The gallery you can taste

At Frame Chicago, a custom-design framing workshop, you don’t just see art — you taste it. Over the years, the Rajani family has turned their tiny Lincoln Park shop into a playground for flavors and creativity, where high-gloss pink molding and bamboo frames share the spotlight with dishes inspired by their Pakistani and Ugandan heritage.

“That was never the goal; it happened organically,” says Alisha Rajani, the second-generation operator. “Over time, it’s become a real home and safe space for artists, hosting local, national and international gallery openings. Collectors and artists are drawn to Frame for its creativity.”

Founders Firoz and Bilkish Rajani came to the U.S. in the 1970s — Firoz from Pakistan to study chemistry, Bilkish from Uganda as a refugee of Idi Amin’s regime. They married and founded Frame Chicago in 1981, the same year their son Shafiq was born; today he runs the shop alongside Alisha.

The family has built a reputation for being an equal creative thought partner to the artists whose work they are entrusted to frame. Over the years, Frame has built out event programming and become a destination for the arts and culture crowd. Though the Lincoln Park shop is the size of a two-car garage, it attracts big names. Among them is Jenner Tomaska, co-owner of Michelin-starred restaurant Esmé.

Tomaska, an art-lover, connected with the family in August 2023 after attending an event at Frame. His current “Table for Six,” tasting menu grew from that encounter.

“The Rajani family has built a uniquely special hub for artists from Chicago and beyond with Frame Chicago,” said Tomaska. “After working with them on custom framing pieces for previous menus at Esmé, it was only natural to collaborate in a larger capacity for Table for Six.”

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Curated by Alisha, the eight-course meal reflects Frame Chicago through food, incorporating frames in some presentations and highlighting the owners’ cultural heritage alongside works by six participating artists: Al-Baseer Holly, Cristina Martinez, Edo, Lauren Pearce, Mia Lee and Sentrock.

“We had the honor of taking the chef to taste some of our traditional food and share the stories behind them—how they’re cooked and the special occasions on which we enjoy them,” said Alisha. “It is such a proud moment for our family and our business to be featured in this way, and it’s something we never could’ve imagined when we first opened Frame.”

The Rajanis took Tomaska and Katrina Bravo, his business partner and wife, to dine on Chicago’s Devon Avenue, a hub for South Asian cuisine. Over nihari, a hearty stew served during celebrations, the family dreamt up a menu heavy with cumin, cardamom, garam masala and saffron while discussing their journey to America.

After three months of research and development, the end result is a whimsical meal surrounded by four-dimensional art that diners can interact with, not simply observe. A piece of Edo art is encased in a water placemat that jiggles when poked; a portrait made by Mia Lee has to be cracked to get to the strawberry dessert beneath, and an egg amuse-bouche is served in a nest cradled inside Sentrock’s iconic bird-mask figure.

The nihari made it on the tasting menu, too, and is served in a hand-painted clay pot that’s broken open when served. “This is a symbolic gesture — Pakistani food is often prepared in clay ovens, and breaking the pot is a tribute to the traditional way our food is cooked and enjoyed, adding a touch of ceremony to Esmé’s dining experience,” said Alisha.

Featuring Pakistani and Ugandan dishes important to the Rajanis, the menu ensures the collaboration reflects not just what they do, but who they are.

“My team and I also loved having the opportunity to create a dish specifically inspired by the Rajani family’s dual Ugandan and Pakistani heritage like with our squab stuffed with foie terrine and wrapped in clay,” adds Tomaska. “It was important for us to ensure that their cultural heritage was reflected each evening with its own course in Table for Six.”

Many restaurants claim to serve up art, but few deliver like Esmé, where collaboration with others underscores their status as true visionary thinkers.