UPTOWN — Jake Bickelhaupt has been trying to change the perception of Uptown, one plate at a time, since he opened 42 Grams with his wife in 2014.
He took another step forward on that quest last week when he was named a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef in the Great Lakes region of the annual awards that have been billed as "the Oscars of the food world." He was one of 11 chefs from Chicago to be named a semifinalist including Paul Fehribach, of Big Jones, 5347 N. Clark St. in Andersonville, according to the Tribune.
"I think the perception of this neighborhood is wrong, that it's a bad place. It's a beautiful place, and there's beautiful things happening," Bickelhaupt said in 2013 before opening the restaurant at 4662 N. Broadway. "A lot of people that aren't from this neighborhood are going to dine at this restaurant, that's going to bring awareness … and it can start changing the idea of the neighborhood."
The prestigious awards cover all aspects of food industry and culture including chefs, restaurateurs, cookbook authors, food journalists, restaurant designers and architects. They were established in 1990 to recognize "culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields," according to its website.
Bickelhaupt has worked in award-winning kitchens across the city including Alinea, Charlie Trotter's and Schwa, according to the restaurant's website. When the high-profile kitchens failed to satisfy his hunger to make a name for himself, he decided to host underground fine-dining affairs for groups of strangers with his wife, Alexa, at their apartment under the name Sous Rising.
After touring locations in Rogers Park and Edgewater, Sous eventually took brick-and-mortar form in the nondescript storefront below where they lived since 2010. In January 2014, 42 Grams served its first meal after performing a $100,000 rehab on the former home of Chester's Chicken, which had closed in fall 2013.
Months later, the restaurant earned a two-star Michelin rating after less than a year in business. The rating from the renowned travel guide indicates a restaurant has "excellent cuisine" and is "worth a detour." After the rating was announced, Bickelhaupt said the celebration went beyond the 18-seat restaurant and hoped it would inspire other chefs and business owners to open in the neighborhood.
“Certain neighborhoods have a stigma. We don’t like the negative views of Uptown. It’s a wonderful neighborhood," Bickelhaupt said in 2014. “We’re a destination but we’re also a neighborhood restaurant.”
A meal at the restaurant features Bickelhaupt's "approachable interpretation of new American cuisine." The name 42 Grams is "a riff on the premise that the soul weighs 21 grams," according to its website.
The reservation-only restaurant is open for dinner Wednesdays-Sundays with seats costing about $250. The restaurant is BYOB. Reservations can be made here.
The 2016 James Beard Awards Gala will take place at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Upper Wacker Drive, on May 2. For the full list of awards and nominees click here. For the 27 restaurants and chefs from Chicago nominated click here.
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