All grown up

Rick Bayless

Celebrity chef Rick Bayless had a practical reason for holding off on purchasing the massive painting in his living room: “It’s the kind of thing that you wouldn’t really want to move if you were still in the phase of your life where you’re moving all the time,” he says. Bayless bought the painting years ago, and after lugging it to the former 1916 Bucktown tavern he now calls home, it’s definitely not going anywhere. Luckily, the still life fits in perfectly with the space, which he and his wife, Deann, bought in 1995.

As you might expect from the man who introduced us to upscale Mexican food and hosts Mexico: One Plate at a Time on PBS, the painting is by a Mexican artist, Filemon Santiago, who’s also a friend of Bayless’s. “At that time, he was doing these enormous pieces, and I said, ‘I want to live with that one,’ ” Bayless recalls. The painting, produced on amate bark paper, takes the traditional Spanish still life of a kitchen cupboard filled with fruits and vegetables and gives it an update, with each ingredient floating around on the paper. “It’s like each of these [ingredients] is kind of a memory that just floats out there,” Bayless says. “And having lived in Southern Mexico for a while, it really took me right back.”

When asked about the difference between his design motif at his work and his home, Bayless describes his house as more eclectic than his eateries, River North’s Frontera Grill and Topolobampo. “My wife lived in Asia for a while, and we’ve traveled a fair amount there as well as Mexico,” he says. “Our goal was to be able to create an environment where we have really cool things from Mexico that coexist with things from Asia, as well as some handmade furniture.” The trick is to not make the room look like an exhibit at Epcot Center. “It’s the same thing with food,” he says. “If you bring certain dishes straight from their place of origin into another culture, they can look strange. I’ve developed an eye for seeing what elements of the culture can fit beautifully into our world here.”

And though a walk through his house could rival any tour on MTV’s Cribs (if he ever invites you over, check out the dining-room table that expands to seat about 30 people and the state-of-the-art stove, natch), Bayless says the large piece of art remains the focus. “It’s a very peaceful painting, evocative of another place and just adds something to the feeling of the room,” he says.

Until he invites you over, check out this tour Bayless gave us of his living room and backyard.