RPM Italian

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The People Behind the Table

RPM Italian is a collaboration between celebrity couple Bill and Giuliana Rancic and siblings R.J., Jerrod, and Molly Melman of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises — one of Chicago's most prolific restaurant groups. The partnership brings together television personalities and seasoned hospitality operators, with the shared conviction that quality ingredients and attentive service are non-negotiable.

Leading the kitchen at the Chicago location is Executive Chef Christopher Gawronski, whose approach blends modern technique with traditional Italian sensibility across a menu designed for sharing. Gawronski came up through notable Chicago establishments before taking the helm at RPM Italian in 2021. Overseeing all RPM concepts as Executive Chef Partner is Bob Broskey, a Pittsburgh native who refined his craft at Michelin-starred Chicago restaurants Ria and L2O before earning a Zagat "30 Under 30" nod.

The Wine Program

The wine program is steered by Partner Richard Hanauer, whose credentials are hard to argue with: he became Tru Restaurant's youngest sommelier at 25, earned a Michelin-starred tenure at L2O, and joined RPM Italian in 2014. Wine Enthusiast named him one of its 40 Under 40 Tastemakers in 2019. That depth of expertise is reflected in the cellar, which earned Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence — a recognition that speaks directly to the range and quality of what's being poured. For guests who want a more immersive experience, the restaurant offers a Sommelier Tasting Experience: a roughly two-hour seated dinner where the team opens limited-availability bottles from the cellar and walks through how each wine interacts with the food.

What's on the Plate

The Italian cuisine at RPM is grounded in direct relationships with producers in Italy. The kitchen makes over a dozen pasta dishes daily using flour imported from Molino Paolo Mariani, valued for its hydration properties and shaped using bronze dies, gnocchi boards, pasta wheels, and groove cutters. Finishing touches draw on Giachi Primolio olive oil — hand-harvested from a family farm in Tuscany's Chianti Classico region — and aged balsamic vinegar from Acetaia San Giacomo in Reggio Emilia, produced by Andrea Bezzecchi using traditional wooden barrels and cooked grape must. The culinary team makes regular visits to purveyor partners in Italy to maintain these connections firsthand.

Sustainability and Setting

RPM Italian Chicago sits at 52 W. Illinois Street in the River North neighborhood of downtown Chicago. Since late 2023, the restaurant has partnered with Chicago-based WasteNot Compost to divert 100% of food scraps, glass, and cardboard from landfill — a commitment recognized with Gold Partner status in the Illinois Food Scrap & Composting Coalition's We Compost Recognition Program. Private dining, catering, and event spaces round out an offering that works equally well for a weeknight dinner or a larger celebration.