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Community Corner

Bistro One West Opens On The Fox in St. Charles

The newest restaurant on the river includes a fresh menu and comfortable surroundings.

Bistro One West, located at 1 w. Illinois St., is the creation of owner George Guggeis and Executive Chef Doug D'Avico. Both men have been involved in the success of many high-end restaurants during their decades-long careers.

Guggeis has been a restaurant manager and owned and operated three iconic Chicago restaurants—Mango, Grapes, and Rhapsody.

He met D'Avico while managing Chicago's highly acclaimed Trattoria 10, where D'Avico was master behind the cuisine.

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Doug D'Avico was the executive chef at Trattoria 10 for more than 10 years and spent his time before that at restaurants in New York, Miami, and Hawaii.

With hyper-fresh menu concepts and world class customer service, the owners of Bistro One West plan to offer a new standard in suburban dining.

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What inspired the decision for a career in the restaurant and hospitality industry?

Owning restaurants runs in Guggeis' family. His father owned a restaurant in Chicago while he was growing up so he began learning the trade at an early age. It was something he found to be very satisfying and he attended Purdue University to earn a degree in hospitality. Guggeis has a passion for showing exemplary customer service. He hopes that customers will feel like family with every visit.

What made you choose this location in St. Charles?

Guggeis fell in love with the location because of the elements surrounding it. The river lends itself to a scenic backdrop; either on the patio in the summer or for an indoor view during the colder months. He feels the interior layout of the restaurant flows well to the feeling of a bistro while allowing customers to feel at home and comfortable.

What will Bistro One West bring to the culinary culture of St. Charles?

There was a shared vision to create a restaurant where the menu's focus was on serving the freshest local foods possible; where each ingredient was respected. Under D'Avico's direction Bistro One West is serving inspired American food made with locally grown and produced Midwestern ingredients.

How have your experiences in the restaurant world shaped the ideology of Bistro One West?

Their collective 50-plus years of restaurant experience have taught them the importance of taking care of guests in the most positive way possible. Guggeis focuses heavily on the concept of hospitality because he says, "the idea of dining out is to have an enjoyable evening with family and friends".

How will Bistro One West influence the positive growth of St. Charles as a community?

Guggeis is interested in supporting local artists and giving them the platform to show their work on the restaurants walls. He also hopes to work in conjunction with other local businesses to support the economic growth of St. Charles.

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