Cariño — The People Behind the Plate
Our evening at Cariño was the continuation of a special date night from the previous year at Kasama — seeking a memorable night out during another visit back home to Chicago. From the moment we stepped in, the room struck me as intimate and immediately inviting and definitely not intimidating.
We were greeted warmly and settled into our seats, and it wasn’t long before I noticed something familiar — a direct sightline into the open kitchen, much like our experience at Kasama. You see everything. You hear everything. But what struck me most wasn’t the activity; it was the quiet. Not an uncomfortable silence, but a measured, deliberate calm — the kind of pacing that only comes when a team truly trusts one another. The music paced a lively latin vibe, and the room never once felt uptight. It breathed.
I politely asked our server if I could photograph the kitchen because I’m always fascinated by the effort of the people behind the plate. They graciously said yes — and gently cued me at the right moments so as not to disrupt the flow of preparations.
That’s when I had the chance to briefly speak with Chef Norman Fenton while he worked. What surprised me most was his humility. He genuinely thanked my wife and I for coming in, then asked, almost with quiet disbelief, “How did you hear about us?” — as if he didn’t fully grasp the reach of his own reputation. I told him simply that my wife had chosen his restaurant, drawn by the Mexican cuisine he was bringing to the table.
What Chef Norm has built at Cariño is no small thing. His path ran through some of Chicago’s most demanding kitchens before a nine-month road trip through Mexico changed everything — traveling through Mexico City, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Michoacán, Monterrey, and eventually Tulum, where he spent time as Executive Chef at the acclaimed Wild. That journey became the soul of Cariño. A 12 to 16-course tasting menu rooted in Latin American cuisine with a deep Mexican influence, earned a Michelin star within its first year and a place among the 50 best restaurants in the United States. The food speaks for itself — and that night, so did every single course.
I asked Chef Norm how the kitchen manages to feel so calm with so many moving parts. He chuckled. “Yeah, it seems like it — but it’s more like grace under fire.” It’s the most honest way to describe what we witnessed that evening — a team operating at the highest level, making the extraordinary look effortless.
Every course from the tasting menu was presented with intention and tasted exceptional. And then, to our complete surprise, the team sent over drinks to our table — non-alcoholic, which they were wonderfully respectful of — as a gesture of appreciation for the photographs. It was an act of generosity we weren’t expecting and didn’t ask for, and it meant more than they probably knew.
We later learned that Cariño had been featured on Apple TV+’s Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars alongside two other Chicago restaurants — a distinction that is very much well deserved, and one that only adds to the pride I feel for the city I grew up in. Chicago and great food have always been synonymous, and Chef Norm’s work is another reason why.
When I shared photographs from the evening on Instagram, Cariño agreed to collaborate on the post — something that drew far more attention to the images than I could have anticipated. It was a bonus I’m still grateful for. But honestly, we already had everything we needed that night: exceptional food, an impressive team running on calm precision, and the rare privilege of speaking with Chef Norm himself.
Our server, Camille de Haro, was the kind of presence that elevates the entire experience — warm, attentive, and genuinely friendly in a way that made us feel like guests, not just customers.
Food continues to be the thread that weaves us into new places — but it’s always the people behind the plate that make it worth remembering. Cariño is proof of that.
