Want kale with that? Angel investors fund Rosenthal’s Sopraffina

Published in Crain’s Chicago Business on October 31, 2013

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Dan Rosenthal, left, with Mark Knauer, architect on his latest project

Veteran Chicago restaurateur Dan Rosenthal and his new Streeterville venture have secured funding from an angel investment group focused on financing all aspects of the local food system.

Erie St. Clair Restaurant LLC, the group that owns the soon-to-open Italian fast-casual Sopraffina Market Caffe and Cicchetti, a Venetian-style bacari wine bar, received $435,000 in financing from the Sustainable Local Food Investment Group, or SLoFIG. The equity infusion brings total funding for the two adjacent restaurants with a shared kitchen to more than $5 million of combined debt and equity financing, he says.

SLoFIG was formed about two years ago by a group of Chicago angel investors committed to investing in startups and midsize businesses engaged in strengthening the local and regional food system.

The group has allocated more than $600,000 to three businesses, including its first investment to Nellcote chef Jared Van Camp’s West Randolph Street restaurant that derives much of its menu from nearby farms and food producers, says Kim Hack of SLoFIG. A blueberry farmer in Michigan was the third recipient of SLoFIG funding.

The decision to offer financing to Erie St. Clair was made in large part because of Mr. Rosenthal’s track record in promoting locally sourced, naturally raised food at his restaurants for many years, Ms. Hack says. Aside from the five other Sopraffina eateries and his role as a founder of Harry Caray’s, he also is an owner of Poag Mahone’s and Trattoria No. 10. “He has a remarkable commitment and has had a huge impact on rebuilding our local food system,” she notes.

The newest Sopprafina will be the first of its five siblings outside the Loop but will continue the tradition of sourcing animal proteins raised without antibiotics. Both new eateries will tap local sources for produce, including a new partnership with the Cook County Department of Corrections that’s already underway with Mr. Rosenthal’s other restaurants for naturally grown tomatoes, kale, squash, beets and more.

The two new food establishments will be the first in Chicago to receive third-party certification from Washington-based Green Seal for new restaurant construction. Eco-friendly design features include floors made of reclaimed wood, timber beams from Northern Wisconsin, and artwork that was originally hanging inside a Wisconsin grain elevator, Mr. Rosenthal says. The restaurants will use recyclable and biodegradable products whenever possible, sourced through the Green Chicago Restaurant Coalition, a nonprofit purchasing organization Mr. Rosenthal helped establish.

Cicchetti’s kitchen will be headed by executive chef Michael Sheerin, most recently co-owner of Trenchermen in Wicker Park with his brother Patrick, and formerly a chef de cuisine at Blackbird. Just announced: Sarah Jordan, (Blackbird, Boka, Jean Banchet Pastry Chef of the Year and one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Pastry Chefs in 2013) and Phil Rubino (Acadia, Cafe des Architectes, L2O, Bin 36, Spiaggia) will join Mr. Sheerin in the kitchen as sous chefs.

The small plates tapas bar will have a Venetian twist to it, highlighting foods that were influenced by Eastern and Middle Eastern cuisines introduced to Europe through that port city over the course of 1,500 years, Mr. Rosenthal says. Dishes may include pork belly buns with cabbage and argodolce and sardines with gremolata, fennel and rolled bread.

The restaurants are expected to open in mid-December and will be located at the corner of Erie and St. Clair streets, in the heart of the bustling Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s medical complex.

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