Bread & Wine Announces New Chef

IRVING PARK — Earlier this year, Lisa Fosler Kelly and Jennifer Wisniewski, co-owners of Bread & Wine, presented a united front with their chef, Curtis Gamble, having just celebrated the Irving Park restaurant's first anniversary.

"I see us as a team, and if one of the wheels fell off ...," Wisniewski said in February.

On Tuesday, the owners announced that Michael Dean Reynolds, formerly of Leopold and The Gage, would be taking over the kitchen and revamping the dinner and brunch menus to emphasize "small plates and light bites," according to a news release.

Fosler Kelly told Eater that Gamble, who has plans to move back to Pittsburgh, had been displeased with a recent two-star review from the Chicago Tribune, underscoring a difference of opinion with the owners, who were happy with the rating.

"It was time to go in a different direction," she told Eater.

Gamble's adventurous cooking challenged diners with unusual cuts of meat, including sliced pig face and duck balls. In his Tribune review, food critic Phil Vettel praised the chef's "silky" chicken liver, "tasty" blood sausage and "glorious" presentation of veal loin.

Reynolds plans to maintain Bread & Wine's signature dishes while rounding out the menu with less meat-centric offerings.

"I would like to see this business build upon its current success but also broaden its reach to offer more dining options and cater to a wider guest base," Reynolds said in a statement.