Norman Fenton, Executive Chef & Owner
Norman Fenton's passion for food began at an early age, cooking in kitchens as a teen in Detroit, MI, before attending the Art Institute of Michigan to further cultivate his culinary skills. Post-graduation, he cut his teeth at restaurants across southeast Michigan before moving to Chicago in 2015. Here, he entered the world of fine dining, working with the prestigious Alinea Group at the world-renowned cocktail lounge The Aviary and then at the MICHELIN-starred fine dining haven Schwa where he rose through the ranks to become Chef de Cuisine and maintained their MICHELIN status during his tenure.
In 2019, he took a nine-month road trip from Chicago to Mexico, traveling throughout both countries to immerse himself in the innovative food scene of different locales, finding great inspiration from Mexico City, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Michoacan, and Monterrey before finally settling for a period in Tulum. Following a 'Day of the Dead' pop-up dining experience Fenton created for WILD Tulum, a friendship was born with the restaurant’s owner Karen Young. Recognizing his talents, she made him executive chef at WILD where he has brought a casual progressive-dinner style menu to the Tulum gastronomy scene. On this Mexican adventure, Norman met his wife, started a family, and began traveling back and forth from the U.S. to see them while he worked concurrently as executive chef of Brass Heart, a post-modern American fine dining concept in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Following its closure in 2023, Fenton and Young teamed up and took over the Brass Heart space, reimagining it into Fenton’s first chef-owner venture, Cariño.
Norman’s ethos is that food should always provoke fun or emotion. Renowned for his elaborate and innovative dishes created in Chicago and Tulum, he brings a new Latin-inspired tasting menu experience to the city with Cariño, his love letter to the culture and places he holds dear to his heart.
Karen Young, Co-Owner
A former music festival producer, Karen Young traded in promoting global festivals to create a magical off-grid restaurant in the Tulum jungle called WILD Tulum in 2016, a unique entity akin to an art sculpture-- dramatic and ethereal. In 2019, she met Chicago fine dining chef Norman Fenton (Brass Heart, The Aviary, Schwa) when he was tapped to do a Day of the Dead pop-up at WILD. The two hit it off, and Young asked him to take over the culinary direction at the restaurant as executive chef while he concurrently ran the post-modern American restaurant Brass Heart back in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. When the opportunity presented itself to take over the former Brass Heart space following its closure, the two partnered to collaborate on Fenton’s first chef-owner venture, combining his culinary talents with Young’s business savvy and passion for creating immersive dining experiences. Together, they created the intimate fine dining restaurant Cariño, Fenton’s love letter to Latin American culture and flavors told through a curated tasting menu that opened doors in December 2023.
A long-time humanitarian and activist, Young was a key part of EXIT Festival NGO, endorsing change and positive education to many community and humanitarian missions such as the MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Human Trafficking) campaign in Eastern Europe as well as a supporter of the UK-based music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins. As an advocate of the refugee entities UNHCR, UNRWA, and Choose Love, Young spent time in a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon after raising thousands of dollars to provide food and essential items. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she launched the ‘Tulum Emergency Food Packages Fundraiser’ raising thousands of dollars and distributing food packages to thousands of families in need with NGOs Tulum Food Bank, Red Sostenible, La Fundacion de las Mujeres de Tulum and Los Amigos de la Esquina. Lastly, she functions as a guardian for LADLE - Los Amigos de la Esquina, an organization dedicated to empowering Native Mayan and Mexican children in Tulum which she calls home.
Denisse Soto, Spirits & Cocktail Curator
Born and raised in Mexico, Denisse Soto is a sought-after mixologist and mezcal expert turned consultant with a reputation for bringing Mexican drink culture to life through her innovative bar programs throughout Chicago. Previous credits include the cocktails and spirits selections at beloved neighborhood spots like Osito’s Tap, Tacos Lotería, and Crepas Culichi in Oak Park, IL, as well as work with national brands like Espolòn Tequila and Topo Chico’s line of Hard Seltzers.
In June of 2021, she started her own LLC, Denise Soto With Flair, along with as line of drink mixers called La Chingona Miks, to become a mobile mixologist providing beverage consulting and services to new businesses. Then in 2023, she was tapped to curate the cocktail and bar program at the new Latin American fine dining restaurant Cariño, helmed by acclaimed Chicago chef Norman Fenton (Brass Heart, Schwa, Wild Tulum). Here, she uses her expertise to create showstopping drinks that deep dive into flavor combinations and ingredients of Latin America. For example, La Guacamaya draws inspiration from the wildlife in Tulum, Mexico, and the surrounding exotic fruits, and features mamey sapote, coconut syrup, yellow lime, fee foam, and Angostura bitters mixed with Uruapan Charanda Anejo Rum while the Mi Campo Margarita, a major twist on the traditional margarita, is made with cactus ice (a frozen green juice made with cactus, green kiwi, green apple and grapefruit juice) as an homage the regional flavors, inspired in traditional fresh fruit shakes made usually in the kiosks in the downtown areas around different towns of Mexico.
Ultimately, Soto’s program goes far beyond traditional cocktail-making, creating an untold sensory experience for everyone, in every single sip
Richie Ribando, Sommelier
Before leading wine programs for several of Chicago’s most lauded restaurants, Jean Banchet Award-nominated sommelier Richie Ribando's journey into the restaurant industry began at the age of sixteen, bussing tables, serving, and eventually bartending in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Seeking to deepen his expertise behind the bar, Ribando moved to Chicago in 2010, eventually joining farm-to-table restaurant One Sixtyblue where he developed a passion for Old World wines under the guidance of advanced sommelier Amy Lewis, who inspired him to set his sights on the profession himself.
His wine expertise flourished as he took on a captain role at the acclaimed fine dining spot Next (James Beard Best New Restaurant, 2012) in 2012. There, he steered service and helped guide guests through their wine experience. Ribando then took the helm of the beverage program at renowned chef Iliana Regan’s foraging-focused restaurant Elizabeth, helping earn a MICHELIN Star for the restaurant in 2013. His exploration continued as he delved into sake as the beverage director of upscale sushi spot Juno while studying through The Court of Master Sommeliers to earn his Certified Sommelier distinction in 2015. Shortly after, Ribando joined the opening team of three-MICHELIN-Starred Smyth and sister-concept The Loyalist in 2016. After rising from captain to head sommelier in just a year, Ribando eventually left in 2020 to explore the consulting and distribution side of the wine industry.
In his most recent venture, Ribando channels his expertise into crafting the Central and South American-focused wine program for Cariño, the Latin fine dining concept by acclaimed chef Norman Fenton (Brass Heart, Schwa, Wild Tulum). Beyond accolades and positions, Ribando's philosophy centers on demystifying wine, making it approachable and human. He values building connections with diners and colleagues to create a warm, inclusive wine culture.