Armando Gonzalez
Amerikas,
734 Lake St., Oak Park
amerikasrestaurant.com
Chef and owner Armando Gonzalez worked in Japanese, Italian and other specialty restaurants as a young man. Those flavors excited him, so when it came time to imagine his own place, he wanted to keep his Mexican heritage in the forefront but inform his dishes with the best the world has to offer. He named it Amerikas to honor that mix. He chose a location in Oak Park for a similar reason: the diversity of people and the openness to tasting new dishes. His unique dishes combine the American melting pot tradition without losing his roots.
Ciro Parlato
Ciro
1048 Pleasant St., Oak Park
cirooakpark.com
Ciro restaurant is a concept born out of Chef Ciro Parlato’s grandmother’s salumeria (Italian for “deli”) where he spent his childhood years. It was a community hub, restaurant and store all rolled into one. The restaurant celebrates its first year in September. There are eight bar-style seats along the kitchen counter for dining in but take-and-bake is the heart of the concept. All dishes are prepped and ready to go. Specialties from all 20 regions of Italy appear on the menu, with key ingredients imported from the source. The curated list of offering changes each month.
Johnny Mei and Jinny Zhao
New Star
7444 W. North Ave., Elmwood Park
newstarrestaurant.com
Chef Johnny Mei worked for New Star’s owner Jinny Zhao long before joining her at the Elmwood Park restaurant. Zhao’s reputation for quality ingredients and attention to detail earned this level of loyalty from her staff. When Zhao decided to convert a dining room at the back of the restaurant into a hibachi-style dining experience, Mei was more than ready to sign on as head cook. Diners sit around teppanyaki grills, while Mei and staff deliver dinner and a show. Yelp rates New Star in the top three for Japanese grill restaurant in the Chicago area, well above name-brand chains.
Paco Lopez
NRebozo
7403 Madison St., Forest Park
newrebozos.com
How did “Oh My God” become Chef Paco’s signature exclamation? When he bought the restaurant and renamed it New Rebozo, Lopez didn’t speak much English, but he was confident in his menu, especially his Fiesta Moles. His son helped by creating a phrase book that included things like, “Hi, how are you?” and “Are you ready to order?” After that Paco would say, mostly to himself, “Oh my God!” This was an expression of both his nervousness of navigating in a language he didn’t speak and his excitement of owning his own place. Eventually Chef Paco got better at English, but the catch phrase stuck.
Shivangi Khetarpal
Wise Cup
1018 Lake St., Oak Park
facebook.com/wisecupoakpark
When Shivangi Khetarpal opened Wise Cup with her husband Naveen, they imagined a continuation of the neighborhood coffee shop that had been in the location before. For Shivangi, it was an opportunity to bring her marketing and finance skills to a more personal project. They continued to offer coffee drinks, loose-leaf tea and a selection of pastries. But when they added Indian spice flare to the drink menu, customers clamored for food too. Now you can order samosas and other small bites daily, then on the first Saturday of each month the options expand with a pop-up menu that is a full meal.
William Beau Blackburn
Chef Beau’s Kitchen
26 Calendar Ave., La Grange
chefbeauskleankitchen.com
Food is fuel, but it is also what we are made of. What goes into our bodies can determine a lot about our overall health. Blackburn is an anti-inflammatory, autoimmune chef. His weekly meal service caters both to clients who have health issues and to those who don’t want to develop them. The location is delivery and take-away only, providing meals that are gluten free, mostly organic, grass-fed meats and wild caught seafood. It’s as clean as he can make it. Menus change weekly and are intended to feed clients day in and day out. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks all roll out of Chef Beau’s Kitchen.