La Grange Restaurant Opened As Pandemic Began

LA GRANGE, IL — In early March, Patch interviewed the owner of the soon-to-open Marco's Kitchen in downtown La Grange. He planned to start serving customers April 1. No fooling.

Owner and chef Marco Conte was speaking during the good ol' days just before the full force of the pandemic became apparent. As it turns out, Conte stuck to his schedule for his restaurant at 26 S. La Grange Road. By the time April 1 rolled around, the state had mandated the closure of restaurants' dining rooms. So Conte opened with curbside pickup, instead of in-house dining.

This week, the La Grange Business Association posted a video to Facebook with Conte speaking about his plans. He announced the dining room would open at the beginning of July, a few days after the state resumed indoor dining at restaurants.

Conte said his restaurant's dining room is "very small," seating 40 people normally, but only 20 now because of social distancing guidelines.

"We are here to make dining great," he said. "We create dining experiences."

He said Marco's Kitchen would continue curbside pickup for those who aren't ready for indoor dining.

According to his business plan, Conte, who has been a chef in the Chicago suburbs for 15 years, said his cooking style is based on his extensive world travel that includes France, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Asia and the Middle East. Among the places where Conte has worked as a chef is the now-closed Cafe Amano in Elmhurst, which served French- and Italian-inspired cuisine.

Conte said he wanted to "elevate the dining scene in La Grange," noting many downtown Chicago residents are moving to the area and are searching for a variety of restaurants.

Conte, a Detroit native, has 43 years of experience in the restaurant business.