Coffee Roaster to Chicago's Restaurant Stars to Open First Café in Naperville's Water Street District
Coffee Roaster to Chicago's Restaurant Stars to Open First Café
in Naperville's Water Street District
Sparrow Coffee Roastery has made its name over the last four years in custom roasting coffees for the chefs and sommeliers over 200 of Chicago's top restaurants including Grace, Monteverde and Farmhouse as well as Vie, Tallgrass and Adelle's in the western suburbs. Now the coffee luminary will open its first café in Naperville, in the Water Street District in Downtown Naperville early next year. Chris Chacko, Sparrow founder and CEO says his relationship with local DeEtta's Bakery and his affinity for Naperville sealed the deal.
"I visit Naperville often. I love the idyllic Riverwalk and have always wanted to open a cafe in the downtown area. The opportunity arose when DeEtta's Bakery, the only Sparrow customer in Naperville, told us about a new development along the Riverwalk a year back," he explains.
"DeEtta's Bakery is on caliber with Chicago shops," says Chacko. "We engaged them to not just develop pastries for the cafe but to be a part of it, to see how our collaborative approach with food can take the café experience to a new level." The cafe will have rotating selections of nearly 100 single origin coffees based on what the roastery is roasting, as well as fresh juice, a wide selection of teas, pastries and breakfast-into-afternoon sweet and savory baked goods.
The 2,000 square foot, 40-50 seat café just off the entrance to the Hotel Indigo, will be designed by blocHaus of Chicago to offer a warm, lively and fun atmosphere featuring music, light colored wood, plenty of natural light and over $100,000 worth of brewing equipment. Chacko says this level of equipment is "like nothing Naperville has ever seen," including the first Poursteady in Chicago along with Alpha Dominche brewers and some technologies not yet seen in Chicago.
Chacko has been perfecting the craft of coffee roasting for 29 years, working with some of the rarest coffees in the world, and roasting to achieve specific flavor profiles with no additional ingredients. The staff at Sparrow is highly educated in their field, and Chacko expects customers will enjoy that experience. "We wanted people who know flavor to experience our product, and when we began working with chefs, things just exploded on the wholesale side. Now we are eager to bring that experience to Naperville, to people who love food, and create a dialogue."
Nick Ryan, CEO of Marquette Companies, developers of the Water Street District, says he has waited patiently for the right coffee experience to bring to the development. "We have great restaurants coming to our district, and Sparrow will complement their variety and quality perfectly. We are excited that they are collaborating with local talent in DeEtta's. When we visited the Roastery in Chicago, we were tasting coffees like you taste fine wines. That's exactly the caliber of experience we are looking to offer at Water Street."
The Water Street District in Naperville will include the 158-room Hotel Indigo Naperville Riverwalk, a variety of restaurants, retail shops, Elements private dining and event space, as well as offices, all along Naperville's iconic Riverwalk. Expansion of the Riverwalk on the south side of the river includes a lighted Century Walk mosaic art installation and seating, which can be reached by a staircase leading from the plaza and fountain. A 520-space public parking facility adjacent to the hotel provides parking for the Hotel Indigo, Water Street District and downtown visitors.
Sparrow joins restaurants 64 A Wine Bar, Quiubo, Santo Cielo and Blue Sushi Sake Grill as well as well as boutiques Southern Tide, London Skye and Traveling Tots. Openings will begin in October and continue through Spring 2017.
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