A Peruvian Chef Who Tasted Success in New York Unveils a Chicago Restaurant

Kayao is open in the former Uproar and Salpicon space.

Kayao, a new Peruvian restaurant from a group that includes Jose Luis Chavez — the Venezuelan-Peruvian chef behind Mission Ceviche, a casual New York restaurant that earned a one-star review from Times critic Pete Wells back in 2019 — opened its doors last week along Wells, just north of Division.

The restaurant’s name is derived from the Peruvian port in Lima (also known as Callao). The restaurant’s owners — a group that includes operator fellow Venezuelan Daniel Briceno, the founder of vegan empanada chain Fons — want to pay tribute to many cultures that Peru encompasses, including Chinese and Japanese influences that arrived via the port.

“People really got shocked with the flavors and freshness,” Chavez says in a phone interview. He took it upon himself to serve as a cultural ambassador, the role many foreign chefs take when marketing their cuisine to an unfamiliar audience For instance, Chavez says he was frustrated that many customers didn’t know to drink the leche de tigre, the citrus-based liquid used to cure the fish. As it was 2019, America was infatuated with poke, which is native to Hawai’i. Chicago’s role in the poke boom came from Aloha Poke Co., the Chicago-based chain that berthed hundreds of copycats.

Mission at Kayao is to break barriers when it comes to Peruvian cuisine.

Mission Ceviche blended some of those sensibilities into its operation. He calls Mission Cevice a “new way to interpret Peruvian cuisine.” Distilled, that means customers have flexibility in enjoying their raw fish bowls the way they want: “I need to break some taboos,” Chavez says.

While Chavez was enjoying success in New York, Briceno and his wife, Vanessa Crespo, were establishing Fons. Briceno impressed Chavez in a meeting in New York and was hopeful the chef would partner with him on a Chicago venture. Briceno’s youthful energy in building a brand was something that pushed Chavez toward a partnership. Kayao exists outside of the company behind Mission Ceviche.

Oysters

In Chicago, Crespo has redesigned a space made most notable by Salpicon, a pioneering Mexican restaurant that gave way — most recently — to Uproar. Uproar closed last year and Briecno and company took over the first floor. The second floor, Briecno says, is a different project under different owners. They’ve brought in a pair of cooks who worked at Tzuco, executive chef Sergio Orenlas and Gonzalo Castillo, to execute a menu with ceviches, lomo chifero, and more. It’s a different experience versus Chavez’s restaurants in New York, but the chef still says Kayao represents a break from Peruvian tradition. Adolfo Gosalvez, who comes from Mission Ceviche, serves as the culinary director.

Tuber Chips (taro, heart of palm)

The restaurant opened over the weekend and Briceno says he’s happy to be part of the community. They’ve built out a new sidewalk patio and also have retained Uproar’s swinging garage door window off Wells. They’re ready for the summer.

Kayao, 1252 N. Wells Street, open 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; reservations via OpenTable

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