Rockford native who learned from Michelin-star chefs returns home to lead Crave’s kitchen
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A Rockford native who has spent the past dozen years working with some of the country’s most celebrated chefs in Chicago is returning home to take on the role of executive chef at the future Crave kitchen and cocktails.
Miguel Mora will lead the kitchen at Crave, 3801 N. Perryville Road, a new restaurant from the mother-daughter duo of Angela and Ava Vitale that’s targeting an August opening.
“Chef Mora instinctively understands the culinary heartbeat of his hometown,” Angela Vitale said in announcing the hire. “His passion and boundless energy will translate into innovative, yet affordable dishes that celebrate the local palate with a cosmopolitan flair.”
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Mora grew up in west Rockford and graduated from Guilford High School in 2005. He went on to study at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago and work hand-in-hand with Michelin-rated chefs at top-rated restaurants. The Vitales say his expertise allows Crave to provide big-city dining in Rockford without the big-city prices.
Mora said he’s eager to give Rockford a culinary experience it hasn’t had before, and he hopes to help turn Crave into a local staple.
“I’m excited to be able to give people the experience that I never thought I would’ve had,” he said in an interview with the Rock River Current. “I want to be able to showcase everything that I’ve learned and give people things that they’ve never thought of and they’ve never even tasted.”
His experience includes working as the sous chef at Girl & the Goat, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant owned by Stephanie Izard, who was the first woman to win Bravo’s “Top Chef.”
Mora previously interned with celebrity chef Chef David Chang, who founded the Michelin-rated Momofuku restaurants. Mora also staged at Alinea in Chicago, which has earned the AAA 5 Diamond award 10 times and has had multiple appearances on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Alinea has been ranked among the 10 best restaurants in the world.
“He’s got the experience. He’s got the pedigree, and he’s so creative,” Angela Vitale said of Mora.
The Vitales and Mora put a premium on creativity as they try to provide an experience that will set Crave apart from other restaurants.
“I don’t want to serve the same stuff that everybody else is serving.” Angela Vitale said. “It has to be inventive, it has to be different.”
The Vitales also have years of restaurant experience here. Ava Vitale practically grew up in the restaurant industry, roaming the halls of Cliffbreakers when it was run by her father, Jimmy Vitale, and later working with him at Stone Eagle Tavern. Stone Eagle Tavern closed when its lease expired early February because the property was set to be sold for a future Raising Cane’s.
Crave isn’t revealing its full menu yet, but it will be centered around New American cuisine, a catch-all term that refers to higher-end foods that draw influence from a variety of cultures. You’ll find French, Asian, Italian and other influences on Crave’s future menu, Mora said. There will also be creatively crafted cocktails and a 90-point wine list by the bottle or glass. The designation of 90 point is given to highly rated wines.
One of the dishes Mora expects to become a signature is the ribeye cap steak, a boneless cut that is considered one of the best and most tender cuts of meat. At Crave, it will be served with an oversized house-made ravioli that comes with the sauce already infused inside.
Sandwich options will include a duck confit, which will be served with Korean aioli, pickled carrots and beans, cucumber slaw, and fresh cilantro and mint on a French roll. That dish is Mora’s variation on a meal Izard created at Duck Duck Goat in Chicago.
He said Crave’s menu will shift seasonally, while keeping staple items, and will be filled with unique takes on traditional meals.
“You’re going to have something that you can’t find anywhere else: the creativity, the techniques, the procedure, the culture,” Mora said. “Expect things that have a twist to it.”
Follow | Crave kitchen & cocktails
Where: 3801 N. Perryville Road, Rockford
Facebook: @crave.rockford
Instagram: @crave.rockford
Website: craverockford.com
Contact: info@craverockford.com
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
