Introducing VELA

At Chicago’s VELA, the diverse flavors and energy of Mexico are showcased through the lens of its capital city. Taking its name from the Spanish word for candle, Vela bridges the past and the present, where the flames of tradition dance with the contemporary. Its name captures the essence of Celeste Group’s commitment for VELA to be a place where the warmth of Mexican culture and the vibrant tastes, styles and sounds of Mexico City converge to create an unforgettable experience.

While they may have some 75 years of hospitality experience between them — ranging from a Michelin-starred restaurant to trendsetting nightclubs — one city alone kept popping up in the discussions of the four partners of the newly formed Celeste Group: Mexico City. It’s a city they all had repeatedly visited and a place whose stories, both on the plate and beyond, deeply captivated them.

Mexico City provides a mirror into the country’s distinct regional cuisines as well as embraces the food of the other cultures that have called this melting-pot city home. From flavorful street food and elegantly classic restaurants to homegrown chefs offering unique takes on their country’s cuisine, Mexico City has become one of the most exciting food cities in the world. Its bars have captured the attention of global cocktail connoisseurs, earning numerous awards in the process. Throw in equally dynamic art and design scenes, and the partners had found the muse for their first restaurant as a group.

Rooted in traditions but not limited by them, VELA embodies the Mexico City of today, a cosmopolitan city that equally encompasses its past and present. From its modern design anchored by soothing earth tones to its deeply flavorful cuisine, Mexican spirit-forward cocktails and thoughtfully curated music, VELA embraces the contrasts and high energy of this beloved international city.

Heading up VELA’s culinary team is Chef Jorge Angulo, whose Mexican heritage and professional background perfectly align with the goals of the restaurant. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, Angulo has headed up the kitchens at Spanish, Mediterranean, seafood-focused and upscale Mexican restaurants.

At VELA, all of Angulo’s experience and expertise will be front and center on the menu, which offers a mix of the familiar and the new.

Commitment to faithfully expressing the flavors of Mexico begins with VELAs tortilla program. Varieties of imported Mexican corn will be nixtamalized in-house to create the masa to be used for the restaurant’s tortillas, hand pressed and cooked on a traditional comal, and other masa-based dishes. With family members who have tortillerias in Mexico, Angulo didn’t have to look far for education on this complicated process. Additional authenticity comes via Vela’s partnership with a local farm to grow Mexican microgreens for the restaurant.

But the best way to get a sense of VELA’s unique culinary vision is through its dishes.

Like at some of Mexico’s most revered restaurants, VELA has its own mole madre, a similar concept to a sourdough mother in which the base of the sauce is used to continuously shape a flavor that evolves and becomes more complex. At VELA, the mole is paired with tender pork belly that features a layer of crispy skin, utilizing a cooking technique found in the Yucatan (Castacán style). Peppery micro nasturtium and pickled gooseberries finish the dish.

Mexican and French techniques come together in the Langostinos a la Plancha, in which a classic Beurre Blanc sauce and equally classic chile-and-nut macha verde salsa are both used to flavor the grilled prawns. Oil-infused herbs garnish the dish. VELA’s Pibil eschews the traditional shredded pork butt and instead uses Iberico pork collar, a cut that achieves melt-in-the-mouth tenderness with each slice. It’s cooked low and slow for 12 hours in a deeply flavorful Pibil marinade and served with pickled red onions.

Tlacoyo, a traditional dish originating from the regions around Mexico City, is a staple of Mexican street food. Made from masa, the oval-shaped tlacoyos are often stuffed with beans, cheese and other ingredients before hitting the griddle. At VELA, three different mushrooms, chosen for their unique textures and flavor profiles, are paired with an umami-rich salsa negra and an avocado salsa verde, the latter of which adds brightness to the vegetarian dish.

Like its food menu, VELA’s beverage program is innovative and thoughtful, offering emerging Mexican spirit brands as well as those more well-known. Agave-driven spirits, including tequila, mezcal, raicilla, sotol, and boca nora, were carefully chosen for their range of flavor profiles and price points. Mexican whiskeys also have found a welcome home at VELA. The cocktail menu includes Mexican classics and drinks that tap into the creativity of Vela’s bar team, all beautifully built eschewing gimmicks. Flights are offered for those who want to further explore the spirits’ unique subtleties in a side-by-side tasting. Wines take a more global approach with international and domestic offerings, chosen for their ability to capture the nuances of the celebrated varietals featured.

A harmonious juxtaposition of traditional with contemporary is the backbone of VELA’s interior design, which utilizes various textiles to evoke the cultural fabric of Mexico City. Rich earth tones, ranging from terra cotta to forest green, inspire calm while the flickering candles, a nod to the restaurant’s name, cast a glow on the striking stone and handmade tiles. The 120-seat open space features contemporary furniture that offers a modern contrast to the lime wash and stucco walls and natural wood herringbone flooring. Light is an important element at VELA, from the handmade Venetian chandeliers at the entrance to the dramatic glass beaded chandeliers in the private dining room. As you walk in, a marble-topped bar is adorned with an illuminated carousel hanging shelf showcasing Vela’s agave spirits. The bar’s oval shape encourages conversations. In line with Celeste Group’s signature style, plants can be found throughout VELA, naturally bringing the outdoors in even on the coldest of days.

Featured as one of CS Magazine’s 12 Most Anticipated Openings.