A year and counting.

What started as a reentering into the cooking “community” of Chicago, over time, grew into something much larger than I had ever expected. CRUX became like an umbrella for all who wanted to take part, or I at least like to think so. From restaurants to galleries, to houses and farms, CRUX has made its mark over the last year and will continue doing so for as long as the concept remains true. We are a community, a culinary collective, and we are here to serve you.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane…

Our birth. August 19, 2011.

CRABCAKE: Red pepper birthday cake, crab shell tuile, old bay frosting, fennel puree

When Ideas In Food first posted about frying corn silks, we got inspired: Elotes

The original three.

Foie gras, honey “crack,” concord grape

Kevin McMullen, the day we decided to go feed the homeless.

Hendricks Gin: Quinine gel, cocoa nib, carbonated lime, mint

John Dillinger: Rabbit terrine, acorn, grape, oak, celery

Our Artist dinner.

Duck, butternut squash, turnip, buttermilk, foie, lovage

Raw scallop, celery, cocoa, peppermint

Beet, vinegar, white chocolate

Beets, revisited.

One of our “Menu Rip-Off Series.” EMP.

Breakfast for dessert: Osmanthus sorbet, toasted spongecake, burnt orange, popcorn, honey.

Actual course.

Beets, revisited, again…

The second in our “Menu Rip-Off Series.” This time, Saison takes the hit.

Crudite, set in ranch consomme with tamarind.

More planning.

Tomato with pine nut and cheese.

David Eggers: Egg, botarga, trout roe, black pepper pearls, banana leather.

Portland, Maine.

Last Winter.

Veal heart, chestnut, cherry, smoke

Bacon-cured Mutton tongue, lobster brodo, nasturtium, carrot

Broken carrot, black cardamom

Portland, Maine.

Look for the U. Next on our list: Pittsburgh, Boston, NYC, L.A., and Texas.

“Everybody needs his memories. They keep the wolf of insignificance from the door.”- Saul Bellow

Wildfire.

“Every good painter paints what he is.” – Jackson Pollack 

What are you?

What’s up with CRUX?

There’s no other way of putting it: CRUX is our baby. And like every good parent, we had to make some serious decisions about what’s best for our little culinary brain-child. So after stewing over options, meeting with investors, crunching numbers, checking out spaces, and interviewing potential staff, we’ve finally landed on a solid direction – one that pays homage to our original principles and identities as creative, independent cooks.

Here’s the scoop:

CRUX is unique – we mean that in regards to the people involved, the things we do, and our outlook on the industry and the future of food. So in order to be who we are and do what we love to do, we want to keep CRUX more “underground” and less “institutionalized.” That said, we’ve decided to table the idea for a brick & mortar restaurant for the time being and focus on monthly pop-up dinners that will feature food you’ve never had, techniques you’ve never seen, and locations you’ve never been.  Trust us, this is just as exciting for CRUX as it is for our future guests.

You see, since our inception, chefs from all corners of the industry have expressed a desire to cook with CRUX. So, in the collaborative spirit of the collective, we have taken up those offers and began scheduling the subsequent pop-ups. Next of which will be in October and details will be announced tomorrow.

For those of you who have dined with us before, we hope to see you again next month. And for those of you who missed out on the August 19th pop-up, get ready to move on tickets for the October dinner – as there will be only a limited number of seats in comparison to the number of tricks we have up our sleeves.

As always, thank you for your continued support of CRUX and stay tuned for more information about what’s up next.

Get shit done.

We haven’t really had time to post this week, which made me think — why? Just because we hosted a totally kick-ass pop-up that everyone seemed to love, should not mean it’s time to “take a break.”

Directly after the dinner and clean-up, Vitolo left for Cleveland, Cadengo went back to his 14-hour shifts at Longman & Eagle, and McMullen returned to his sausage-making duties at the glorious Franks & Dawgs (who, by the way, lent us some life-saving bowls last Friday). And as for me? I took a much-needed day off to go hang out with the gorillas at the Lincoln Park Zoo, followed by a stage at El Ideas for the past two days.

While the gorillas helped clear my mind, El helped open it to a few new realizations.

First, it became clearer than ever that CRUX truly is a collaboration between everyone involved. Every dish is mulled over by each chef. The concept may be mine, but the technique may be McMullen, the plating may be Cadengo, and the flavor profile may be Vitolo.

This is in comparsion to El Ideas, who really seems to have a separation among chefs Foss and Brochu. At El Ideas, that model works, and it works well because diners that eat there are looking for a unique experience from two separate chefs. For CRUX, it would be our downfall. We are represented as one.

The second thing I realized is, “go-time” isn’t just one day. It’s not the hour leading up to service. It’s not the time between courses. For CRUX, it’s all day, everyday. And I don’t think we’d have it any other way.

And finally, here are some pictures in case you missed the dinner. Oh yeah, and another one is coming very, very, soon.

“Number 1 rule in creating art: Do not ever feel comfortable.” -Nicolas Winding Refn

Green tea, fisherman’s friend, tobacco, hay

Chicken skin, watermelon, tarragon, cornbread, "creamed" corn sorbet

Salt and Vinegar chip-fried clam belly, CO2 grape, celery branch, pickled carrot, champagne leather, celeriac

Bone marrow "scallop, caviar, gribiche, grass jam, sourdough

cahete de puerco, salsa de tlaquepaque, sopa de lima, elotes puree, enselada de papa, chorizo

Candied crab, birthday cake, burnt orange glass, fennel puree, old bay frosting

Breakfast for dessert: Buttermilk panna cotta, blueberry-bacon jam, darjeeling milk shake, pancake

Lavender, chocolate, tootsie roll, cherry, salep dondurma

We would also like to thank our donors for their contributions.

The Big Question: WHY? Pt. 3 of 3

What the CRUX?

No, Corporate America didn’t kick us out, and this wasn’t our last option in life. In fact, it’s our first passion. And we’re not talking about just cooking — but rather, the whole process: research, development, discovery, frustration, breakthrough, failure, success, high-fives, hand shakes, hard days, long nights…you name it.

When we think about why we cook, we lose ourselves to over-thinking and forget the real reason why we do what we do— it brings us together. Every now and then, between the franticness of the moment and taking ourselves too seriously, there are gleams of happiness, fun, and sincerity. Here are some shots, that I believe, show the rewards.

People look up to me. (Only to take photos like this.)

Just collecting a culinary DNA sample...

Minds open, mouths open.

Yes, ladies. He's single.

Enter at your own risk.

Just seeing how many cooks you can fit in a studio kitchen...

Gotta watch your back.

Yup, looking good.

Yup, ladies. Still single.

Typical model pose for a chef.

Tattoos optional, but certainly preferred.

MUCH more fun than watching paint dry.

View from the top.

“We are our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves.” – Tom Robbins

Who is CRUX? Pt. 1

It has come to my attention that most are still a little confused as to the “who, what, where, and why” behind CRUX. Over the next few days we will show you, using as little words as possible, who we are, what we do, and why we do it.

First up, meet the people who think up, prepare, and record your food.

Jaimee Vitolo

Brandon Baltzley

Pouya Asadi

Emmanuel Cadengo

Kevin McMullen

CRUX

“Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. ” -Albert Camus