"Hell's Kitchen" Star Returns to The Bank Restaurant as Head Chef

After running the college food service program rated the nation's best at Wheaton College and competing on a national stage on Hell's Kitchen, Chef Patrick Cassata has taken over as head chef at , 121 Front St. in downtown Wheaton.

He's not an unfamiliar face, though. Cassata was the Bank's chef when the restaurant first opened in 2007.

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The Bank, recently named at the 2012 Gamon Awards, has completely redone its menu, featuring foods from local farmers at lower prices.

"All of our food can be traced to the local farms where they were cared for and the waters in which they swam," The Bank's managing partner Jim Gates said in a statement on the restaurant's website.

The new pricing includes 14 lunch choices under $10 and 11 dinner entrees for $15 or less.

Cassata said the restaurant team has worked "extremely hard" to bring local, sustainable and socially responsible food choices at family-friendly pricing to Wheaton. Suppliers include Heartland Meats in Mendota, IL, T&J Free Range Poultry in Piper City, IL and Tangle Foot Ranch Prawns in Simpson, IL.

"The experience working with Chef Ramsay on his television series taught me several lessons about working with others to bring about culinary excellence," Cassata said. "It also made me long for the days of running my own kitchen in a quality restaurant."

Information courtesy of a statement on The Bank website.

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