Homaro Cantu Announces Berrista Location in Old Irving Park

IRVING PARK — True to his word, after gaining support from his neighbors on Facebook in the form of more than 1,700 "likes," Chef Homaro Cantu announced Thursday that he'll open his first Berrista Coffee in Old Irving Park at 4219 W. Irving Park Road.

The storefront, formerly home to the Old Irving Tap, will now be the site of Cantu's attempt to revolutionize the food people eat at fast-casual franchises such as Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts.

"Get ready world," he posted to Berrista's Facebook page. "#Healthy #JunkFood is coming for you."

Cantu's plan for Berrista is to offer prices and menu items comparable to competitors', with one marked difference. Not only will his food be made fresh and on site, but it will also incorporate the use of the "miracle berry," a fruit that has the unique ability to make sour things taste sweet — and thereby eliminate the need for sugar.

His goal, previously relayed to DNAinfo Chicago: "Put Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts out of business, hire their employees and pay them better wages."

The vision for Berrista, set to open in the spring according to Crain's, also includes operating a small indoor farm where Cantu could grow his own herbs in a bid for "zero food-mile gastronomy."

Though Cantu said he could have opened Berrista anywhere in the city, he opted for Old Irving Park, where he's lived for the past 10 years, because "all great movements, all great paradigm shifts start in a small neighborhood."

"I want to start out at the uber, uber local level," Cantu said.

After Cantu has spent years touting the miracle berry to neighbors and providing taste tests at his children's school, folks in Old Irving Park are also the most familiar with what he's aiming to offer.

"They get it," he said.