John des Rosiers Opening Wisma Inside Chicago French Market in January

It looks like John des Rosiers is finally making his way into the city. The invoasi and Wisma owner, both set in north suburban Lake Bluff, recently signed a lease to open an outpost of his Wisma brand at the Chicago French Market. Des Rosiers had talked of big suburban expansion plans with a city presence much further down the line, but an opportunity came about and the chef jumped on it.

Des Rosiers hopes to open his third Wisma, an upscale prepared-foods grocer, just after the New Year, which is a little more than a year after opening his first spot. This new location will feel more like a storefront than a walk-up counter like many of the other French Market vendors. Guests will be able to walk in through an entry-like space and have comfortable seating. The shop will sell about 80 scratch-made products prepared daily, including sandwiches, salads, pastas, soups and larger entrees, similar to what they do at Wisma currently. While Wisma will eventually add beer and wine by the glass, des Rosiers said he won't offer cheese or much salumi since Pastoral already does a great job with its selection on the other side of the market.