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photography by Jeff KaucK "C harcuterie ties back to an old way of eating that everyone used to be famil- iar with," says Thomas R ice, partner a nd co - execut ive chef at t he new West Loop dining hot spot Tête Cha rcuter ie. Adds Ku r t Guzowski, his partner and co-executive chef, "There's a histor y a nd culture a round it [t hat connects it] to Chicago and the rest of the world." This shared respect for the history and artisanal craft of charcuterie led these long time friends and colleag ues to open their Restaurant Row eater y, aiming to turn the cit y's perception of charcuterie on its head, so to speak. R ice and Guzowski met more than a decade ago while working at the fine-dining institution Cou r t r ight 's in Willow Spr ings, a nd t he pa ir decided that after years of cooking in the res- taurants of others, they would open their own place, making charcuterie its focus. To that end, the menu offers all the traditional charcuterie, pâté, and fresh sausages one would expect from a restaurant whose moniker is inspired by the French classic fromage de tête, or head cheese. Tête's signature is a terrine composed of cooked and pressed pieces of meat from the head of a pig, set in aspic. It's a dish that is serious busi- ness in France, where charcuterie chefs compete yea rly in a fromage de tête compet it ion. "It is our namesake, inspiration, and our house spe- cialty," says Guzowski. It was Rice and Guzowski's duck rillette, how- ever, t hat at t racted init ia l investor a nd now partner and general manager Daniel Goodman when he tested t he dishes out at Taste of t he Nation. "I couldn't stop going back for more," jokes Goodman, whose fast friendship with the pair set the stage for the partnership that gave birth to Tête. "Cured sausages are the most rec- og nizable part of charcuterie," says R ice, "but pâtés and terrines are probably the most unique part of it…. The possibilities keep us thinking." T he spot 's ever - cha ng ing roster of six to 10 terrines and pâtés (all made in-house) includes classics like rustic pâté de campagne and Torte du Canard aux Fig ues, but the team's creativ- it y shines brightest in the colorful, mosaiclike slices of poulet à la coriandre et gingembre, a chicken terrine made with pulled chicken, car- rots, orange zest, piquillo peppers, black olives, a nd Cat a lonia spices. "It 's a whole Sev ille/ tête-à-tête RestauRant Row gets in touch with its caRnivoRous side with the new PaRisian-insPiRed hot sPot TêTe CharCuTerie. By Catherine De OriO continued on page 82 rosette de Lyon, made with red wine, quatre éspice, garlic, and black pepper. 80 michiganavemag.com this issue: summer savOrs