Many look forward to end of bleak period for industry
From small surprises of freshly baked cookies in to-go bags to hotlines for home cooks, here’s how some of the most inspiring food pros in the Chicago suburbs are countering COVID-19 obstacles.
Sam Vlahos said that as soon as the pandemic hit, he and his team came up with creative ideas for family-style takeout packages and offered other menu items for delivery and pickup.
They worked closely with officials with the Village of Downers Grove to provide seating along the main strip downtown. At Fuller House in Hinsdale, a large outdoor patio, now tented with heaters, is providing much-needed seating areas. They have also created takeout and delivery specials that are helping.
They are hoping to soon open a third restaurant, Bar Chido, which will be located around the corner from Pierce Tavern. Bar Chido will have a socially-distanced design and a taco takeout window.
“We’re praying that we will be able to open in January,” Vlahos said.
He encourages everyone to keep doing their best.
“Restaurants have pivoted the best they can. We have exhausted staff with changes almost every day. Many are trying to remain optimistic about what the future holds in store of us, while others aren’t so lucky. We are all doing our best to stay positive. This is going to be a sad holiday season for all, but we hope to still be here to serve you up your favorite meals and cocktails and get back into our social interactions with guests!”
Amy Morton, owner of Found and The Barn Steakhouse, knows that laughter is the best medicine. When COVID-19 hit, Morton quickly got to work running curbside pickup at The Barn Steakhouse — and made sure to include a roll of toilet paper with every order. “For a bit of comic relief!” she said.
They also provided new menu options, including a special-themed family meal package from James Beard Award-winning Executive Chef Debbie Gold at Found kitchen plus a la carte menu items and cocktails-to-go. Chef Debbie is available by phone to answer questions about the dish. Customers also receive a video of Debbie plating the dish and providing setup and reheating tips.
Morton and staff started feeding people in the homeless community every morning, seven days a week, through Connections for the Homeless in Evanston.
“That grew to 190 meals,” Morton said.
She introduced a whole new concept, Found Pantry, which is a general store-inspired shop with local farm-produced boxes, meats by Linz, and Chef Debbie’s cookie dough. Morton said there is a wide array of essential items available, from eggs and cheese to candles and toiletries. In the summer, they opened the front wall at Found and launched Three Sisters Juice Bar, using proceeds to benefit Black Lives Matter.
On June 26, Morton reopened both restaurants. She followed a plan in line with Centers for Disease Control guidance, including taking temperatures of people upon arrival. She minimized direct hand contact by introducing QR codes for menus. She also installed new filters in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
At Found, a large stretch of sidewalk provided outdoor dining and allowed more social distancing. At The Barn Steakhouse there is a garden patio and a large tent. Morton is looking into the possibility of placing individual heated greenhouses along the sidewalk.
At The Barn Steakhouse, weekly Found Undercover Pop-Up Dinners in a heated tent will be limited to 50 guests.
Morton’s Aurora restaurant, Stolp Island Social, is closed for the time being.
Executive Chef Michael Lachowicz has turned up the charm to counter challenges of COVID-19. His magical Winter Patio Street Festival features inviting Le Patio Aboyer, which is a delightful winter haven with Edison bulb lights, holiday music, propane patio heaters, and a crackling fire pit. Le Patio Aboyer is open from 3 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays through the month of December.
Lachowicz’s winter patio menu features winter picnic items like sausage sandwiches and sweet peppers from the hardwood grill. There is Grand Marnier Hot Chocolate, Mulled Cider and plenty of Hot Toddies. There are s’mores with housemade marshmallows and graham crackers; roasted chestnuts; Hot Brown Sugar Roasted Butternut Squash Soup; candied pecans and walnuts; and an array of heartwarming hot drinks to sip.
One of the ways that Lachowicz has countered challenges of COVID-19 is in distinct, creative collaborations with other chefs. A special Beef en Croute with a floral design made with pastry dough starred on a menu in a to-go collaboration with Bistronomic Executive Chef and owner Martial Noguier.
“I first created this Beef en Croute as an homage to my chef and mentor, Maxime Riberra. I worked for Chef Maxime from 1987 until 1991 and it was during that time that I fell deeply in love with French cuisine. Maxime is a gifted saucier, but more than that, he is a technician of cuisine Français.”
Lachowicz said that his Beef en Croute is Maxime’s version of the classic Beef Wellington that he presented to win the acclaimed international gastronomic competition the Bocuse d’Or. For more information about the Bistronomic collaboration, go to
On Oct. 4, Lachowicz celebrated five years since the opening of George Trois with a collaboration dinner with Chef Troy Jorge of Michelin-starred restaurant Temporis in Chicago.
“I love to cook with chefs from whom I can learn,” Lachowicz said. “That is the key to remaining relevant, remaining teachable. Chef Troy Jorge’s food just speaks to me, it’s everything I want to eat!”
Perry’s Restaurants did not to let COVID-19 slow their plans for expansion in the Chicago area. A store opened in Schaumburg on schedule in October. The 12,000-square-foot building was designed in partnership with Aria Group Architects, Inc.
Perry’s Restaurants introduced marketing initiatives like Chop Online and Perry’s Steakhouse Online Market. The new approach is encouraging online orders for everything from steak knives and Perry’s signature butter and seasonings to their iconic Seven-Finger-High Pork Chop. The addition of the new business strategy is an outcome of countering COVID-19 that has created a positive.
“We’ve received multiple requests from people who have moved away to areas without access to our restaurants, and they have requested ways to enjoy our famous chop,” Perry said. “Now, we can give those and others exactly what they want by extending the Perry’s Rare and Well Done experience into homes.”
The pork chop is rubbed with seasoning and cured, then roasted on a rotisserie with pecan wood. There is also a lunch-cut pork chop available, which is approximately half the size of the seven-finger-high dinner-cut chop. The pork chops ship fully cooked and frozen, with ice packs and a separate steak butter container. Thawing and heating instructions are included.
Perry said the pork chop is a great gift idea. The restaurant-prepared steak raises the bar on ordering a frozen meal for a gift for a steak lover. The name is inviting, too.
The catchy phrase was inspired by the technique that butchers used many years ago to measure cuts of meat — by using their fingers. Perry’s began as a small meat shop in Texas.
Other new marketing approaches include Comfort Dishes To-Go. Meals have included fancy comfort foods like Truffle Chicken Pot Pies, Pork Lasagna, Roasted Lemon Chicken Oreganato and more. There are boxed to-go lunches of pork chops with whipped potatoes and homemade applesauce. The Perry’s popular homemade applesauce also tops off Perry’s Pork Chop Bites on A Bun.
From Crab Balls to Sweet Sriracha Brussels sprouts, Sous Vide Roasted Lemon Chicken, Chateaubriand and more, the new Smorgasboard-To-Go features 10 picks of favorite appetizers, mains and sides.
A special Thanksgiving To-Go package featured Butternut Squash Soup, Honey Crisp Apple Salad with Dried Cherries, Sausage & Sage Dressing, Cranberry Relish, Homemade Bread, Pumpkin Cheesecake and more.
The German-style brewery Buffalo Creek Brewing recently transformed space into a charming Alpine retreat complete with roaring fire pits, hot drinks and more. Owner and Brew Master Mike Marr was inspired to create the Alpine Biergarten from seeing similar settings in Europe.
“Winter lovers will find refuge at Buffalo Creek Brewing’s Alpine Biergarten,” Marr said. “Although the beer and outdoor temps may be cold, the atmosphere will warm your soul.”
There will be two seatings at six firepits on New Year’s Eve. Seatings are at 6 to 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. On Jan. 1-2, 2021, there will be a New Year’s Day Alpine Fest featuring a food truck, live music, cold beer and fires. The patio in the Alpine Biergarten will also be open to the general public with multiple heaters.
“We’re creating a memorable, if not fitting way to (finally) put 2020 in the rearview mirror,” Marr said.
And there are newly released brews. Marr debuted Uncle Buddy’s Bock on Dec. 4, Holiday Pils on Dec. 12 and planned to introduce Krampus on Dec. 19.
Arlington Heights residents Jenni and Mark Heffernan visited the brewery with their children Brynley and Emery and dog Fozzie after one of the new seasonal carriage rides through Long Grove recently.
Jenni grew up in Long Grove. Mark met Marr at Apple Fest in Long Grove a few years ago, and he now makes and cans his ginger beer “Zingabrew” at Buffalo Creek Brewing.
“Long Grove is so festive during the Holiday Season,” Jenni said. “We bring the whole family — even our dog, Fozzie, loves coming here.”
Moe Taleb had to close the physical location of his popular Mesa Urbana Mexican Fusion restaurant in Northbrook not too long after the pandemic began. But, the food is still available through a new ghost kitchen that Talen opened in his restaurant Atolito in Chicago. He is hoping to reopen the physical location of Mesa Urbana in Northbrook soon.
“Some people say we can’t go back; I disagree,” Taleb said.
He has even renamed the Chicago restaurant — from Atole to Atolito — which Taleb said feels more upbeat and reflects the positive spirit of his new business strategy. It captures the transition of the new ghost kitchen. Taleb said that people who got to know Mesa Urbana’s popular chicken or steak fajitas, shrimp ceviche and guacamole in the time since the restaurant opened in Northbrook in 2016 are placing orders for delivery through Grubhub and other services.
Prepared food to go was already popular at Convito Café & Market, and that has been helpful this year as carry outs became more essential than ever.
The team also created a new line of cocktails to go. The Negroni, Aperol Spritz and Arnold Palmer to-go cocktails are popular. There are also “Quarantrio” wine packages that include three staff-picked wines.
“We want people to have fun with it,” said co-owner Candace Barocci Warner.
There are new combo meal packages that include Convito entrees that generations have come to love, like lasagna with a salad, bread and dessert at one price.
“We have longtime, loyal customers who are helping keeping us going,” Barocci Warner said.
The team has made at least 12 meal deliveries to front-line staff at North Shore hospitals in Highland Park and Evanston, Selfhelp Home and to Hillside Food Pantry in Evanston, where they provided a milestone 100 pieces of lasagna. There have been lunches and dinners ranging in everything from pappardelle to BLTs.
In her personal time, Barocci Warner has been helping by delivering meals through Meals on Wheels.
“We’re still going to have to pivot,” she said, “but support is going to help us get to the other side.”
Early on, Avli Restaurant Partner Louie Alexakis and staff noticed the upswing in people cooking at home more and more, so they spent a great deal of time and thought putting together special baskets for home cooks. The baskets are a great way to showcase Grecian cuisine.
“You can take a taste of Greece home with you,” Alexakis said.
They collaborated with Village Batch (
“Usually Greek honey is conifer-based,” Alexakis explained. “These are very thick honeys with robust flavors.”
There are also special sea salt flakes and herbs, including oregano, thyme, red basil and bay leaf. “The four dried herbs are produced from a small-scale family farm on the Parnonas Mountain of Arcadia and the sea salt flakes come from the infamous coastal town of Mani at the southern tip of the Peloponnese,” said Village Batch co-owner Alex Boutsikakis.
Working with Village Batch is the kind of collaboration that Alexakis thinks more and more people should be considering now. “We should all be helping each other now and working together,” Alexakis said.
There are also baskets that feature Greek mountain tea. “In Greece, mountain tea is considered the healthiest tea you can drink,” Alexakis said. “Cook it in a rolling boil for about six minutes and it’s perfect.”
Baskets of wines feature Greek Pinot Grigio and some of the wonderful reds from Nemea in Greece. A favorite white wine is Georges Skouris Moschofilero, which is known for its wonderful spice.
“It’s a sweet-smelling, very fragrant grape,” Alexakis said.
Executive Chef and partner Jovanny Diaz said Tacos Guanajuato — “Tacos G” — had just opened in Kildeer shortly before COVID-19. There was no established base of dedicated customers in place, and people were quarantining at the same time the restaurant was trying to establish roots in the community.
“Early on, the pandemic was hard because it hit pretty soon after we opened,” Diaz said. “Running Tacos G has always been a ‘pandemic operation.’ It was a tough environment to be starting in because if you have been around for a few years, you have regulars and you are part of the community. You have built up a base of people who are going to support you in tough times.”
Staff responded by working twice as hard to get to know people while focusing on converting their restaurant to a mostly takeout business plan.
Customers have been placing to-go orders for mouthwatering signature menu items like their Lamb Barbacoa, Chile Rellenos, Pazole Verde Mexican chicken stew, and more. And yes, of course, there are even to-go margaritas. Diaz has also created new menu items like Blackened Salmon Fajitas and more.
Diaz quickly began posting cooking and preparation videos on social media. Online videos also show staff taking each other’s temperature in an effort to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19.
“I have been trying to demonstrate some of the fun aspects of preparing food,” he said. “People are cooking for themselves more than they have in a long time and it can become a chore. I hope that my videos remind people that food is something that is supposed to be fun and bring us together. Take a minute in all the craziness to enjoy some good food and drinks with your loved ones.”
The pandemic did not stop plans that owner Margarita Challenger had already set in place in November 2019 to move Guanajuato to a new location in Winnetka. Challenger said that perseverance and community has made all the difference.
“At every turn, this community has been there for us,” Challenger said. “Whether it has been ordering takeout or delivery or margarita kits or trusting us and coming to eat on our patio, the neighborhood has been our lifeblood and seeing how the bit of normalcy and routine we provide positively impacts people has helped us push through no matter how bleak things seem. Lean on each other. The only positive thing about this pandemic is that none of us are going through it alone. As long as we continue to support each other, we’ll be able to get through this all right.”
Veronica Hinke is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Editor’s note
This is part two of a two-part series on how restaurants adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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