Rick Bayless Day: Chicago celebrates 37 years of authentic Mexican cuisine and philanthropy

CHICAGO - March 21 in Chicago has officially been declared Rick Bayless Day. The renowned Chicago chef is celebrating 37 years of his famous Frontera Grill restaurant.

Mayor Brandon Johnson will award Bayless with an official proclamation on Thursday. But before that happened, the iconic chef spoke with FOX 32’s Sylvia Perez about his love for Mexican food and why this anniversary is so significant.

You may know him from the 12 seasons of his popular show "Mexico: One Plate at a Time." Or maybe you remember him taking home the prize in Season 1 of Bravo's Top Chef Masters. He's written nine cookbooks and won seven James Beard Awards and that's just scratching the surface.

The point is, Bayless has made a name for himself all over the world, and it all started 37 years ago when he opened the doors at Frontera Grill.

"The 37th anniversary is kind of a funny thing to be celebrating, but it's an important milestone for me because my parents, I grew up in a restaurant and it was there for 37 years," Bayless said.

"I'm just celebrating the fact that both of our restaurants, my parents restaurant and my restaurant, have endured for this amount of time."

Bayless was only 16-years-old when he took over his family's Oklahoma barbecue restaurant, Hickory House.

Always fascinated by Mexican food and because of his love of cooking, he took a year off from college and moved with his wife Deann to Mexico, immersing themselves in the food and culture.

Then came the move to her hometown of Chicago where they opened Frontera Grill in 1987, and it was a risk.

They were serving regional foods of Mexico when most people were used to tacos and fajitas. The opening was also the same day he released his first cookbook Authentic Mexican.

"The first guests that we had come into our restaurant sat down. It was a four-top, I know exactly where they sat. They sat down, they opened up the menus, they talked a little bit. They closed the menus, they got up and they said, 'this isn't Mexican food. You'll be out of business in six months'," Bayless recalled.

But the food spoke for itself. People started taking notice and once the New York Times did an article, the lines were out the door.

"I knew we were going to make it because who can get a full-page article in the New York Times and being six weeks old," he said.

Over two years later, he opened his fine dining restaurant, Topolobambo, next door, earning a prestigious Michelin star he has maintained for 12 years.

Right around the corner from that, Xoco, casual Mexican sandwiches and soups and then in the back alley, Bar Sotano a speakeasy-style mezcal bar recently chosen as one of the top 20 mezcal bars in the country.

But it's his philanthropic work he is most proud of. Like his Frontera Farmer Foundation where he gives grants to small struggling local farms so they can continue to grow fresh products and serve our community. It's just one example that convinced the James Beard Awards to call him "Humanitarian of the Year."

"I love Chicago so much. I just wanted to make it better and better and I thought if I just invested in Chicago in ways that were beyond what we were offering in our restaurant, I could feel really good about being here," Bayless said.

Today, Bayless can regularly be found in his restaurants, in the kitchen and connecting with customers, teaching them about his passion of Mexican food and culture and continuing his legacy of making people happy one plate at a time.

Bayless is currently busy working on his YouTube channel and social media making short vignettes teaching people how to cook. He's also working on his next two cookbooks.