March 29, 2024
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Local News

Yorkville's Casa Santiago looking at rebranding to farm-to-table concept

UPDATED AT 1:25 P.M. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6:

YORKVILLE – After more than a decade, one Yorkville restaurant is about to revamp its entire businesse model.

Casa Santiago, 227 Heustis St. in the city'd downtown, is rebranding itself from its current Mexican restaurant concept to a farm to table one beginning next year.

Yorkville economic development officials said in a report the family that owns the business currently is teaming up with Yorkville resident and chef Mario Palaggi to develop "Butcher Block 360," which will include locally sourced meat and produce, along with other types of cuisines.

Lynn Dubajic, economic development consultant for Yorkville, said it's her understanding that, when the owners sat down as a family to discuss it, they thought the rebranding to farm to table would be successful. She said trends change in restauranting and the farm-to-table concept has been a popular trend nationwide and it would be something different for the city.

“I think that there is a feeling that there are many Mexican restaurants in Yorkville and perhaps it’s time, when they do a reboot, to do something different,” Dubajic said.

Generally speaking, Dubajic said, she thinks people have been very health-conscious lately and look for options that introduce organic or local food choices, meaning the seasonal food that’s served comes from local farmers or local sources for meat.

Dubajic said the exact completion date for the transition is unknown. She said she knows that, at some point, the restaurant would have to close for a couple of weeks for remodeling sometime after Jan. 1, 2020.

Polo Jimenez, owner of Casa Santiago, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Record Newspapers.

• This story was updated to include Lynn Dubajic's comments.

Katie Finlon

Katie Finlon

Katie Finlon covers local government and breaking news for DeKalb County in Illinois. She has covered local government news for Shaw Media since 2018 and has had bylines in Daily Chronicle, Kendall County Record newspapers, Northwest Herald and in public radio over the years.