Feb. 20--Chef/owner Carol Wallack has sold her beloved Sola (3868 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-327-3868), but otherwise it's business as usual at the North Center restaurant.
The deal has yet to be finalized, but Wallack has semi-retired and the restaurant is being run, by Mirror Image Hospitality, as Sola.
"Our intention is to run the restaurant as Sola, likely through the summer," said Fred Albert, one of the Mirror Image principals. "We have our own concept that we've crafted and researched for a couple of years; at some point we'll be closing down, likely to reopen in the fall, but that timeline is very fluid."
In the meantime, Sola continues with nearly all of its staff intact.
"My chef de cuisine, Bob Bagley, is still there, and he continues with the Sola menu and his creativity," Wallack said. "One staffer left, but she got a great opportunity; everybody else is there."
Wallack says she's keeping her options open, which includes the home she has on Maui. "But I plan on keeping my home here, until I really decide what to do. But the passion (for running a restaurant) was gone for me, and when the passion goes, it's time to do something else."
Wallack said she was particularly happy that all her staffers got to keep their jobs.
"That was was really important to me," she said. "I turned down a few offers, because I didn't want to close the door and put up a sign saying, 'You're out of a job.' I couldn't screw them over in the middle of winter; I've seen that happen too many times."
For his part, Albert said he's thrilled to inherit an experienced staff.
"We suspected there was a good staff here," he said, "but we've been blown away by their caliber, their dedication and their connection to the surrounding neighborhood. I hope everybody wants to stay with us."
Albert is keeping mum about the new concept, except to say, "it's not going to be a sports bar, and it's likely not going to be for everyone. A head chef has been hired, but that name is also under wraps until the new concept gets underway.
As for when Sola might close?
"The staff will be the first to know," Albert said. "We promised them that."
