Bread & Wine (3734 W. Irving Park Rd., 773-866-5266) announced Thursday that it has appointed Caleb Trahan, an alum of Alinea and Table, Donkey & Stick, as its new executive chef.
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Before coming to Chicago to work as Alinea’s chef de partie, Trahan served as sous chef in kitchens across the country, including North Carolina’s The Mountain Magnolia Inn and Restaurant Martin in New Mexico. Prior to that, the Louisiana native — who grew up with a love for baking bread and making Cajun dishes — worked on farms in Florida and New England.
As for what drew him to Bread & Wine, “First of all the name Bread & Wine. I love baking, and I love bread,” Trahan said. “From what I read that (the bread program) wasn’t something that was really pushed, so I wanted to do that.”
Trahan adds that the restaurant’s market, which sells homemade products like jams, jellies and wine, is something that he particularly liked. “That’s something I want to look into expanding,” he said. “I spent time in Louisiana and I like restaurants that are set up like that.”
In his new role, Trahan plans to bring a full bread program to the restaurant, which will include house-made buns, noodles and other bread products. Inspired by his farm work, he also plans to focus the menu according to “hyper-seasonality,” which will result in periodic changes to the restaurant’s offerings.
“I’m looking forward to working with local farmers,” he said.
In terms of the menu itself, Trahan said he plans to make dishes less protein-focused and “more cohesive.” This will also include a more complete incorporation of bread into every aspect of the menu.
As for specific new dishes, “I got a duck egg and duck bacon dish that I’m thinking about putting on,” he said. “As well as a lamb meatball styled after armadillo eggs (a jalapeno-stuffed meatball dish).”
Yet he acknowledges that his experience at Table, Donkey & Stick, where he most recently worked, has enabled him to be where he is today.
“I really think my time at Table, Donkey & Stick was some of the most experiential for me, as far as growing and learning things and making connections,” he said. “I’m really appreciative of that.”
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