — not grounds for a defamation claim.” Reel’s attorneys also cite a classic piece of Chicago restaurant lore: a lawsuit filed by Peter Schivarelli, the founder of Demon Dogs, a hot dog stand that once stood under the CTA’s Fullerton Red and Brown line stop in Lincoln Park.

    Schivarelli, a former streets and sanitation supervisor (who also managed the rock band Chicago), in 1999 sued CBS Chicago over a commercial that referenced a 1997 news report about Schivarelli’s involvement in a ghost payrolling scandal. The ad touted the channel’s investigative reporting unit and featured a clip from Pam Zekman’s piece with the reporter telling Schivarelli “you are cheating the city.” Schivarelli would argue that the clip lacked context and counted as defamation. The case was dismissed in 2001.

    Hubbard Inn’s attorneys claim Reel ignored multiple requests in March to remove her post and that pushed them to sue.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Wicker Park Bar Machine Faces Eviction After July Closure

    Wicker Park Bar Machine Faces Eviction After July Closure

    The owners of Machine, a Wicker Park cocktail bar and lounge, are facing an eviction lawsuit. Their landlords filed the lawsuit on July 29, claiming the bar’s owners owe $31,584. The next court date is October 25, according to Cook County records.

    Machine’s owners, Chireal Jordan and Brian Galati, confirm via a spokesperson that they permanently closed the bar in July and they failed to negotiate a lease. Online listings only show a temporary closure.

    The bar struggled in recent months to attract customers and cut hours. Jordan and Galati are also behind Headquarters Beercade. In June, they opened another cocktail bar, Dearly Beloved, in Pilsen. The rep says the two want to soon open Machine in a different space and hope to settle their eviction dispute with their landlord, Newcastle Retail Management.

    Dearly Beloved shares similarities with Machine, which opened in March 2019 at 1846 W. Division Street. While Division Steet isn’t really Chicago’s longest street (sorry, Mr. Terkel), the stretch around Wicker Park does come with complications for restaurant owners — and that was even before 2020 and COVID’s spread. Before Machine’s debut, Jordan and Galati described their upcoming project as a cocktail restaurant. It had gimmicks — interactive elements like a tiny hammer used to break caramelized sugar lids covering cocktails. A burger came topped with foie gras and that angered animal activists. The bar also had a floral display cooler that was regularly stocked. Customers could buy fresh flowers to impress dates and parents or make themselves happy.

    However, after the politicians closed bars and dining rooms during the pandemic, Division Street launched into another phase. Wicker Park was once a hub for nightlife with customers routinely crawling through multiple taverns on a weekend night. In the ‘90s, it was more of a hipster vibe, with art and music leading the way. That environment quickly dissipated when sports bars, like the Fifty/50, set up shop in the ‘00s. The co-owner of Club Foot, a Ukrainian Village bar that closed in 2014 and was filled with pop-culture trinkets catering to customers who didn’t care for pop music and football, dubbed the sports bars popping up and threatening her business as “bro-holes.”

    But the neighborhood has yet again shifted with more families in the neighborhood — just check out the “stroller parking” sign at Parlor Pizza. Throw in economic challenges including rising labor and food costs, and restaurant owners don’t know which way to pivot. There have been more recent closures along the strip: Fifty/50 and Whadda Jerk are shuttered just west of Damen Avenue. The owners of Takito Kitchen, which has been on Division for more than a decade, have repeatedly warned that they’re close to closing, begging customers on social media to return to help business.

    Machine enjoyed a five-year run along Division Street, inside a space whose past lives included Taus Authentic and Prasino. The space now joins a list of growing vacancies between Ashland and Western.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Tavern on Rush 2.0 Gets a Late-September Opening Date and New Chef

    Tavern on Rush 2.0 Gets a Late-September Opening Date and New Chef

    Tavern on Rush is keeping its sign. When Phil Stefani and his children reopen the steakhouse across the street from its original space in Gold Coast, passersby will see the familiar oval-shaped black and gold logo with the tagline “an exciting restaurant.”

    A revived Tavern on Rush should open on Monday, September 30 at 1015 N. Rush Street, according to a news release. That’s at the Thompson Hotel inside the former Nico Osteria, the lauded Italian seafood restaurant that opened in 2013 by the team behind the Publican and Big Star. Before Nico, the space housed Chicago’s outpost of the Whiskey, the chain of bars owned by Rande Gerber, the entrepreneur who also launched Casamigos Tequila with George Clooney. Gerber is married to model Cindy Crawford. The two are parents of model Kaia Gerber.

    In both the Whiskey and Tavern’s heydays in the ’90s and ’00s, big-name touring musicians would stop by as would sports stars playing Chicago teams. Stefani would reminisce about seeing Michael Jordan smoke cigars. Tavern was known for its people-watching and bars, though it also served steakhouse fare. The original closed in October 2023, capping off 24 years on Rush Street. Stefani, a revered culinary figure in Chicago, was pushed out by his landlords, Fred Barbara and James Banks. In March, those two opened a new restaurant, the Bellevue, in the Tavern space.

    The revamped bar.
    Tavern on Rush/Alexa Vaicaitis

    A private dining room with an oval table and chandelier.

    Tavern on Rush’s private dining room.
    Tavern on Rush/Alexa Vaicaitis

    The two sides have apparently made peace as they’ve moved on to their new projects near Rush and Division, an area known for iconic restaurants like Gibsons and Maple & Ash. However, the biggest opening of the year may have been the return of Foxtrot, as its founder relaunches the corner store chain after its former founders left the brand in bankruptcy. Rosebud Restaurants hope for their own revival after crews demolished the building that housed Carmine’s at 1043 N. Rush Street. A new location should open inside the newly constructed building in the spring.

    Tavern 2.0 takes up two floors and 16,000 square feet. It’s larger than the original and will have food from Chicago native chef Michael Wallach. “Wally” has worked at Weber Grill, Carlucci’s, Nick’s Fishmarket, McCormick & Schmick’s, and Park Grill. The experience fits with what Tavern customers expect near the infamous Viagra Triangle. Sample menu items include wagyu ravioli and perhaps a nod to Nico with seafood Cataplana.

    In earlier interviews, Stefani’s children spoke about leaving their marks. For example, Gina Stefani said she was excited about focusing more on brunch as the Gold Coast needs more options. Gina Stefani enjoyed success at her West Loop restaurant, Mad Social, which built a strong brunch following. While the ’90s and ’00s may have seen long late-night lines flowing outside bars, the demand isn’t as strong and perhaps has shifted toward morning meals. Brunch will launch after the restaurant debuts. The bar program won’t just be about whisky, beer, and martinis. They’ll incorporate ingredients and spirits not associated with the original tavern using agave and pineapple. That’s one way to appeal to a younger crowd who might not be enthralled with the restaurant’s history.

    Does Tavern still qualify as an “exciting restaurant?” Find out when it debuts in 10 days.

    Tavern on Rush, 1015 N. Rush Street, planned for a Monday, September 30 opening.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Daisies Partner on a Pickle Pastry Called ‘Dill-Co’

    Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Daisies Partner on a Pickle Pastry Called ‘Dill-Co’

    Concertgoers love an encore. Daisies set a standard in January with its croissant collaboration with Wieners Circle, as the Logan Square pasta power created a croissant filled with the familiar toppings of a Chicago hot dog. Partner and pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky has since teamed with the Chicago Blackhawks on a limited-time offering.

    Daisies found an unlikely collaborator with Wilco, the Chicago-based alt-country band passionate about supporting small businesses. Starting on Friday, September 20 Daisies will sell a limited edition croissant that celebrates the band’s 30th anniversary and all things pickles. Tweedy and Omilinsky take Wilco fans on a nostalgic journey on social media using song references while Tweedy provides his rationale.

    “Every song I’ve ever written is about pickles,” Tweedy deadpans in an Instagram video posted on Wednesday, September 18 announcing the croissant.

    While the Daisies/Wieners Circle croissant included a pickle, nothing matches the pickled prowess of Daisies’ newest creation, called Dill-Co. The croissant will be available for a limited time and launch in conjunction with Tweedy’s upcoming appearance on Saturday, September 21 at Navy Pier, part of Chicago Live!, a free festival featuring more than 100 performances. Sales from the croissant will benefit the former Lakeview Pantry, now known as Nourishing Hope.

    Daisies has long celebrated pickling and fermenting techniques in its food and drink, so pickles weren’t an odd request for Omilinsky. While the world of pickles is vast, Tweedy and his camp wanted pickled cucumbers. Knowing that Omilinsky needed something to hold the pastry together, and turned to Jewish delis for inspiration, opting for a dill cream cheese. She adds chopped pickles, giardiniera, dill, and dehydrated pickle powder.

    This isn’t Wilco’s first food collaboration. They also partnered with Foxtrot in 2022 as the chain produced a snack mix with the band’s branding.

    Omilinsky has spent the last few weeks at Green City Market in Lincoln Park, selling pastries on Wednesdays and Fridays. While they won’t sell the Dill-Co pastry at the farmers market, she says it wasn’t hard convincing Tweedy to collaborate: “People are pretty cool, and I think that’s a good thing to remember in this day and age,” she says. “All you have to do is ask.”

    She adds she was taken aback filming the video at the Loft, the legendary practice space turned studio. Omilinsky says Tweedy had stories for every trinket inside.

    Daisies co-owner Scott Goldstein and his brother-in-law, Dave Yakir, were again in charge of putting the video together, as their company Streeterville Productions specializes in such content. Goldstein says coming up with the pickle jokes was a challenge, but once he fixated on Wilco’s song, She’s a Jar, the floodgates opened. Goldstein was also very complimentary of Tweedy’s acting talents.

    “It’s a crime we can’t play guitar and sing as well as he can tell jokes,” Goldstein says.

    Dill-Co at Daisies, starting on Friday, September 20.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • A Contemporary Spin on French Cusine Heads to Old Town

    A Contemporary Spin on French Cusine Heads to Old Town

    Jason Chan wants to fill a void in Old Town, one that’s existed for nine years after Bistrot Margot closed along Wells Street. Chan, one of the most beloved figures in Chicago’s restaurant scene, is known for his love of martial arts almost as much as his affability. He’s now opening a 32-seat French restaurant in October at a space a few blocks from Bistrot Margot.

    Old Town may have a French bakery in La Fournette, but Margot’s closure left the neighborhood without a French restaurant — the closest a mile north in Lincoln Park at Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ Mon Ami Gabi. Chan will rectify that when he opens Gavroche late in September at 1529 N. Wells Street. Chan’s travels over the last two years have sent him to Japan, Italy, and Spain, but he says his time in Paris left the biggest impression. While in France, Chan says he witnessed a culinary revolution that spun away from the bistros Chicagoans associate with French food.

    “Of all the places, what I really loved the most were just tiny mom-and-pop, the 20- or 30-seat restaurants that had maybe five employees,” Chan says.

    Gavroche — also a character from Les Misérables — will offer a “contemporary, modern version of French food” without “the heavy creams and butters and seven mother sauces,” says Chan. The menu will have about 18 items with seven daily specials. About four of the specials will be classic dishes, what most envision when they crave French food, Chan says. Chan says he made a spreadsheet of Chicago’s 17 French restaurants and found most of them had the same menus. One way of distinguishing a menu is embracing how African influences have impacted French cuisine. All in all, Chan wants his new restaurant to disrupt with innovation: “Bistro is not rocket science,” he says.

    The menu at Gavroche will include dishes like charred French radishes with salted butter, fennel pollen, and a warm demi-baguette; a “niçoise” hamachi sashimi with egg yolk confit, seasonal vegetables, petit lettuce, pickled pearl onion, and white anchovy vinaigrette; and turbot au four beurre blanc with Polanco caviar and smoked crème fraîche beurre blanc.

    There will be a four-seat counter. There are no plans for a tasting menu, but if Chan sees one of his chef friends or someone he knows who would appreciate something a little extra, he’ll seat them at the counter and curate a menu omakase style: “It would kind of be like a secret deal that’s not a secret,” Chan says.

    Chan took a corporate job during the pandemic, and found love — he’s engaged. His fiance, Heather Blaise, is also a designer and is working on the restaurant, the former Old Town spinoff of Fish Bar. Chan’s resume includes serving as the general manager of Kitana, giving the chain someone with deep Chicago roots. He also opened Juno, the sushi restaurant in Lincoln Park. He’s worked for several restaurant groups, including DMK, and opened Butter in 2005 in West Loop. He comes from a legacy of restaurants as his parents ran several restaurants around Chicago, including a Jewish deli in Lakeview, an Irish pub in Andersonville, and a coffee shop in the Loop. Chan independently developed a love for French cuisine, working in the mid-’80s at L’Escargot in the Allerton Hotel off the Mag Mile. His parents pushed him away from working in the kitchen, wanting him to enter the professional ranks as a doctor or attorney. They gave Chan the least desirable jobs hoping he would be repulsed when he was a youngster. It backfired.

    “Buddy, when you’re when you’re in a 3,500-square-foot Irish pub by yourself, and it’s Saturday morning and you’re pissed because all your friends are in pajamas, eating cereal, and watching cartoons, and you’re cleaning a fucking restaurant bar,” Chan recalls. “After three months of crying and hating it every time I did it, I would pretend I was a chef when I was in the kitchen, I would pretend I was the manager when I was sweeping the floor.”

    While Chan serves as the inspiration for the restaurant, he’ll delegate cooking responsibilities to Mitchell Acuña. Chan was impressed by Acuña’s willingness to learn, and the chef worked at Boka, North Pond, and Sixteen. Chan spoke with Sixteen chef Nick Dostal who gave Acuña his endorsement as the two worked together at the Trump Tower restaurant when it was worthy of a Michelin star. Also joining the team is pastry chef Christine McCabe. McCabe worked at Charlie Trotter’s and worked with Chan prior, most recently at their Time Out Market Chicago stall, Sugar Cube. Chan says the pandemic led to the sweet shop’s demise just when the sweets shop began to find traction in 2020. McCabe will bake the breads and eventually be in charge of upcoming brunch and lunch menus.

    Reservations will only be accepted for groups of six or more — Chan wants to encourage walk-ins. He also wants to offer late-night dining. They have a 2 a.m. liquor license and intend to make use of it. He’s also sowing the seeds for more projects. He loves the history of Prohibition and says he has an idea for a speakeasy bar, one that eschews gimmicks for a genuine slice of history. He also has an idea for a fast-casual restaurant.

    Gavroche, 1529 N. Wells Street, planned for late-September opening.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Hawksmoor’s Sunday Roast and Four New Brunches to Try Around Chicago

    Hawksmoor’s Sunday Roast and Four New Brunches to Try Around Chicago

    It’s September and students are back to school and the colors have started to change. As the seasons turn, five notable restaurants have launched new weekend brunch services. Here’s a rundown on what to expect.

    Daisies

    The popular Logan Square restaurant was a brunch paradise at its original location. But chef Joe Frillman’s crew have been reluctant to bring brunch back at their larger space, preferring to focus on dinner, the daytime pastry and coffee program, and weekday lunch. But, with the blessing of GM and pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky, they’ve launched Sunday brunch, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with reservations via OpenTable. The menu includes whole-wheat pancakes, Frillman’s signature Overpriced Tomato (get it while tomato season lasts), a brunchy pasta with runny egg — carbonara cavatelli — and salmon gravlax. Omilinsky’s pastries are also available.

    Goose Island Salt Shed Pub

    Brunch is now served on Saturday and Sunday at Goose Island’s Salt Shed Pub.
    Goose Island Beer

    After relocating from their home of more than three decades in Lincoln Park, Goose Island Beer has set up shop next to the Salt Shed music venue with a pub neighboring the Chicago River — there’s even patio seating. Brunch is served at 10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and reservations are available via Resy at 1221 W. Blackhawk Street. The menu includes French toast with a Bourbon County Stout caramel sauce, a green eggs and ham croissant sandwich, cornmeal biscuits & gravy, and more.

    Hawksmoor

    In River North, Hawksmoor has been open since late June inside the former Michael Jordan’s at 500 N. LaSalle Drive. The English steakhouse also has a location in New York. On Sunday, September 29, they’ll introduce their Chicago location to the British tradition of the Sunday roast, a meal typically eaten after attending church. Steak is usually the centerpiece of a roast, and at Hawksmoor, they’ll feature dry-aged roast beef rump with potatoes roasted in beef fat with bone marrow gravy. There’s also Yorkshire pudding (Sunday Roasts originated in the 15th century in the English city), Brussels sprouts, and carrots. Hawksmoor also serves bone marrow stuffing and cauliflower cheese. Reservations are available via OpenTable.

    Minyoli

    A sliced egg crepe with two sauces.

    Minyoli’s dan bing.
    Minyoli

    In Andersonville, Minyoli, 5420 N. Clark Street, has been serving Taiwanese noodles since May. Chef Rich Wang’s restaurant now offers Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The brunch menu — which is also available for carryout — includes Taiwanese breakfast rice rolls called fan tuan. They’re served with youtiao, a type of savory doughnut. There’s also a Taiwanese egg crepe, dan bing with scallion as well as sweet soy and hai shan (soy paste). Finally, don’t forget the flatbread sandwich. Shaobing comes customizable with options including Taiwanese fried chicken, sliced beef shank, and pork floss. Reservations are available online.

    Skylark

    One of the best dives in Chicago has been offering Sunday brunch since September with a rotating crew of talented chefs, and that’s drawn attention from North Siders who aren’t always open to visiting neighborhoods south of Roosevelt. At Skylar, 2149 S. Halsted, brunch is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Sunday, September 22, they’ll feature Morgan Street Snacks, the operation that took up residency next to Kimski/Maria’s Community Liquors in fall 2022. The Reader published a nice profile of Morgan Street’s leader, Ryan Cofrancesco, last week. On Sunday, September 29 the Skylark will serve something many Chicagoans have tasted: Thai brunch. Puan Bahn Thai Brunch will be served by chef Fred Noinaj, most recently of Lost Lake. Be on the lookout on Skylark’s social media channels for future brunch pop-ups.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Explore Celebrities Jimmy Butler, Chase Rice, and Roquan Smith’s New Chicago Club

    Explore Celebrities Jimmy Butler, Chase Rice, and Roquan Smith’s New Chicago Club

    River North, especially the area surrounding Hubbard Street, is one of Downtown Chicago’s busiest neighborhoods at night. Tourists and locals alike fill the bars, clubs, and restaurants with herds weaving in and out of traffic crawling to their next destination.

    The neighborhood’s latest addition is a joint venture between former Chicago Bulls star Jimmy Butler, country singer-songwriter Chase Rice, and former Chicago Bear Roquan Smith. The trio has opened the third location of Welcome to the Farm, a country music venue and club with locations in St. Petersburg, Florida and Cleveland. The celebrities are backed by Forward Hospitality Group, a Cleveland outfit that owns Good Night John Boy in West Loop. Fans of Barstool Sports may know one of the principals at Forward, Dante Deiana. Deiana’s a DJ and writer for the infamous media company.

    The Bears might actually be worth watching in 2024. Probably.

    A barbecue platter with meats, ribs, and cornbread, plus metal dipping cups with sauce.

    Spare ribs, pulled turkey, brisket, and short ribs are on the menu.

    A nachos platter with slice jalaepeno

    Smoked brisket nachos

    A skylight with a sliding roof over a lounge.

    The space’s retractable roof remains.

    They’ve remodeled the former Fremont, keeping the retractable roof and modernizing the space which has a stage for small concerts and room for 300. They’ll offer bottle service late into the night. But for folks into food, country music often goes well with smoked meats, and on the restaurant side they’ll serve brisket nachos, smoked chicken wings, pulled pork sandwiches (a Cuban served Miami style also uses the pork), plus spare ribs, short ribs, turkey, and sausage. Fried chicken and tenders are on the menu, as well. Forward Executive Chef Raheem Sealey debuted the menu in Florida at Drinking Pig BBQ, and now he brings his meats and treats up north.

    Does this follow U.S. Flag Code? Well, the DQ sign doesn’t object.

    Bowls, like this one with crispy cauliflower, are also available as lighter options.

    The buttermilk-brined fried chicken sandwich.

    Butler, a perennial All-Star, also played in Minnesota and Philadelphia before finding at home with the Miami Heat. He his own coffee company. He launched BIGFACE in 2020 during the pandemic, when the NBA brought all its playoff teams to Orlando, Florida to limit travel and the spread of COVID. The Bubble and its restrictions made it hard for players and coaches to find a good cup of coffee, so Butler seized the opportunity. For the first time ever, customers will be able to taste BIGFACE drinks in a restaurant setting. A news release touts “new specialty coffee products from Butler’s coffee brand BIGFACE that are available to consume while taking in the scene.”

    Check out the space and some of the menu items below.

    Welcome to the Farm, 15 W. Illinois Street, (312) 833-2080, open noon on weekdays, and 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday; kitchen open until 1 a.m.

    There are plenty of screens on the side.

    Feast upon the meats, bowls, and more.

    Watch out for drinks in coffee cups.

    Negronis are nice.

    The straw is a nice touch.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Lettuce Entertain You Brings Ema to the North Shore

    Lettuce Entertain You Brings Ema to the North Shore

    Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises has brought its hit Ema to the suburbs hoping the North Shore appreciates chef and partner CJ Jacobson’s menu that mixes California cool with Mediterranean. The concept debuted in River North in 2016 and Lettuce has spun that into a sibling concept called Aba, which begot locations in Fulton Market; Austin, Texas; and Miami.

    The buildout in Glenview is impressive, a radical departure from what most associate with the suburbs, taking a page from notable suburban debuts like RH Oak Brook, which channels the energy from the original in Gold Coast. The new Ema features a skylight and a light and breezy design with a track record in other markets.

    In Glenview, Jacobson hopes to win over the lunch crowd with more salads — the chef says for the first time he’s offering a chopped salad (with ​​arugula, romaine, cauliflower, caper, date, parmesan, olive, red pepper). A Caesar’s salad is made with a tahini-spiked dressing. The restaurant’s staple dips, including hummus with lamb ragu and a South Asian-street-influenced bhel hummus made with tamarind and mint chutney, are also available.

    Jacobson mentions the restaurant’s origins, as LEYE co-founded Rich Melman wanted a Mediterranean restaurant. Jacobson doesn’t possess that family background, saying at first he only knew the cuisine through late-night kebob spots in LA. That’s one of the reasons Ema doesn’t focus on a particular region or country. Jacobson compares how Chinese and Italian cuisine proliferated in America, and how locals interpreted those foods using American ingredients. Jacobson feels foods from the Mediterranean haven’t had the chance to go through those filters, and that’s how he approaches Ema. For example, the lamb & beef kofta comes with a hoisin sauce, drawing from Chinese influences. Since Ema’s conception, Jacobson’s experience has endeared him to the culture and cuisine. He’s traveled to the region and he recounts spending time at a late-night Israeli club known for its hummus. After eight years of research, he says Ema has developed a point of view which is what’s made the brand successful.

    A kebob with sauce

    Lamb & beef kofta.

    pita basket with spinach and feta.

    Pita with spinach and feta spread.

    Jacobson has worked with Lettuce since 2014, when he was one of the chefs at the company’s rotating Intro Chicago restaurant in Lincoln Park. He knows the company isn’t known for short menus. They’re big and feature many items to cater to the pickiest. Jacobson doesn’t necessarily agree with that philosophy and says he constantly worries that customers won’t branch out and try something new.

    “Can we be good at all this stuff?” Jacobson asks rhetorically.

    Lettuce Entertain You is Chicago’s largest restaurant group and the Melman family’s strategy of ensuring the customer is always right has been successful for 53 years. “I kind of get proved wrong time and time again,” Jacobson adds.

    Jacobson ponders his future with Lettuce, saying that he’s due to pitch the Melmans on a new restaurant idea. While he ponders, he reflects on Ema and Aba.

    “Anytime you spend this amount of time with a cuisine, it becomes a part of who you are,” he says.

    Ema Glenview, 1320 Patriot Road in Glenview, lunch is 11:30 to 4 p.m., until 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday; dinner is 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thurday, until 10 p.m. on Friday; 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

    Hamachi on rice cracker with Fresno pepper.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • We Asked: “How Do You Get to Your Restaurant Job?”

    We Asked: “How Do You Get to Your Restaurant Job?”

    A version of this post originally appeared on September 9, 2024, in Eater and Punch’s newsletter Pre Shift, a biweekly newsletter for the industry pro that sources first-person accounts from the bar and restaurant world. Subscribe now for more stories like this.

    While Chicago’s public transit system isn’t as reliable as New York’s, it’s not as scarce as LA’s. Last year, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) provided 279 million rides, many of which were for hospitality staff, getting them to and from their place of employment. The Bear found a friend in the CTA, and for three seasons, the FX-produced TV show has relied on the city’s public transit system for plenty of footage, showing Chicago’s famous elevated train system, the El. Much of Season 3, Episode 6 is spent showing Tina Marrero (played by Liza Colón-Zayas) relying on trains and buses during her frantic job search.

    But the CTA has drawn much ire in recent years. Low-wage workers like Tina rely on the system, but the city’s network of buses and trains hasn’t proved worthy. That’s especially true on the South and West sides, areas where the network doesn’t fully extend. For example, restaurant owners in Hyde Park, a South Side neighborhood where the University of Chicago is located, have shared that it’s been challenging to lure experienced hospitality workers. They’d rather work on the North Side, where there are more restaurants and it’s easier to get home at night.

    While many restaurant workers also depend on their cars for their daily commute, despite Lake Michigan’s infamous spine-chilling winter winds, the city has its share of all-season cyclists, too. We connected with restaurant staff about their commute, talking about convenience, parking, and the power of bike lanes.

    Diana Dávila at Mi Tocaya Antojería.
    Nick Fochtman

    Name: Diana Dávila, chef and owner, Mi Tocaya Antojería
    Length of commute: Two miles
    Mode: Bike

    “I have been a biker for — it’s crazy — the past 20 years. The first place I started biking was [now-closed] Butter. When I moved to D.C., I biked to work… I remember the bike rides when there weren’t bike lanes and I would take different routes, and that was part of the fun, finding which ways to take.

    “It’s funny, I never nerded out about bikes. I would just go into the bike store and pick out which one looked nice. Shit, I’ve never been depressed, I’ve always been a super positive person, as a default. But once I didn’t feel like getting out of bed and I didn’t want to see anybody… Those 10-minute rides made such a big difference. It is a service to myself and is 100 percent a stress de-escalator at work for me — open air and sunlight or moonlight.

    “Most of our employees live super close, and not everyone has cars. Cars eat income, which is why so many of us cooks ride bikes! Cars are a big responsibility, with permits, parking, insurance, tickets. Bike riding, scooting, and carpooling are great solutions. Just like what we used to do in school.”

    Rishi Manoj Kumar from Mirra

    Rishi Manoj Kumar from Mirra.
    Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

    Name: Rishi Manoj Kumar, chef, Mirra
    Length of commute: Two blocks
    Mode: Walking

    “The market to find apartments right now is horrible. The Bucktown neighborhood was hard, but I just kept searching and searching, and then suddenly, one day, I found what I’m living in now. It’s a block behind Mirra. It was a duplex and a duplex at two grand. Shit, this is unheard of in Chicago. So even before looking at it, I knew the proximity, I knew what it would bring for my peace of mind, like avoiding the traffic and even being able to go in on my days off. I can just walk through the restaurant and just check on things while I’m walking my dog, you know. And that proximity gives you so much freedom mentally, too. So it’s pretty dope.

    “Avoiding a bad commute gives you a peace of mind coming to work. Otherwise you spend so much time getting ready, or getting stuck in traffic, like, ‘Oh shit, I’m stuck, I’m an hour late because of something like Lollapalooza going downtown.’ It takes forever to get downtown. For me, I worked eight years downtown, like, just getting to work meant preparing an extra 45 minutes just to make sure I’m turning up on time. That mental burden is gone once you can just, like, wake up, change, go to work in two minutes. It’s a whole different lifestyle.”

    Billy Zureikat at a pop-up at Pequod’s.
    Barry Brecheisen/Eater Chicago

    Name: Billy Zureikat, pop-up chef, Tripping Billy
    Length of commute: Varies
    Mode: Car

    “I drive everywhere. I don’t take public transportation anymore because it’s just too hard to navigate crowds. I got invited to the Windy City Smokeout and I’m like, ‘I’m gonna pass on that.’ It’s just too hard navigating with a cane [having limb girdle muscular dystrophy]. In an electric car, if I take my foot off the gas, the car will come to a straight-up complete stop. It regenerates your brakes, saving and repowering the battery, and is wonderful for me because I don’t have to pick up my legs and move around as much… It’s so much more comfortable and I feel safer when I drive.

    “I have to allow myself more time. There’s a big lack of available parking, especially accessible parking. I’m not trying to walk three or four blocks to get to a pizzeria to do a pop-up. I’m going to circle that block for a while until I find a spot that’s fairly close, because many times I have to carry lots of equipment. And I can’t walk multiple blocks carrying a bunch of heavy things, so I have to allow myself time to get parking.

    “I work remotely, so I can do my day job from anywhere. And that allows me the freedom to do these collaborations and pop-ups where I can go in the mid-morning, middle of the day — when it’s maybe a little quieter, traffic-wise — to get something done, or I can do it later in the evening. I have flexibility, and because I have a disability, my body has kind of changed over the years.”

    exterior of Obélix

    The exterior of Obélix.
    Chris Peters/Eater Chicago

    Name: Gustavo Lopez, food runner, Obélix
    Length of commute: Five miles
    Mode: Bike

    “Recently, I got a Divvy [bikeshare] membership. I dragged my heels about it, but I thought, I’ll get it for the gimmick, because those e-bikes really interested me. I hopped on one, like, ‘Oh, wow. This is amazing.’ There’s so much power in those electric bikes. Since then, I’ve been on Divvy for about three years. The docking stations are sprawled all over the city, so it’s very convenient. I can get to my destination within minutes.

    “If you want to bike [to the restaurant], and you’re chronically late, it’s more of a time management issue. I’m giving you a little leeway, but if you’re not here at the set time you’re supposed to be, then it just ruins the flow with the rest of the team. It doesn’t matter what the position is: server, expediter, food runner… We just pick up plates and just clear the table. The servers have to pick up the slack. It does add up. If there’s an event with traffic, I’m usually pretty vigilant about checking the news on Facebook and Instagram. I’ll avoid the busy streets. But, you know, you always have residual traffic. Thank God for bike lanes.”

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Inside This South Loop Supper Club With Food From a French Laundry Alum

    Inside This South Loop Supper Club With Food From a French Laundry Alum

    Two years ago, Entree introduced itself to Chicago, taking over the South Loop space where the city’s only Michelin-starred restaurant south of Roosevelt stood. Entree delivered meal kits, searching for a sweet spot for folks fed up with fees and mistakes from third-party couriers and restaurant customers who missed eating out during the pandemic. As the business grew, its owners knew they had an asset in their dining room. They threw pop-ups and opened the bar area earlier this year while unveiling a new name for on-premise dining, Oliver’s.

    In late August the time finally arrived as Oliver’s dining room finally debuted. The added real estate will give Oliver’s chef Alex Carnovale more room to play. He’s already established a menu of favorites including roast chicken, a burger, and diver scallops. The French Laundry alum has shown his ambitions while developing the menus for Entree’s delivery side. With Oliver’s, Carnovale no longer has to worry about whether his food will survive a car ride.

    The space is warmer, with a supper club feeling that presents a departure from the modern vibe of the previous tenant. Specifically, Oliver’s was going for a 1930s speakeasy feel. It’s a comfy place to enjoy truffle gnocchi or tomato risotto. As the bar opened first, the drink program had time to mature under the leadership of Luke DeYoung who worked a Sepia and Scofflaw. A gin martini is garnished with caviar-stuffed olive. There are non-alcoholic options, and a deep wine list, too. Happy hour specials have already launched, and bar snacks include Italian beef popcorn, cheddar fries, and beef-fat griddled sourdough from Publican Quality Bread. The latter is served with whipped parmesan and steak sauce.

    Walk through the space below. Oliver’s dining room is now open.

    Oliver’s, 1930 S. Wabash Avenue, open 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, reservations via Tock.

    Ashok Selvam

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  • Coach K Says ‘The Bear’ Shows How Sports and Restaurants Make Every Second Count

    Coach K Says ‘The Bear’ Shows How Sports and Restaurants Make Every Second Count

    Mike Krzyzewski still has memories of Chicago’s Polish Broadway, the stretch of Milwaukee Avenue near Wicker Park that was once a hub for Polish restaurants and businesses. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach grew up in the area and despite his long career at Duke University, the memories of Chicago cling to him.

    “You know, every once in a while, some friends or my family will send me a care package of Polish sausage, one of the sandwich meats — I don’t know if they still make a Krakowska — and I just put it on white bread and eat it,” the 77-year-old hoops legend says. “My family would say, ‘You’ve got to put something on it, tomatoes, lettuce?’ I said, ‘No, no, no — it’s a good sandwich with good meat and good bread.’ Chicago food’s terrific.”

    Krzyzewski will be in town later this month for a charity event through the V Foundation, raising money for cancer research. The event, called Chicago Epicurean, leverages the city’s prominence as one of the best places to eat in the country. The foundation is named after one of Krzyzewski’s friends and rivals, Jim Valvano, the former head men’s basketball coach at North Carolina State University. Valvano died in 1993 from metastatic adenocarcinoma. Krzyzewski says Valvano recruited him to be part of the foundation more than three decades ago and that’s why he sits on the V Foundation’s board.

    Chicago Epicurean kicks off on Thursday, September 19, at the Aviary with an invite-only event hosted by chef Grant Achatz of three-Michelin-starred Alinea. Krzyzewski says he looks forward to meeting Achatz, as he’s been reading more about the chef’s recovery from Stage 4 cancer, a disease that forced surgeons to remove a part of the chef’s tongue. Achatz says it’s important to increase early cancer detection and to raise awareness among patients, clinicians, and pharmaceutical companies while empowering people to be their best advocates in a comfortable and confident environment.

    “As a survivor of a lesser prevalent cancer type that is on the rise — especially in people under 30 — I feel it is my responsibility to raise awareness,” Achatz texts, adding: “I am happy to support the V Foundation in its efforts to combat this disease and bring a better quality of life to millions of people each year.”

    The public-facing events include a cooking demonstration and lunch with Top Chef alum Fabio Viviani and the auction and gala on Friday, September 20, hosted by Coach K at City Hall in Fulton Market.

    For the last 26 years, the foundation has held a similar event in Napa Valley, California. They’ve raised $165 million for cancer research. In the Chicago area, the foundation has raised more than $13 million for the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and the University of Illinois Cancer Center.

    There are parallels between the intensity of restaurants and sports, the sometimes fiery Krzyzewski says. That was also noticed in The Bear, a TV series filmed in Chicago that cast Coach K unknowingly into a role the past two seasons. Coincidentally his middle daughter, Lindy, is nicknamed “Bear.” While Krzyzewski didn’t appear in the show, his book, Leading with the Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life becomes a source of inspiration and support for Ayo Edebiri’s Sydney Adamu. Krzyzewski and Edebiri share the same talent agency, CAA, and the coach has sent an autographed book to the actress.

    “The passion and the intensity that’s shown up in that show is remarkable and that’s why they’ve won so many awards,” Krzyzewski says. “They’re seeking excellence, and they know in order to seek excellence you need everybody on the team seeking it and working as one. There’s a lot of pressure in those kitchens.”

    He adds that the culinary world is “very innovative too. You’re not just making a hamburger or hot dog — they’re producing a hell of a lot more than that,” Krzyzewski says. “Although the Chicago hot dogs and hamburgers are pretty good, too.” (Krzyzewski confesses he loves pizza, but isn’t enamored with Chicago deep-dish.)

    Krzyzewski says they didn’t dine out much at restaurants growing up, but enjoyed homemade pierogi and sauerkraut. The family was fond of the White Eagle, the event venue that’s famous among the city’s Polish community on the Northwest Side in Niles. Though Krzyzewski’s father, William, was an elevator operator, he would eventually dive into the world of hospitality. He ran a spot that mostly served quick breakfasts and lunches to factory workers near California and Cermak in Little Village: “He wasn’t doing through anything innovative,” Krzyzewski says. “It was really a hard business.”

    His father would go on to run a tavern called Cross’ Tap near Damen and 21st Place on the Lower West Side. William Krzyzewski went by the name of “Cross” — his son says during the time of World War II, his family was impacted by ethnic discrimination.

    A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Krzyzewski says he learned to enjoy different types of foods while depending on Army rations for sustenance. That comes in handy being away from Chicago in the realm of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

    “My experience of being an Army officer and then traveling all over the United States and coaching is that you get spoiled by different foods from different cultures,” Krzyzewski says. “I’m also a big Las Vegas guy, and they have some of the amazing restaurants in the world, so I’ve adapted really well.”

    While Krzyzewski says he isn’t interested in owning a restaurant, he says he does enjoy seeing friends, family, and former players post photos of their meals on social media.

    “I like when people do that, and it also shows that you’re having a good time with friends, and so you would want friends to have a good time with family and friends, so they’re sharing that experience with them,” Krzyzewski says.

    Chicago Epicurean on Thursday, September 19, and Friday, September 14. Tickets are available online.

    Ashok Selvam

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