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| We have lots of exciting news. Executive Chef Chris Macchia of Coco Pazzo Café, has moved over to Coco Pazzo. He is introducing lots of new menu items and a vibrant Spring Tasting Menu. Look for his recipe for Insalata Carciofini (Baby Artichoke Salad) at the end of the newsletter. |
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| We also want to introduce Jim Kilberg, our new chef at Coco Pazzo Café. Come and enjoy Chef Jim’s flavorful cooking on our alfresco dining patio, which is now open! |
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| And don’t forget. Mother’s Day is May 11 and less than a month away, so make your reservations soon |
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Imaginative, energetic, and of course, Italian, Chef Chris is passionate about Tuscan Italian cuisine and plans to bring the Coco Pazzo menu to life with the finest local and organic flavors the season has to offer. Born and raised in New York, Chef Chris’s creative flair was honed through his Culinary Institute of America (CIA) education  and his notable experience at Coco Pazzo Café, Gotham Bar and Grill, Four Seasons, Maui and Peninsula Hotel, Chicago. Below he shares his vision for Coco Pazzo.
Dear Friends,
I want what all chefs want––for you to love dining in our restaurant. Ingredients and flavor are my passion. And what that means to me, is creating delicious dishes incorporating fresh, local and organic ingredients that exceed your expectations. I believe in the Tuscan tradition that food should be alive with quality and then brought to your table with the perfect combination of flavors. This is an exciting opportunity for me and I look forward to sharing my seasonal, Tuscan-inspired menu and our new Spring Tasting Menu with you. I hope to see you soon at Coco Pazzo and please stop by and say hello.
I welcome hearing from you.
Ciao,
Chef Chris
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One of the first ideas Chef Chris and Jack Weiss are implementing is a tasting menu featuring spring ingredients. This is new to Coco Pazzo, but it is hardly a new concept. The Italians have more or less eaten this way  for 2,000 years, structuring their meals with small consecutive courses. Starting with antipasto, pasta, meat, bread, seafood, veggies, salad and ending with cheese, dessert and coffee. Each tasting menu will offer a new combination of courses, so be prepared to not only eat Italian food, but also in the Italian style. Di gusto!
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Enough about Coco Pazzo, or the team at Coco Pazzo Café will feel left out because they also have a new chef. So we welcome Jim Kilberg, former chef of Cafe Bice and Gioco. After working his way up to Sous Chef, Chef Jim moved to Florence, Italy for a year of refining his skills under Francesco Bernadelli at Beccofino and the resort Borgo di Fontibussi in the Chianti region. All of this makes him the ideal choice for our lively Streeterville café. Once Jim has settled in, we’ll tell you more about his spring & summer menus and the delicious surprises he has in store. |
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 Now that it’s warm outside, the Café’s 60-person alfresco dining patio has opened its French doors to the great outdoors. It’s Jack Weiss’s favorite time of the year, “When the doors open to the patio, the Café radiates with the flavors and colors of spring. It’s a delight to be surrounded by the fun-loving crowd, taking pleasure in the alfresco dining experience.” |
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Chef Chris thinks baby artichokes are cool because the leaves are nice and tender when they are small. Notice we didn’t say “young”? That’s because baby artichokes are fully mature, but come from the bottom of the plant where they don’t grow as big. Enjoy! Get recipe.
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The spring menu at Coco Pazzo is simply blooming with spring.
• Ravioli Di Asparagi
Hand made pasta stuffed with whole milk ricotta and asparagus, garnished with fresh Oregon Morels and asparagus. Is that green or what?
•Insalata Carciofini
Shaved raw baby artichokes, rocket, lemon oil, pecorino Toscano D.O.P.
• Tortelli Con Caciotta
e Fave Hand made pasta stuffed with goat cheese and caciotta cheese sauced with braised leek, fava, Parmesan and butter, garnished with crispy smoked prosciutto and pea tendrils.
• Carre d’Agnello
Herb crusted half lamb rack, stewed baby artichokes, roasted tomato, great northern beans, olives.
Talk to us. We listen.
We’d love to know what you would like to see us put in our newsletter (or take out). Do you want to know more about the menus, or more about Tuscan food?Email us by clicking here.
We also want to know about your experience at our restaurants. There is a feedback form on both websites.
We promise that every bit of feedback we receive goes directly to owner Jack Weiss.
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Coco Pazzo, 300 W Hubbard, 312.836.0900 • Coco Pazzo Café, 636 N St. Clair St, 312.664.2777
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