Tony Mantuano, of Spiaggia Fame, Returns to Chicago to Fatten the Purple Pig

Tony Mantuano, of Spiaggia fame, returns to Chicago to fatten the Purple Pig

When the Purple Pig opened in 2009, the crowds and accolades followed almost immediately. Its chef, Jimmy Bannos Jr. went on to receive the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef for his playful take on Mediterranean-leaning small plates, prepared in a funky space on Michigan Avenue that once housed a FedEx.In 2019, the Pig moved a stone’s throw away to the ground floor of an office building at 444 N. Michigan Ave. Last October, Bannos Jr. left …

Tony Mantuano, of Spiaggia fame, returns to Chicago to fatten The Purple Pig

When The Purple Pig opened in 2009, the crowds and accolades followed almost immediately. Its chef, Jimmy Bannos Jr. went on to receive the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef for his playful take on Mediterranean-leaning small plates, prepared in a funky space on Michigan Avenue that once housed a FedEx. In 2019, the Pig moved a stone’s throw away to the ground floor of an office building (at 444 N. Michigan Ave.). Last October, Bannos Jr. l…