Chef Marisa Paolillo Dishes On Mango Pickle

Mango Pickle (Re)presents Popular, Regional Indian Fare 

is to India what ketchup is to America. And in Chicago, Mango Pickle will soon be more than a condiment. It will become Chicago's newest Indian/Indian-inspired restaurant opening this fall in the Edgewater neighborhood. Chef and owner Marisa Paolillo proves dreams really do come true, but not without focus, determination and hard work. 

Paolillo and her husband Nakul Patel moved to Bombay, India in 2005 for his family's business interests. Little did they know, it would be Marisa's own career move that would be the real game changer in their lives. Realizing her true passion lied in cooking and not her sales profession, Paolillo began cooking alongside an American chef, running Table, a California-style restaurant in Mumbai.

She knew she'd return to the states eventually and open her own place serving traditional Indian dishes but with her own touch. When the couple returned to Chicago, Marisa continued honing her craft under the teachings of Ashlee Aubin at Wood in Boystown. 

Mango Pickle will be one of the first restaurants in the city to offer a selection of dishes from the vast and varied culinary landscape of India with its own modern-day twist. One of the highlights will be Paolillo's Khichdi, an Indian comfort food featuring rice, lentils, and minimal spices. She will also include in-season vegetables she picks from the weekly farmers' market. And though desserts may include Western sweets, such items will also make use of Indian spices like saffron and cardamom. 

The 50-seat restaurant will emulate the bright colors in Marisa's cooking and will be decorated with curated pieces from India, mostly mirroring the style of Mumbai, India's cosmopolitan metro on the Arabian Sea. Chicago, get ready to give the Mango Pickle a try this fall when the new Indian restaurant opens in Edgewater. 

Mango Pickle, 5842 North Broadway St.,