Upon stepping into caffe De Luca, 7427 W. Madison St. in Forest Park, patrons immediately leave their normal environment and embark upon a trip into the heart of a Venetian street.
The tan, patterned walls, adorned with pictures of Michelle took in Venice, are made into replicas of Italian exteriors. Paying homage to Italian religious fervor, shrines dot the interior. The east wall shows the building’s original brick, including a patch of tarred bricks where the old roof used to be before the Sundrys added a second floor.
To ensure the building had the proper Italian ambiance, said Michelle, “As we were building, I showed photos I took in Italy.”
Once upstairs, patrons are greeted with a tiny, yet cozy, nook where they can curl up on the sofas to enjoy their coffees or gossip with friends. Venetian lanterns, imported from Italy, hang from the ceiling here and on the main floor. On the south side, the Sundrys created an outdoor deck as a gathering place during a warm summer evening. Which is exactly what the Sundrys wanted to achieve.
“In Italy, it’s a social thing, to be a destination and an evening of visiting friends,” Michelle said, adding, “A lot [of our customers] knew of the one downtown, and we’re very happy with that.”
Art explained it as people who lived in the Bucktown area and frequented the cafe, who have since moved to Forest Park to raise their families.
“We expect [the Forest Park locale] to be more family oriented,” Michelle said.
Native Chicagoans, the Sundrys lived in the Wicker Park neighborhood until about eight years ago. At the time, Art said he and Michelle were looking for a place outside of the city to raise their children, now in seventh and eighth grades at St. Mary School.
Michelle was told about Riverside by a co-worker who explained to the couple about the historic town with its heavy trees and winding streets.
“We fell in love with it,” Art said. The Sundrys are currently rehabbing the old St. Mary’s convents.
The cafe’s motto, Art Sundry said, is “a neighborhood gathering place,” explaining that each of the two caffe De Luca locations has its own slogan. The other one, at 1721 N. Damen Ave. in Chicago, is known as “the heart of Bucktown.” The company’s logo shows a heart placed in the center of a latte mug.
Art said he chose the Forest Park location because he likes the development occurring on Madison Street. Primarily a real estate developer, Art was familiar with the changes occurring on the strip.
“This was my third attempt at buying a building on this street,” he said. “I would kind of like to give [the street] a little city sophistication.”
He is aware of plans for a Starbucks to open in the Madison Street corridor later this year, but he is not perturbed.
“Starbucks is a positive thing,” he said explaining that most people will go to Starbucks to learn the coffee lingo. Then, after becoming comfortable with what’s available, they will venture out to other coffee venues.
Having owned the first location since 1999, the Sundrys decided to expand the venture.
“It’s something we both enjoy,” Art said.
The Sundrys describe the two locations as siblings. In Bucktown, the crowds tend to fill the restaurant during the morning and daytime hours, the Forest Park locale picking up in the early evening and nighttime hours. Much like parents of siblings, the Sundrys couldn’t pick a favorite when asked.
“If I had to pick, I’d chose Bucktown during the day, because they have a busier lunch and Forest Park in the evening,” Art said.
Michelle added that the two locations are like night and day, though not in appearance.
“It’s a completely different feel. We had a party there with three bands and it was a fun night. We have a private party here tomorrow [last Sunday] and that will be fun, too,” she said.
When building the Forest Park restaurant, the Sundrys had already learned a little from their experience with the Bucktown cafe.
A certain level of learn-as-you go was expected. Art Sundry ventured into the business through a separate commercial real estate project. He had purchased a four-unit building. He said three of the four units were quickly leased. The fourth sat empty.
A friend (and at the time soon-to-be business partner) suggested they turn the space into a coffee shop. Art said neither he nor the friend, who happens to be in the construction business, knew much about food service. But now, after more than five years in the neighborhood, caffe De Luca has become a regular on Damen Avenue.
In Bucktown, the cafe does not offer seating directly at the bar, only at tables surrounding the bar. Additionally, the smaller building doesn’t offer patrons much outdoor space. It also does not have a full service kitchen.
The Forest Park location is different on all accounts. The bar offers enough seating for 10, for those interested in a quick bite to eat from the full-service kitchen or merely a few drinks after work. This building also boasts more outdoor space. In addition to the upstairs deck, which the Sundrys anticipate will be popular in the upcoming spring and summer months, the front bay doors open accordion-style for street level outdoor dining.
Caffe De Luca in Forest Park celebrated its grand opening yesterday. Its hours are 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. On Sundays the restaurant is open for brunch from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The upstairs bar and deck is currently open only on Friday and Saturday evenings. Art said they hope to have the upstairs open regularly by spring.
