Today we’d like to introduce you to Kitty Izzo.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My husband Dave and I have always been passionate about hospitality- he’s been a chef at some of Chicago’s most legendary and outstanding restaurants and I have had the opportunity to work for some of the best designers in interior furnishings, and I think we just felt it was time to set out on our own. We’ve lived in the neighborhood for over a decade, and knew we wanted something in Logan, and more particularly this part of Logan. Having a large patio was #1 on our list. Something that felt like you were at your buddies’ back yard BBQ. Everything began to transpire from there- but of course we needed to find the space. That was the tricky part. Obviously in the city, there’s not a ton of commercial real estate with ample outdoor space- so we looked for about 2 solid years. We drove by this used car lot every day, and one day all the cars were gone, so Dave decided to call the guy up and ask if he’d be interested in selling- and I guess the rest is history. It’s a huge lot, 6,000 sq. ft., so we really got to get creative and that’s when we decided on putting in a camper bar, to feel like maybe you’re tailgating, then the bocce courts, then the fire pits. Our winters are so brutal here, and often time’s people don’t have yards or any outdoor space, so it was important to us to create a space that allowed people to run around and feel active and to bring their dog or their kids- something that provided more than just being able to sit outside at a table eating. Bringing the community together has been a really important part of this for us too. If you’re sitting at the campfire outside, you’re bound to talk to everyone else- we’ve gotten to know a lot of our neighbors that way! People we might pass daily walking the dog, but never take the time to stop and talk. We try and do a lot of holiday events like Easter Egg hunts (we bring our 5 chickens in to range and everyone gets a kick out of that), or right now we brought in 50 Christmas Trees so guests can purchase one from our “tree farm” and build a gingerbread house and make a fun night of it rather than just going to some big box store for their holiday trees. We’re having a lot of fun and just learning what works and what doesn’t necessarily- but we’ve been really fortunate so far and have gotten a lot of support from the community and the city overall.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha- smooth? No. But we don’t have too many complaints, honestly. Of course permits and construction and licenses were all nail biters. We wound up opening on New Year’s Eve essentially, which January is never an ideal time to open a restaurant, especially in Chicago. In hindsight it was perfect though. It gave us ample time to get our ducks in a row and work out some kinks before the summer season. There’s no way we could have opened in July- it just would have been too busy for us right out of the gates. It’s a challenge to have such a seasonal place. You go from 150 person capacity in the winter to a 500 person capacity in the summer… so that can be really tricky in a lot of ways. Dave really takes the time in creating his menus and not only considers the season for produce and freshness, but also what’s going to work when the patio is packed and you need food flying out of the kitchen. He kind of builds his menus backwards and first considers how much something can be prepped, how long it will take to fire and plate, then what seasonal ingredients he can incorporate, which farmer is carrying it, and then he’ll actually create it and do the tastings, toy with plating, before it finally makes it to the menu. I’m always fascinated by his process. And it’s worked really well for us.
Park & Field – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Our company is a vintage sports club. We wanted to create something that was chic and beautiful… just because it’s a sports bar doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful… I wanted to pay homage to all the sports, incorporating tennis with our racket cultures, and rugby, skiing and boxing. I think it’s easy to get caught up in basketball and baseball, but I was fascinated with the beauty of these old hand sewn rugby balls and the gorgeous wood on the tennis rackets… I don’t want neon Miller Lite signs, I wanted crystal chandeliers, and that’s not something you think of when you think “sports bar”. We also wanted that quality reflected in our food and drink menus. Dan does such an incredible job working with his vendors in getting some really rare beers and keeps our cocktail list seasonal and has some outstanding wines- I think it’s easy to think of a sports bar as pretty basic. A place to get buckets of beer- it’s much more intriguing to know you can get a beautiful Sauvignon Blanc, or a nice KBS Stout. Same goes for the menu. It was important that the food be held to a high bar. Dave always has a fresh fish, and several beautiful salads, and he keeps everything seasonal, always. I don’t think that’s something we’ve come to expect when going to a sports bar, and we wanted to change that mindset.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Wow… there’s been so many! I’d say probably for all of us it’s bringing our family in. We are a family run place, so when Dave and Dan brought their parents in for the first time, it was just as exciting for me to see my in laws faces light up as it was for them, I think! My dad always wanted to open a restaurant of his own when I was a kid, he loves to cook and to eat- so it was really cool to bring him in and feel like, we did it!
Pricing:
- All wines by the glass are $8 and bottles are $25
- Park Burger (seared double patti served on brioche bun with fries) $10
- Brook Trout (served with squash spatzle, roasted apples, swiss chard and roe butter sauce) $15
Contact Info:
- Address: 3509 W. Fullerton
Chicago, IL 60647 - Website: parkandfieldchicago.com
- Phone: 765-426-6657
- Email: info@parkandfieldchicago.com
- Instagram: @parkandfield
- Facebook: Park Field
- Twitter: @parkandfieldchi
- Yelp: Park and Field
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