Jason Hammel and Amalea Tshilds—the husband-and-wife team (at right) behind the ever-popular, season-first, farmers-friend, hipster-haunt that is Lula Cafe (2537 N Kedzie Blvd, 773-489-9554)—recently welcomed a baby girl to their family. As if handling five-pound Ismene Lou Hammel isn’t enough, the couple are also embarking on their next addition: a second restaurant in Pilsen. The yet-to-be-named restaurant, to be located on south Halsted Street, is expected to open in spring of 2008. Designer Kevin Heisner—who was behind Violet Hour, Milk & Honey Bake Shop and Empire Liquors, plus had a hand in Del Toro—is in charge of the project, while chef de cuisine Jason Vincent will move from the Logan Lula over to the new Pilsen spot. I talked to Vincent and Heisner to find out what to expect.

Time Out Chicago: So where have you cooked aside from Lula?
Jason Vincent: After I graduated from the CIA [Culinary Institute of America] in ‘98, I went to Sage in Cleveland, I staged at Arzak in Spain for six months, and before Chicago, was at Fore Street in Portland, Maine.

TOC: Since Jason [Hammel] and Lea [Tshilds] are essentially handing the reigns over to you for the new restaurant, are you going to do an amalgam of those places, or something more like what people expect from Lula?
JV: Well, we’re obviously going to keep the seasonal platform, which is at the core of what we do, what everyone really should be doing, but allows us to be more eclectic and experiment more with flavors. We can manipulate flavors that don’t really seem to go together and make sure people understand why they can. Down there [at the new place] I’d like to simplify it. Just as an example, we’ll do a great  ossobucco and there’s no reason we need to throw some wacky ingredient on there even if it tastes good.

TOC: So the whole menu there will be like the specials menu at Lula basically?
JV: Right. No turkey sandwiches. Seasonal dinner dishes that I’ll change as often as possible, in summer almost daily. I have this great wood-burning grill and a turn-spit, but you really have to see what your bounty is before you understand what your plate is.

TOC: Like the Monday night farm dinners you currently do?
JV: Yeah, if you look at the one for tonight, that’s pretty indicative of what I’ll be doing there, and what [pastry chef] Melissa [Trimmer] will do there. Black kale soup, whole roasted loup de mer, steamed blackberry pudding. I’m splitting it up: apps, pastas and entrees, with about three or four housemade pastas intended to be nice mid-courses. In summer, we could have a dozen apps and entrees each.

TOC: And how are the prices compare to Lula?
JV: Well, if I have a friend who’s getting fish to me two days out of the water, I pay more [than] for fish that’s been out for six days. So I’m willing to charge more for things like that, and other special sourcing. So I’d say maybe between $19 and $26 for entrees.

TOC: And hours?
JV: Dinner Tuesday through Saturday, but we’ll add Sunday brunch after a couple of months too. Lula has always been known for their brunch, so we’re going to be known for that in Pilsen, too.

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Time Out Chicago: So what’s the look for the new Lula?
Kevin Heisner: You know, my usual aesthetics. Somewhat minimal but I’m using all natural materials. I want to try to reveal some of the old structure of the building, which was originally built in the late 1800s, but mix in a modern look.

TOC: How do you do that?
KH: I’ll leave some of the old beams in front to mix wood with an all-glass façade. There’s a piece of land right next to the building that will be sort of an outdoor café, but covered with a green roof on top. And I’m going to have natural woods wrap around that and along the front of the building. I do a lot of carving so I’m thinking I’ll carve the sign into that wood that’s wrapped around and backlight it.

TOC: So would you call this a “green” project then?
KH: Well, that’s not really our primary focus exactly, but a lot of the materials are sustainable. For flooring, I want to use old cedar timber like I did at Del Toro. It’s from barns that have been taken apart. I’ll use Brazilian hardwood, which is a renewable resource. There’ll be exposed brick. And I’m building all the booths and banquettes custom, using very natural color tones, greys and browns, with not a lot of painting.

TOC: What’s the coolest thing about the project, or the thing you are excited about?
KH: Well, I’m thinking about pouring this horseshoe-shaped bar out of concrete, and Jason [Hammel] and I have been talking about ways to use thermal panels to keep food warm and other stuff…but at this point, who knows? Anything’s possible.