New Wheaton taco eatery offers locally grown organic food

It may be their second brick-and-mortar location, but for Rick and Julie VanBuren, their new Fire It Up restaurant in Wheaton is a dream come true.

"Five years ago we wrote a business plan together and this was exactly what we envisioned our place to be in the future," Julie said. "It had a patio, it had a brick fireplace, it had that cozy, comforting atmosphere, but yet high energy music and obviously clean eating."

The "taco fusion" restaurant, as the VanBurens put it, opened earlier this month at 1060 College Ave., in a Tudor- style building just north of the train station.

"We're not your typical Mexican restaurant," Julie said. "Actually, that is not our focus. Our focus is really on organic and locally sourced. The taco shell is the vehicle we serve our foods in, so it's a way for us to get to the consumer an affordable, clean product."

A large photo of a red food truck that the couple used to start their culinary journey greets customers as they walk in, along with diamond-plated metal and red walls that Julie said are intended to give the feel of "walking into a food truck."

A chalkboard listing the names and locations of farms and businesses that provide the restaurant with its signature locally-grown and organic food is on display behind the server, giving customers an idea of what they'll be eating before they sit down.

Inside, the feel is softer, with exposed brick walls, high-top tables, wood accents and a bar serving local craft brews and sangria made with freshly squeezed organic fruits. The space is significantly larger than the original Fire It Up location at 572 Weston Ridge Drive in Naperville, with seating for about 60 inside and 40 outside when the weather warms.

Menu items include classic steak, shrimp and chicken tacos made with mixed greens, as well as unique offerings like a bacon, lettuce and tomato taco, a portabella mushroom taco and a cheeseburger taco. The tacos can be served on a tortilla or lettuce wrap and a spicy Fire It Up sauce is always offered on the side.

"It's all based on experiments that my husband and I have come up with," Julie said.

There are specials every week, including $3 Taco Tuesday, $5 sangrias on Saturday and $8 lunch specials during the week.

The VanBurens hope to expand their Naperville location and work toward opening five to seven more restaurants in the near future. They also have ideas for making their food sources even more transparent, by growing tomatillos, peppers, herbs and other plants on the patio, where customers can see them.

"We really believe in this concept. We've done so much research on the food system. We live and breathe this way at home," Julie said. "It's about making (customers) feel good when they walk out, and not feeling bloated or feeling like they had some sort of processed food. We want everyone to feel good."