Cafe Amano Named A.J. "Toche" Terrones Business of The Year

Café Amano will receive the A.J. “Toche” Terrones Business of the Year Award for 2015 at the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s 97th Annual Awards Gala held at the Waterford Banquet & Conference Center on Friday, January 29, starting at 6 p.m.

Café Amano opened in downtown Elmhurst in February of 2005 on the south side of the railroad tracks at the corner of York Street and Park Avenue, and in 2014 relocated into the too-oft-vacant Schiller Street restaurant space within a City of Elmhurst’s municipal parking garage.

The annual award is given based on a member’s contributions to the Chamber’s success, to the betterment of both the business community and Elmhurst community, and impact in their field of business, each in the given year and historically, along with years in business and years as a Chamber member.

“Café Amano is a story about how two individuals transformed their unique tastes into a rousingly-successful restaurant that in just the past decade has developed into an anchor attraction in downtown Elmhurst,” said John Quigley, the Chamber President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) since 1999.

A Chamber member since 2005, Café Amano owned and operated by the team of Chef Marco Conte and Chris DePodesta, whose travels throughout Europe and around the world defined and continue to refine the restaurant’s menu and catering cuisine.

The award presentation will be made by Outgoing Chairman of the Board of Directors Dee Longfellow of the Elmhurst Independent and Quigley. Joining them in the award presentation will be representatives of West Suburban Office Products, the 2014 Business of the Year recipient. West Suburban Office Products will receive an acrylic Business of the Year plaque to put on display at its main branch.

The annual award, which features a traveling trophy and permanent plaque, is named in memory of A.J. “Toche” Terrones, who served as Chamber President for nearly a decade until his death in July of 1999.

Other Business of the Year honorees are Community Bank of Elmhurst (2013 and 1999), York Furrier (2012), Elmhurst Memorial Healthcare (2011), OEC Business Interiors (2010), Harris Elmhurst (2009), Diplomat West (2008), Suburban Bank & Trust Co. (2007), Larry Roesch Chrysler Jeep Dodge (2006), York Theatre (2005), Synergistic Networks, Inc. (2004), Silverado Grill (2003), Great American Exteriors (2002), Cardinal Cartridge, Inc. (2001) and Unique Travel Service, Ltd. (2000).

The traveling trophy of imported 24% German lead crystal atop a mahogany wood base will be displayed at Café Amano’s downtown Elmhurst location until the Chamber’s 2017 Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner, while an award plaque with a nameplate listing Café Amano is on permanent display at the Chamber office.

Originally conceived as a French/Italian inspired coffee, wine and dessert bar, Café Amano responded to patron demands and expanded to a full-service concept after only six months of operation.

The Daily Herald newspaper in 2006 recognized Café Amano among its top-10 new suburban restaurants. Café Amano has been featured on ABC-TV Channel 7’s 190 NORTH weekly show and also feature in the pages of West Suburban Living, Suburban Life and Chicago magazines.

Café Amano has expanded its client base to include catering and special events, and ranks as a preferred caterer at the Elmhurst Park District’s Wilder Mansion, Elmhurst Art Museum and Forest Preserve of DuPage County’s Peabody Estate at Mayslake in Oak Brook.

In November of 2014, Café Amano relocated to 166 East Schiller Street and has succeeded in a location where multiple restaurants have failed. The site includes a large kitchen operation to better accommodate catering, sit-down bar area, quaint dining room and even on on-premise banquet room.

Established in 1918, the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry is a voluntary organization of business and professional men and women who have joined together to promote the civic and commercial progress of the community.

The Chamber’s mission is to promote an environment that creates success for local businesses and our community.

The Chamber also serves the needs of its members through services, programs and events that provide opportunities for networking and referral, business education, development and promotion, governmental representation and community involvement.