“My kitchen at the restaurant is like Legos,” says Homaro Cantu, the executive chef at Moto. “Everything is mobile to accommodate any ideas we have. You always have to be willing to change things up.”
And change things up he does, in a big way. The Fulton Market Street restaurant has quickly become one of the city’s most buzzed-about eateries since it opened last spring. It is the central headquarters for Cantu’s wild but fascinating ex-periments — from edible paper to the use of liquid nitrogen baths — that radically reinvent how food is prepared, served and savored.
This is sci-fi gourmet.
Needless to say, Cantu is looking to cultivate a theatrical dining experience and understands that creating the right mood is half the fun. Last week, he gamely invited us into his home to create a romantic Valentine’s Day table setting for him and his wife, Katie.
We asked set decorator Tanja Deshida, who works on films and TV commercials, to transform the room on a $100 budget. After a quick visit to the Cantus’ home, Deshida decided on a design concept using sexy, silky Indian fabric. “All in all, I spent about a third of the budget on fabric. It makes an impact more than anything else.”
She also spent some time learning a bit about the Cantus, who first met three years ago when Homaro (who goes by Omar) was a sous chef at Charlie Trotter’s and Katie was a guest chef for a day. (The restaurant frequently auctions off such slots for charity.) The two were paired in the kitchen; six months later, they were engaged.
Chef marriages can be a unique challenge, but Omar and Katie are clearly a team, prone to deadpan humor. And more often than not, it is Katie, a foodie who cooks for the frequent dinner parties they host in their home.
“We are really into entertaining,” she says. “We just got married, so we have all these gifts we want to try out.”
The couple, who are expecting their first child this summer, recently moved into a classic Chicago bungalow in the Irving Park neighborhood. The dining room, which they painted a rich mulberry red, is the first thing you see when you walk in the front door. The space is defined by gold silk curtains on the windows and a wood table made from the floorboards of an old barn.
Making a splash
For the tablecloth, Deshida went to Chicago Fabrics & Fashion on Devon Avenue, where she found a diaphanous sari fabric in gold, festooned with shiny metallic sequin disks. (See accompanying story for a complete breakdown of the budget and store information.) “You want something a little brighter for a special occasion,” she says. “Something to sparkle.”
Her purchase included a satiny fuchsia fabric with floral embroidery that reverses to a purple and orange stripe. “It was in the remnants section so I got a good deal. You should always look through the remnants.” Deshida cut the fabric into napkin-size squares, leaving the edges raw. (If you intend to use the napkins more than once, she suggests hemming the edges yourself or having a tailor do the job.) The remaining fabric was used as a runner for the Cantus’ sideboard.
She also picked up a hot pink sheer scarf that she used to drape around and over the chandelier because “everyone looks better in pink light; it softens the features.” (Keeping fire safety in mind, we turned to the Chicago Fire Department and got this advice: Fabric should be draped only from places that do not cover or come in contact with the bulbs or any other heat source. To get a pink-hued light, try pink lampshades or pink lightbulbs instead.)
For Deshida, even the shopping trip was an adventure. “You have to take off your shoes to enter the store,” she explains, “and you’re encountering women who are buying sari fabric for their wedding. Then you can get your nails done in the neighborhood or have a wonderful lunch.”
In fact, Deshida stopped into Hema’s Kitchen on North Oakley Avenue for a quick meal and happened upon a coincidence. “The owner had done the same thing with the gold fabric, using it as a tablecloth. After seeing that, I knew, OK, maybe this isn’t too crazy of an idea.”
The element of surprise
To achieve a warm, inviting glow, Deshida opted for tea lights instead of candlesticks and used votive holders as mini vases for individual orchid buds — an idea inspired by something she once saw at a sushi restaurant. “The trick is trying to think of using things out of context.”
One of Deshida’s favorite off-the-beaten-path locations is RR#1 Chicago, an apothecary and gift shop where she picked up various knickknacks to dress the plates and table: a tin of Smith’s Rosebud Salve, candy hearts printed in Spanish (“Te Amo,” “Beso” and “Ama Me”) and glass red heart ornaments.
“It’s about personalizing the table,” says Deshida. “I thought the salve might be nice for Omar since he’s a chef working in the kitchen all day — I thought it would be nice for his hands.”
Another personal touch: childhood photos of Katie and Omar, which Deshida placed in glitter-encrusted frames on the sideboard. “Find the one where I’m wearing the `The Dukes of Hazzard’ T-shirt,” Omar calls to his wife as she rifles through their photos. The portrait becomes a running joke between the two, with Omar flashing it at his wife every so often to get her to laugh.
And the Cantus seemed impressed with the final result.
“I think it’s very dramatic,” says Omar. “I always thought it’d be fun to transform the room.”
And then a thought comes to mind. “I’m considering doing something in the kitchen at Moto. It looks really bright and futuristic right now, but I like the idea of different pastel fabrics over the lights.”
The remark prompts a “No, Omar!” from Katie, who clearly thinks the idea is a little kooky.
He smiles in response. “The kitchen is constantly in a state of transition and evolution. I’m all about the lounge or the spa — that’s where I want to work all day. One night, I actually put candles in the kitchen and dimmed the lights. It was one of our busiest nights — and one of the smoothest.
“It was pure Zen,” he laughs. “Like Jedi master.”
– – –
Where the money went
Armed with a $100 budget, set decorator Tanja Deshida hit favorite retail haunts for her sexy fabric-based Valentine’s dinner design concept.
RR#1 Chicago
814 N. Ashland Ave., 312-421-9079
2 red glass heart ornaments ($16)
2 boxes of candy hearts printed in Spanish ($1; left)
1 tin of Smith’s Rosebud Salve ($5)
1 tin of cinnamon flavored Elvis mints ($3)
1 handmade gift card ($6; at left, center)
Chicago Fabrics & Fashion
2335 W. Devon Ave., 773-381-1500
3 yards of sheer sari fabric with gold sequins ($30)
1 yard of sari fabric in a fuchsia floral pattern ($4)
1 sheer sari scarf in hot pink ($4)
Asrai Garden
1935 W. North Ave., 773-782-0680
1 orchid stalk ($20)
Target
7 votive holders ($4.13)
12-pack of tea lights ($2.99)
Devon Dollar Plus Inc.
2334 W. Devon Ave. 773-338-0070
2 glittery picture frames ($3; left)
Total: $99.12
