The expected opening later this year of an award-winning Chicago restaurant in Oakbrook Center will be a hometown affair for two of the four partners who own The Purple Pig.
The father/daughter duo of Thomas Shubalis and Marianna Shubalis Bannos live near each other in Oak Brook. They are partnered with chef/partner Tony Mantuano and his wife, Cathy.
The Purple Pig opened in December 2009 on Michigan Avenue in Chicago and its owners now plan to bring its award-winning food to Oak Brook, taking over the Oakbrook Center space previously occupied by the Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams furniture store, an effort that Marianna Bannos said “will take a lot of work to make the space restaurant compliant.”
She said their Chicago location continues to thrive while she and her partners look forward to opening a second restaurant, calling the Oak Brook market “a premier shopping, dining, entertainment and lifestyle destination in Chicago’s western suburbs.”
“It’s an exciting time for The Purple Pig, and we are looking forward to bringing a taste of city dining to the suburbs,” Bannos said.
She said the new restaurant will be similar to the Chicago location, with inspiration pulling from Mediterranean cuisine, but it also will offer many culinary enhancements in the 11,000-plus square-feet space.
“It’ll be a two-in-one, with the full service, main dining restaurant and bar in the back and a Purple Pig Market that you’ll enter through the front,” Bannos said.
She said the market will have coffee, pastries, pizza by the slice and gelato.
“This will serve customers who are looking for a quick bite or grab and go,” she said.
The 300-seat Oakbrook Center restaurant also will have outdoor dining, private dining and catering options.
As for the food offered in the restaurant, Bannos said the partners insist on offering dishes that are seasonal, unusual or unexpected.
“That’s what makes eating here such an enjoyable experience,” she said. “As enthusiasts of nose-to-tail cooking, our talented kitchen team makes us the place to try and share new things.”
Executive chef Efrain Medrano is all about seasonality too, Bannos said, presenting vegetarian dishes such as roasted squash and salt-roasted beets in the winter and tomato salads in the summer. Fresh seafood takes on a strong supporting role, Bannos said.
The Purple Pig also will offer a wide variety of creamy, soft and hard cheeses, in addition to many kinds of cured-in-house charcuterie and wines by the glass or bottle in a various price range.
“Cheese, Swine and Wine is our rallying motto,” Bannos said.
House-made desserts, gelato also will be on the menu.
“Service is attentive, polite and helpful, giving our guests the feeling of being invited into our home,” Bannos said.
Chef/partner Tony Mantuano’s resume is particularly impressive, as he is a James Beard Award-winning and Michelin-starred chef.
“(He) represents an exceptional brand of Mediterranean cuisine,” Bannos said.
Most recently, Mantuano was the food & beverage partner at Yolan, an Italian restaurant in Nashville that was voted the #1 restaurant in America by Food & Wine readers. He also was founding chef at Chicago’s Spiaggia, one of the country’s most decorated Italian restaurants.
“He’s built a reputation of excellence throughout his formidable career,” she said. “He is respected as a peerless mentor to others and has received 12 nominations from The James Beard Foundation, winning Best Chef Midwest in 2005.”
Mantuano also was honored by President Barack Obama for his culinary contributions to diplomacy, Bannos said.
“He’s often recognized for his appearances on national broadcasts and at prestigious culinary symposiums worldwide,” she said.
“With these accolades and the talent we will bring to Oak Brook, we believe that our product and service are unique to anything that the suburbs have experienced. The Purple Pig welcomes customers locally, regionally and internationally. Specifically, downtown, we host many international guests and expect that the Oak Brook location will also be a ‘destination’ to visit, whether you’re from near or far.”
Oak Brook Village President Larry Herman said The Purple Pig makes for a wonderful addition to the village.
“With the growing roster of restaurants, we are attracting more people from greater distances to shop and dine in Oak Brook,” he said. “The addition of The Purple Pig furthers this trend. That The Purple Pig is owned by long-time Oak Brook residents makes it all the more special.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
