Chicago Culinary Kitchen owners 'super excited' to open larger location in Palatine
After more than a year of work and anticipation, a popular BBQ joint in Palatine is poised to relocate to a larger space with a full bar and outdoor patio.
Chicago Culinary Kitchen, known for its locally sourced menu of brisket, pulled pork, spare ribs and pastrami, has gained an enthusiastic following with its food truck on Thursdays and limited hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
Owners Kristina and Greg Gaardbo said they are looking forward to moving from their location at 773 N. Quentin Road into the new space at 2391 N. Hicks Road, which will be open Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner.
The couple, who live in Palatine, hope to move sometime in June, pending final permit approval from the village.
“We're super excited,” Kristina Gaardbo said. “It's a much bigger space with an awesome patio. The vibe is going to be just amazing.”
The new space will represent everything they love, they said: community, family and rock 'n roll.
“It's about having fun,” Greg Gaardbo said. “It's about coming to our house. You're coming to Kristine and I's house — and that's how we want to treat you.”
Chicago Culinary Kitchen also offers catering and cooking classes, which hopefully will start in July at the new location.
There will be new features like a “pajama brunch” or “beer for breakfast” on Sundays, Greg Gaardbo said.
“I have a staff and I'm ready to go,” he said
The Gaardbos started Chicago Culinary Kitchen as a catering company and event space.
Four years ago they opened the restaurant, which also serves beer and wine.
“The biggest complaint was we're not open enough, we don't have enough food and we don't have enough seats,” Kristina Gaardbo said. “So we decided, 'OK, let's do it.'”
The couple built the new space to their own taste and specifications, a process that was a lot of fun but also took longer than planned, she said.
The COVID-19 pandemic also delayed things a little, she added.
Chicago Culinary Kitchen earned the 2020 “Small Business of the Year” award from the Palatine Area Chamber of Commerce, whose executive director, Steven Gaus, said the restaurant has “kind of a cult following.”
“They make really good BBQ,” he said. “They have great ribs, slow smoked. And their brisket is fantastic.”
Gaus said he's also really enjoyed having Greg Gaardbo participate in the chamber's Young Entrepreneurs Academy, which invites business CEOs to speak to the young participants. Inevitably, Gaardbo — who, like his wife, gives off a cool vibe with neck and sleeve tattoos — draws the most questions from the students, Gaus said.
“They (the students) get to see that all kinds of different people can be successful — and you bring your own personality to the game,” Gaus said.
The Gaardbos said they love their business and what it represents.
“What we missed was our communal tables,” Greg Gaardbo said.
“A lot of people made friends sitting down and sharing a meal next to each other. That's what dining is about — it's all communal.”