Napoli Meets Naperville: The Unique Culinary Vision of Che Figata

Ask someone what authentic Italian food means to them and you'll likely hear about a grandmother's kitchen, a specific region, a recipe handed down without ever being written. Authenticity in Italian cooking has always been tied to place — to what's local, what's seasonal and what generations of cooks have learned to do with it.

That's exactly what makes Che Figata at CityGate Centre such an interesting restaurant. It takes that foundational Italian idea — cook what's around you, cook it well — and applies it here in northern Illinois, with ingredients sourced close to home and technique drawn from one of the world's great culinary traditions. The name is Italian slang for "that's cool" or "that's awesome," and it turns out to be an honest description of what's happening inside.

The Chef Behind the Menu

Every week, Chef de Cuisine Liam Athy leaves his kitchen at Che Figata and drives the roughly two-hour round trip to Chicago to buy mushrooms from Four Star Mushrooms — a high-tech, climate-controlled supplier whose growth chambers produce black oysters, blue oysters, king trumpets and cinnamon caps. For most chefs, that commute would be a headache. Athy considers it a gift from the culinary gods.

That devotion to premium local ingredients is the engine of everything at Che Figata. Since opening in 2018, Athy has gradually evolved the menu away from typical Italian-American touchstones toward something that showcases the unexpected intersections between Midwestern ingredients and time-tested rustic Italian recipes.

The roster of local partners behind the menu tells that story as clearly as anything on the plate: Four Star Mushrooms for specialty varieties, Spira Farms in Bolingbrook for microgreens, Nichols Farm and Mick Klug Farm for seasonal produce, and Kilgus Farms and Slagel Family Farm for the meats that anchor so many of his dishes. These aren't incidental sourcing decisions — they are the foundation of a kitchen philosophy that treats the Midwest as a larder worthy of Italian technique.

What's on the Plate

The results are dishes that feel both deeply Italian and unmistakably of this place. The Pappardelle Bolognese gets six hours of daily attention, with successive reductions of wine and milk making room for a carrot-rich sofrito and a triple-meat combination of pancetta, pork and beef — the meat sourced from Slagel Family Farm — finished with house-made ricotta and micro basil from Spira. The Bucatini Carbonara takes the Roman classic seriously: guanciale, egg yolk, preserved lemon and a prosciutto crisp that together deliver the kind of depth that only comes from using the right ingredients and leaving them alone to do their work. His pastas are, in a word, first-rate.

For wood-fired preparations, the Prime Striploin — with truffled potato purée, smoked marrow butter, broccoli rabe and a barolo reduction — is worth the trip on its own, cooked over firewood sourced from a Wisconsin woodsman who kiln-dries his chords to just 3 percent moisture. The result is a clean burn that perfumes the dining room with plumes of cherry wood, oak and hickory.

And Che Figata's wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas are prepared to order with the high-temp baking technique.

Dessert follows the same philosophy. The made-to-order Tiramisu for Two is a testament to what happens when a kitchen refuses to cut corners — ladyfingers, mascarpone, espresso and marsala assembled fresh, not hours in advance. It is the rare restaurant tiramisu that actually tastes like the real thing.

The Full Experience

Che Figata's dining room earns its place in the story. Trimmed in royal blues and chocolate-colored leather, it wraps in a semi-circle around the open kitchen — every seat faces Athy's domain, the way opera house seating faces the stage. It is, in its way, theater.

The bar program matches the kitchen's ambition. Che Figata has earned Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence for a list featuring more than 50 Italian varietals by the quartino and 100 by the bottle. The cocktail list leans into European spirits — the White Negroni blends gin with Suze bitters and Lillet Blanc for something botanical and luminous, while the Winter Warble riffs on a Jungle Bird with orgeat, cream sherry, aged rum and a foamy head of Peychaud's bitters. A marketplace lets guests take Italy home, with house-made pastas, broths, sauces, imported cheeses and fresh bread.

Authenticity, Redefined

Che Figata honors the Italian tradition of letting exceptional ingredients speak for themselves, while adding something new: a menu that changes with what's growing nearby, driven by a chef willing to drive two hours for the right mushroom and who has built a network of local farm partners that would be the envy of any kitchen in the region. That's not a gimmick. That's a philosophy.

Che Figata would welcome your support in this year's Best of Naperville awards, Best Italian and Best Pizza categories. It's among 19 Best of Naperville categories you can find at CityGate Centre.

Che Figata is located at 2155 CityGate Lane, Naperville, IL 60563. Reservations available at chefigatakitchen.com.