Our Story

Marcos Ascencio and Oliver Poilevey have partnered in a new venture, Taqueria Chingón, after sharing many experiences with pop-ups and backyard bbqs. Located in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood, Taqueria Chingón is a Mexico City street style taqueria focused on one of Mexico City’s favorite street foods: the Al Pastor. They've developed a menu with classics that stay true to their origins, and some tacos that create a new tradition.

Oliver Poilevey, a native Chicagoan, began his culinary career at the age of 13 at La Sardine. He worked under the watchful eye of both Chef Gallegos and his father, Chef Jean-Claude Poilevey. At 19 Oliver moved to France to work on a vineyard and at Le Duc Bistro in Paris. Oliver's passion for travel and cooking led him to Hawaii, Los Angeles and Florida where he continued to develop his culinary skills. In 2013, Oliver returned to Chicago and worked at The Publican under Chef Paul Kahan and Brian Houston for a little over a year. In 2014 his father hired him as Sous Chef at Bucktown mainstay, Le Bouchon. As the current chef/owner of Le Bouchon, Oliver along with his brother Nicolas, carry on the Le Bouchon tradition begun by their parents.

Marcos Ascencio grew up in Chicago, and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School. After high school he attended both UIC and the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. His varied culinary career began at NoMi with Chef Sandro Gamba. During his eight years there, Marcos worked every station and department, eventually rising to Chef de Cuisine of the Park Hyatt under Christophe David. After NoMi, Ascencio joined the Chicago Public Schools as a culinary instructor at Benito Juarez Community Academy in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. While there, he mentored the next generation of cooks and chefs and helped several students obtain full-ride scholarships to culinary schools.

Ascencio returned to cooking in the kitchen of Guildhall, in Glencoe, where he built a team to deliver consistent, delicious food to the neighborhood. In 2016, he left Guildhall, to join Bar Lupo. Marcos was the driving force behind Bar Lupo's punk rock Italian fare, a free-ranging mix of classic regional Italian and Taylor Street red sauce cuisines. In 2018, following the closure of Bar Lupo, Ascencio began as Executive Chef of the Ivy Room at Tree Studios, a Lettuce Entertain You establishment known for its full service event space set and historic courtyard.