The Purple Pig’s Founding Chef Departs After 15 Years

Jimmy Bannos Jr.’s last day at the Purple Pig ended with little fanfare as the chef sold his stake in the Loop restaurant. As of Wednesday, October 23, Bannos Jr. is no longer involved in the restaurant he co-founded 15 years ago.

The Purple Pig will continue without Bannos Jr., who says this was his choice and “it was time to move on,” and that he needs to concentrate on his new Greek restaurant in Northwest Suburban Niles. Father Jimmy Bannos is also involved in Koukla, pegged to open by winter’s end in February or March at 7620 N. Milwaukee Avenue.

“I’m really, really excited about it,” Bannos Jr. says. “Am I going to miss being in the city all the time? Absolutely, but it doesn’t mean I’m not ever going to open up a restaurant in the city again.”

The deal to buy the former Amici Ristorante in Niles was “too good to pass up.” Amici closed in the spring after 37 years. Bannos Jr. says he’s been talking to Brasero and El Che Bar chef John Manion, an open-fire cooking aficionado. They’re using the same folks who make Manion’s grills at Koukla. While the Purple Pig blended food from different Mediterranean countries, Koukla will focus on Greece.

It’s a challenge to separate Bannos Jr. from the Purple Pig. The chef won accolades including the 2014 James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef. The restaurant was a fixture in many “best of” lists in Chicago, including the Eater Chicago 38. Bannos Jr. says he sold his stake to his existing partners and that he hasn’t been at the Purple Pig much over the summer as he’s focused on Niles. So there wasn’t much of a goodbye on his final day. Bannos Jr. says he wishes his old partners nothing but the best.

The past few years have been challenging for Bannos Jr. and a time for growth. After a landlord dispute, the restaurant moved from its original location, which has since transformed into a Chick-fil-A. The new location opened in 2019: “Part of my like soul died,” Bannos Jr. says. “It was so hard to deal with because we really couldn’t do anything.”

The chef candidly talks about frustrations that built up during the pandemic saying he was “angry at the world.” He went through a divorce and was arrested in 2019 for a bizarre altercation involving employees from Mi Tocaya Antojeria which took place at a Chicago Gourmet auxiliary event. Bannos Jr. appeared in court but the charges were thrown out. The pandemic made it oughter while trying to keep the restaurant from closing: “It was the lowest point in my life,” Bannos Jr. says, adding “The Purple Pig was not an easy place to make happen every day.”

When he walked into the vacated Amici space, Bannos Jr. says it felt similar to when he entered the original Purple Pig space for the first time. His imagination began to run wild with ideas. He now holds a much brighter outlook in life while working with his father on their new restaurant. Kevin Stack, who has worked with Bannos Jr. for 13 years, is coming over to Niles as chef and partner. Stack’s fiance, Audrey Witte, who also worked at the Purple Pig, will be general manager.

Bannos Jr. comes from a family of restaurant owners. His father, Jimmy Bannos, is known for Heaven on Seven. His son notes how father hasn’t gotten the hang of retirement, figuring out some means of staying in the restaurant industry, whether it’s a gumbo drop in Logan Square or something else.

The family will have more news on their new restaurant in the coming weeks.

Koukla, 7620 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Niles, planned for a February or March opening