Homaro Cantu Reflects on 10 Years at Moto
Moto turned 10 this month, and unlike most 10-year olds, it has changed the landscape of gastronomy in Chicago and around the world. When the Fulton Market restaurant opened its doors, long before Fulton Market was one of the hippest dining strips in the country, Moto was an invigorating breath of fresh air, brimming with creativity and gumption. Over the years, Homaro Cantu’s creative and innovative vision has only sharpened.
“I’ve always tinkered around with inventions and was never allowed to just run away with that stuff,” says Cantu, the culinary wunderkind that put Moto, and subsequently molecular gastronomy, on the map. Before opening his own restaurant, he had only dabbled in the types of innovative techniques he dreamed about, so when the opportunity arose to do his own thing, he leapt on it, with the helpful nudging of his wife. “It was kind of a dream come true,” he says of Moto. This was his opportunity to show the world what he could do. “I’ve always wanted to be unique,” he says. “We can sort of pluck an idea out of the sky and just do it.” That freedom has enabled him and his talented staff to give Moto the longevity it has enjoyed on the cutting edge.
“There’s creativity and then there’s innovation. Innovations is as important as the food,” Cantu says. When Moto first opened, Cantu says the restaurant was more on the creative side, but over the years, he applied more innovation, adapting techniques to food you'd sooner expect to see in a NASA lab than a kitchen. This is where offshoot concepts such as iNG and the forthcoming flavor-tripping coffee and pastry shop Berrista come into play. Over the years, his most memorable experiences include the day that Ben Roche started working with him, the day that the Check, Please! episode featuring Moto aired and had a profound impact on the restaurant, and the opportunities to work with talents such as Chris Jones and Richie Farina, the latter of whom was recently appointed executive chef of Moto. “I’m just a facilitator of great talent,” says Cantu humbly. And speaking of humble, his next endeavors are to bring his innovations to a wide audience via retail and quick service. “Innovation is great for people who can afford it, but innovation is really for a wider audience,” he explains. His goal is to apply it so that it can be enjoyed by millions of people.
In honor of Moto’s 10-year anniversary, the restaurant is going back to its opening day pricing for its 12-course tasting menu with 10 wine pairings from January 29 through February 8.
Moto
945 W. Fulton Market, Chicago
(312) 491-0058
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