Parachute will become Parachute Hi-Fi.
James Beard award-winning chefs, owners and spouses Johnny Clark and Beverly Kim just closed their original, critically acclaimed Korean American restaurant on March 23, after marking a decade this year as a global culinary destination.
So why did they close Parachute?
“We came to the conclusion that after 10 years, we feel really proud of what Parachute has done so far in the community and in Chicago’s dining scene,” Kim said. “And we feel ready for a new chapter, a new album, so to speak. Something that’s lively and fun and original.”
They hope to open the new high-fidelity music bar and restaurant by June or July in the same space in the Avondale neighborhood.
And they’re bringing bing bread back.
The golden crunchy crusted baked potato-inspired bread had been off the menu for years due to the labor-intensive process.
“It might be in limited quantities,” said Kim, who is Korean American. “But we thought it’d be fun to bring bing bread back.”
“The bing bread was something that put us over the edge coming back from the pandemic,” Clark said. “And it was like, we can’t center our whole restaurant around bing bread, because that’s going to eat up all of our labor dollars and time. And so we’re working on a way to bring it into this casual setting. If we make the food more casual and fun, then we can find the room to bring back bing bread.”
The new menu will be “a lot different” than the last menu, Clark said. “It’s gonna be a lot more simple. More affordable and accessible.”
“More eclectic,” Kim said. “Korean and American.”
To them, the bing bread was just one of the many dishes they’ve put out, she added.
“For other people, we realized it brings nostalgia,” Kim said. “And nostalgia is even bigger than the dish itself.”
Overall, the new menu prices will be lower than the last menu prices, but the price of the beloved bing bread has not been set.
“It might be more expensive than it used to be,” Clark said. But they listened to the requests for the bing bread and found a way to bring it back.
The couple still owns Anelya just down the street on Elston Avenue. The modern Ukrainian restaurant is named for Clark’s late grandmother. She was an immigrant from Ukraine, as are all the cooks in that kitchen.
Clark and Kim also founded The Abundance Setting, to serve mothers in the culinary industry, which won the Tribune Critics’ Choice Award for Best New Industry Resource in 2021.
“There have been so many depressing things in the past four years,” Clark said. “And this gives us an opportunity to put the fun back into what we do. Like how we started. With no awards, no pressure and nothing to lose.”
“Going through COVID, how many different iterations we had to do for takeout made us realize so much about ourselves as the Parachute brand,” Kim said.
They offered everything from Korean pizza to Korean fried chicken to more high-end Korean food.
Korean pizza will probably not return, but its Chicago cousin is in the works.
“A pizza puff,” said Kim.
The pizza puff is a deep-fried wrap with a curious origin story that was invented in the city.
“That gives you an idea of the playfulness of the menu,” Clark said.
So what will going to Parachute Hi-Fi be like?
“The high-fidelity new and vintage audio equipment will be front and center,” said Clark, who’s become a collector.
They will reoutfit the space, but not totally transform it.
“It’s our adaptation of what is happening in Seoul right now,” Clark said. In the capital city of South Korea, there’s everything from high-fidelity listening rooms to bars to cafes, he added, but they will be more focused on food and drink.
And drinks will play a bigger role on the new menu.
“Patbingsu might make an appearance as a cocktail instead of a dessert,” Clark said about the Korean shaved ice with sweet red beans. “Or it might change back and forth.”
Look for creative cocktails and wild wines as well.
“We’re gonna embrace a little bit of the weird here,” he added. ”The same goes with the wine, like embracing the weird, wild and funky wines.”
“This is gonna be a very walk-in friendly space,” Kim said. “So no reservations, come as you are. That’s kind of how we started Parachute.”
They have plans to build a Parachute Korean fine dining restaurant in The Loop, but declined to disclose details.
They’re focused on Parachute Hi-Fi.
“There’s gonna be opportunities to ball out, but this restaurant is centered around being casual,” she added laughing. “You might see me and John dancing. We might be dancing with you.”
“Music, beverage and food will play equal roles here,” Clark said.
“We’re just trying to create the most fun place in Chicago,” he added. “That’s just how it’s gonna be.”
Parachute Hi-Fi, 3500 N. Elston Ave., 872-204-7138, parachuterestaurant.com
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