A brand new restaurant called EvaDean’s Restaurant and Cafe will be making its debut in Wilmette, located at 1115 Central Ave.
The new restaurant will move into the former home of Lad & Lassie Children’s Boutique, which closed in February 2020, according to The Record North Shore. Co-owners Jordana and Garrett VanBergen told the publication earlier this year they hope to open EvaDean’s in mid-2023. Customers can expect a bakery on one side and a breakfast-lunch-brunch eatery on the other. The VanBergens hope to use a portion of Veteran’s Park, a small public space near the east of the building, for outdoor dining.
“Downtown Wilmette has become very cool,” Jordana tells The Record North Shore. “Much more than when I was young. … You drive through downtown Wilmette, it’s bustling. There is way more going on down there.”
Garrett, who specializes in farm-to-table-style cuisine and has worked as executive chef at Farmhouse Evanston, will serve as the restaurant’s head chef, while Jordana will lead the bakery. Her work and family history prove this will be a perfect position for her. Jordana has worked for the past decade at Bennison’s Bakery, owned by her father, Jory Downer. His father, Guy Downer, purchased the bakery in 1967 following his passion as a baker. Jordana’s grandmother, who the new restaurant is named after, was also a baker.
While the exact opening date is unknown, the new bakery will have to compete with other nearby bakeries, such as St. Roger Abbey French Organic Patisserie, Panera Bread, and Lawrence Dean’s. The owners hope to obtain a liquor license to sway the crowd with wine and cocktail options. Hopefully, the neighborhood will welcome the first-time business owners with open arms.
