CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Walk into The Kismet Table on North Halsted in Lincoln Park and it's like walking into your own living room.
"First thing we hear from most people when they walk in is, 'what is this place?'" laughed owner Taryn Huebner, who is usually behind the counter chopping, frying, baking, or whipping up something off her custom menu that changes weekly.
"I love anything that I am inspired to cook."
She describes The Kismet Table as a place to host an event without the stress of hosting an event - private dining and gourmet provisions.
"We take care of everything. Everything is customized from the menu, to the music, to the candle you want to burn, to the lightning. Everything. We've hosted showers, private dinner parties, we even hosted a wedding here," she smiled.
A giant open kitchen overlooks cozy wooden tables and tan, puffy pillows underneath soft lit chandeliers. There is retail from local artists and cheeses and charcuterie from Illinois growers in front.
"For me, for what I like to do, it's perfect. It's perfect to have the retail up front and do our dinner parties in the back. I love entertaining so this place is me," Huebner said.
Huebner opened in October 2020, in the middle of the pandemic. A big part of her business is customized take out, which thrived. Eventually she said she'll offer public events.
"I hope soon we'll have our wine and charcuterie nights, we'll have 'Meet the Maker Nights', we'll do high teas, we'll do cooking classes, all kinds of things. We're super excited about that," she said.
Her resume started when she was young, cooking and re-creating recipes with her father.
"He's the reason why I cook. He'd take me out to fancy restaurants and we'd watch Julia Child and the Frugal Gourmet. My father is a great chef," she said.
Many years later, after culinary school and a chance meeting on an airplane, she ended up cooking for Oprah Winfrey.
"It was a total fluke. I wasn't trying to get a job from her. The flight attendant for her plane was looking for someone to cater her flight. They wanted somebody who was dedicated to cooking for the plane. I didn't even know it was her plane. I did a trial meal. I got the call and was told she chose my menu," she recalled.
"I always said one day I am going to cook for Oprah and I did," she laughed.
Huebner traveled the world with the talk show host for more than a decade, but she said coming home, and opening a business just blocks from where she grew up is: kismet.
"Chicago is home. I wanted to be here. I had some great clients here. This actual place was always a dream. I love the idea of kismet, that things are destined or meant to be and I thought that for a long time. I think the Kismet Table is more-whoever you are having dinner with here is a meant to be situation. Whatever brought you together- it was for a reason to enjoy a meal or to share a story. I feel really lucky to have gotten this space when I did and I think that in itself is kismet. It's meant to be," Huebner said.
For more information, to check the weekly menu or to book an event, log onto kismettable.com.
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