Bread and Wine Makes Good on 'Bread' With Arrival of Alinea Alum in Kitchen

IRVING PARK — Three years after opening, Bread & Wine is finally making good on the "bread" part.

Along with the restaurant's announcement that Caleb Trahan will take over as executive chef came news that Trahan will be introducing a full bread program.

Bread was always part of the plan, according to owners Lisa Fosler Kelly and Jennifer Wisniewski.

But it wasn't a strong suit of the restaurant's original chef, Curtis Gamble, and his successor, Michael Dean Reynolds, had his hands full reorganizing the kitchen and menu, they explained.

"Caleb loves to make bread. He has a real sense of how to do it. It's just in his nature," Wisniewski said.

Exactly how and when bread, which includes noodles and more, will turn up in dishes or on the table is still be determined, they said.

One thing is certain, once the program is up and running, loaves will be available for purchase in the restaurant's market.

Expanding the market's offerings with house-made items likes jams and other preserves is also on Trahan's to-do list, they said.

"It was always part of our vision for the market to be a bigger presence," said Fosler Kelly. "We are really looking forward to having the market be what it was supposed to be."

The two credited Reynolds for putting Bread & Wine on firm financial footing.

"He helped our restaurant immensely," Wisniewski said of Reynolds, who's leaving to take some time off. "We're stronger than ever and can take on more. He set Caleb up where he can have more help."

A native of Louisiana, Trahan's bio indicates a number of culinary influences, from his grandmothers' Cajun cooking to an appreciation for seasonality gained while working on farms in Florida, Maine and New Hampshire.

Following stops in North Carolina and New Mexico, Trahan came to Chicago to work as chef de partie (also known as station chef or line cook) at Alinea. Most recently he honed his bread baking and charcuterie skills at Logan Square's Table, Donkey and Stick, a Michelin bib gourmand recipient.

Initially, he'll be executing Bread & Wine's existing menu, Fosler Kelly and Wisniewski said.

In the spring, when the restaurant's dishes naturally change with seasonally available ingredients, more of Trahan's influence will become apparent, they said.

He's already pitched an "elevated meatloaf" along the lines of the rustic comfort food Bread & Wine featured in its earliest days.

"Fine rustic has always been the definition of what we do," with an emphasis on farm-to-table and whole animal preparation, said Wisniewski. "We're swinging back to that, only more accessible to a broader audience."

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: