Cantu Welcomes JAM Chef To Miracle Berry-Inspired Berrista

By Jennifer A. Freeman in Food on Jan 16, 2014 9:20PM

Berrista Coffee jelly donut with "scant calories and zero sugar"/Photo credit: Amy Stallard

We’ve been excited about Homaro Cantu’s new coffee and pastry shop, Berrista, since the announcement last fall, but fans have one more reason to anticipate the spring opening. Charlie Trotter alum and chef and owner of JAM, Jeffrey Mauro, will be chef and partner at the Old Irving Park breakfast spot.

Cantu and Mauro plan to base the concept of the new restaurant around the West African fruit, the Miracle Berry. There won’t be any wine into water, but the little fruit is pretty miraculous in its ability to make our taste buds think the most sour and acidic foods are really a sweet treat.

Here’s how it works: Put a tablet made with miracle berry on your tongue and let it dissolve. Now your taste buds are coated in a protein that changes how they process the flavors. Try biting into a lemon and there won’t be any pucker — only a sweet, zesty flavor.

We’ve tried the miracle berry with some of Cantu’s creations before and we’re excited to taste what he and Mauro can do at Berrista. The splurge of a jelly doughnut can be “miraculously” made healthy with sugar-free jelly. How will bitter coffee taste with the help of the miracle berry?

We had a decadent French toast at JAM, so Mauro is up for a challenge to create equally delicious miracle berry compatible dishes.

“To us, Berrista represents the start of an exciting new journey in culinary innovation, a place where new possibilities will take root and surprising new twists with flavor and health in mind cultivate daily,” said Berrista Chef/Partner Jeffrey Mauro.

The Old Irving Park location at 4219 W. Irving Park is an interesting choice, without other gourmet neighbors like Cantu’s other restaurants in Fulton Market, but we’re interested to see how it competes in the neighborhood. Maybe healthy options and miracle berry powers are exactly what it takes to go up against Dunkin’ Donuts.

Berrista is projected to open in spring 2014.