Hometown chef prepares to open sushi restaurant in Glencoe

Daniel Rakestraw’s introduction to the restaurant business began when he was 15 years old, washing dishes for the Glencoe spot Guildhall.

Nine years later, he’s got big plans right around the corner on Park Avenue.

Rakestraw’s RDK Sushi, a new Japanese cuisine restaurant, is on track to open this December in the former space of the Meg’s Cafe in Glencoe after Rakestraw, 24, purchased the long-running local business An Apple a Day Catering from its owner, Barbara Lepman, in August. 

The sit-down restaurant, one of few left in the village, will offer a menu of sushi rolls, family-style appetizers and hot entrees influenced by Rakestraw’s experience at a variety of different eateries, including the high-end sushi chain Nobu.

The “RDK” name of the restaurant includes initials from Rakestraw’s mother and grandfather, the latter family member being the reason for his Glencoe roots.

Rakestraw recalled his passion for Asian cuisine began with eating from the now-closed Chin’s Chop Suey restaurant while growing up in town.

After washing dishes at Guildhall in what he thought would be a temporary job in food service, Rakestraw was fortunate to have the chef let him step out of the dish-pit and gain some cooking experience, he said.

From there, he continued on to Ron of Japan in Northbrook, Sushi-San in Chicago, culinary school at Kendall College, the Michelin-star gastropub The Gage, and then Nobu, where he spent one year pressing 50 pounds of rice a day before he ever joined its roster of sushi chefs. 

Rakestraw acknowledged he does not have the typical background of a sushi chef. But he recalled his passion for Asian cuisine began with eating from the now-closed Chin’s Chop Suey restaurant while growing up in Glencoe.

The fact that sushi looks so simple but takes so long to master is a major reason Rakestraw became so passionate about the culinary art form, he said. 

Nobu is where Rakestraw met another sushi chef and now RDK Sushi business partner, Kevin Zheng. It’s also where he became supervisor of the restaurant’s rooftop sushi bar, overseeing an increase to the amount of covers a night from 400 up to 650 by the time he left, he said.

While RDK Sushi’s interior design is still under development, Rakestraw imagines the restaurant will hold a “sleek modern feel” with a fancy yet casual and relaxed atmosphere in a 64-seat space.

An Apple a Day Catering reportedly will retain its catering operations out of the building’s kitchen and back of house. 

One of Rakestraw’s pet-peeves is seeing empty tables, and that’s why he plans on training up his staff members so that guests will receive food on their table within 10 minutes of sitting down with shareable, chopstick-friendly appetizers flying out of the kitchen. 

Rakestraw also said he envisions front-of-house service at RDK Sushi similar to Nobu, where waiters don’t just jot down orders but assist guests with options for a meal in line with their budget and tastes, giving restaurantgoers a different experience every time they come in.

For those less interested in sushi rolls, Rakestraw ensured his menu will include a range of hot staples like fried rice, octopus salad, A5 Wagyu steak and, one of his personal favorites, crispy rice.

The only other sushi available in Glencoe is from Tori Dasu in Guildhall, and with limited sushi options along Green Bay Road, Rakestraw said he’s eager to provide a new high-quality restaurant to the area he grew up in. 

“The reason I’m so excited is because this neighborhood — even Winnetka, the North Shore — everybody knows everybody and they know if you are from Glencoe, if you’re from the North Shore, they are going to support you,” Rakestraw said. 

“The amount of support we are getting from the people we know is unbelievable,” he said. “So I’m pretty excited for when the restaurant opens.”

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