Rick Bayless leaving acclaimed Chicago restaurants Lena Brava and Cruz Blanca
After more than four years and plenty of positive press, Rick Bayless is stepping away from Lena Brava and Cruz Blanca (900 W. Randolph St.).
“It wasn’t what I anticipated or what I really wanted, but it’s what we have to live with now,” says Bayless. “I will say, Lena Brava was like a dream of mine. I grew up in my family’s barbecue restaurant, and I loved that this concept had an all-wood-fired kitchen.”
Bayless says he also enjoyed working with the kitchen staff and the chef de cuisine, Stephen Sandoval, who had just returned to the restaurant earlier this year after working abroad. “The chef and kitchen staff over there are amazing human beings,” says Bayless. “I’ve never worked with a group that was tighter than them.”
While Bayless is gone, this isn’t another pandemic-related closing announcement. Instead, Manny Valdes, who co-owned the restaurants with Bayless, will take complete ownership.
Bayless says that he and Valdes had started to have a strained relationship, and that the pandemic put everyone under a massive amount of stress. “It wasn’t good for us or our staff,” says Bayless.
Valdes says that he and Bayless have been talking about this move since the coronavirus pandemic began in March. “Right now, because of COVID-19, ownership has to be on their toes to identify issues and opportunities that come out hourly,” says Valdes. “My focus has been on Lena Brava and Cruz Blanca, while Bayless has focused on his restaurants on Clark Street.” (Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, Xoco and Bar Sotano are all located along North Clark Street in River North.)
Valdes and Bayless had previously been partners in the Mexican foods products company Frontera Foods, which they sold to ConAgra in 2016.
Though physically connected, the restaurants Lena Brava and Cruz Blanca offer distinct dining experiences. Lena Brava was created to celebrate the seafood-heavy food of Mexico’s Baja coast, with an all-wood-fired kitchen. In a three-star review, Phil Vettel called the restaurant a combination of “Frontera Grill’s high-energy atmosphere with Topolobampo’s thrill of discovery.”
Cruz Blanca was pitched as the more approachable taqueria with a brewery. The taqueria portion of the restaurant has evolved multiple times since opening, moving from counter service to seated service. The brewery has grown steadily more popular, while also delving into more “playful” styles of beer, according to the Tribune’s beer writer, Josh Noel.
Valdes says he’s keeping the leadership teams of both restaurants, including Sandoval and Jacob Sembrano, head brewer at Cruz Blanca. He’s also been impressed with the business at both over the past month. “We are thrilled with our current pace and have no plans to close either business,” says Valdes.
Valdes hopes to increase the distribution of Cruz Blanca beer over the year. Things are going so well, he’s also starting to consider a second location for Cruz Blanca, though he’ll probably wait until the pandemic has ended. At Lena Brava, he hopes to continue the restaurant’s focus on wines from Northern Baja, while also expanding the offerings of Cruz Blanca’s barrel-aged beers. “These are beers that will pair with that style of cooking very well,” says Valdes.
Bayless notes that the beer side of Cruz Blanca was very important to Valdes. “That was his goal to expand the brewery into a big company. That’s his passion.”
<i>nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com</i>
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