(Nick Ulanowski/H-F Chronicle)
Chef Yvette Zavala, the new owner of Bistro on Sterling, a bar and restaurant specializing in American food in downtown Flossmoor, cut the green ribbon at the grand opening celebration on Friday, March 8. Bistro on Sterling was closed for months as it changed hands but it’s officially open again.
Zavala was joined by Dunning’s Market and Deli owner and Flossmoor Business Association President Maureen Mader, Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson and Village Trustee George Lofton.
After the ribbon cutting, Edith Turkington and Pat Flynn, residents of the Smith Crossing retirement facility in Orland Park, enjoyed their first lunch at Bistro on Sterling under the new ownership.
The two friends said they’d been coming to Bistro on Sterling for lunch since it was Fresh Starts. The restaurant’s name was changed from Fresh Starts to Bistro on Sterling when Tracy and Rich Cairo, the previous owners, took ownership in 2017. Before moving to Smith Crossing, Turkington lived in Flossmoor and Flynn lived in Homewood.
their first lunch at Bistro on Sterling under Chef Yvette Zavala’s ownership.
(Nick Ulanowski/H-F Chronicle)
“It’s nice to be able to come to a nice restaurant for lunch,” Turkington said, adding that since the pandemic, not as many restaurants are open this time of day on weekdays. “One of the difficult things with older people is that we don’t drive at night when it’s dark.”
Zavala said she’s added items to the menu such as grilled carrot and black bean tacos. She said she’s taken a few items off the menu, but kept the restaurant’s well-known staples.
“I’ve added more sandwiches,” Zavala said. “I’ve added some more things that are my flavor, that show more of my personality.”
Mader said she’s looking forward to having Zavala as her neighbor in downtown Flossmoor.
“It’s nice to have another restaurant as your neighbor. It’s nice to have another foodie to collaborate with,” Mader said.
“[Zavala is] a genuinely nice person and a superb chef,” Lofton said, adding that he had a reservation at Bistro on Sterling later in the evening. “She’s from my part of the country, Louisiana, and she knows what she’s doing.”
Lofton said the village aims to attract more restaurants to Flossmoor.
“The residents say they want to have good places to eat and not have to travel 20 miles to do it,” he said. “We have space in Flossmoor, and we’re looking to do more.”
“Chef Yvette has been an amazing addition to the Flossmoor community for several years,” Nelson said. “We are thrilled that she has chosen to re-open the Bistro on Sterling with a lot of the entrées and recipes that Flossmoor loves.”
