Two ex-chefs from two-Michelin-starred Oriole plan to open their first restaurant in the now vacant Winchester space in Ukrainian Village. Genie Kwon and Tim Flores said at a community meeting last night that they hope to open the restaurant in late spring or early summer, Block Club reported, with a menu highlighting Filipino dishes and French-American pastries. The couple referred to the restaurant as Kasama on a liquor license application.
Flores, whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from the Philippines in 1975, said that he hopes to reflect the Filipino dishes of his childhood in the restaurant menu. Kwon plans to display her pastries at a counter inside the space. Menu details are not currently available, but they aim to offer breakfast, lunch and dinner on Tuesday through Sunday.
Kwon and Flores, who first met a decade ago while working at GT Fish and Oyster in River North, helped found the fine-dining restaurant as pastry chef (Kwon) and chef de cuisine (Flores) when it debuted in 2016. Eater named Flores a Young Gun finalist in 2017 at age 27, and the couple left Oriole the next year. Last year, both joined acclaimed Mako chef and owner B.K. Park to create a unique 12-course meal that may or may not be indicative of what diners can expect in Ukrainian Village.
Winchester, a popular all-day restaurant, closed for reconcepting two years ago but ownership never reopened. Flores and Kwon reportedly are in the process of purchasing the building at 1001 N. Winchester Avenue.
Stay tuned for updates and news on the project.
Kasama, 1001 N. Winchester Avenue, Slated to open in late spring or early summer.