Christopher Koetke –

Matthias Merges, chef/owner of Yusho (in three iterations), Billy Sunday and A10 restaurants, says the inspiration for his deverse themes comes from his love of travel.

5 minutes with restaurateur and chef Matthias Merges

June 15, 2018 at 8:38 a.m.

It's not easy having restaurants all over the city (and in Las Vegas), each with its own personality and each highly regarded. Yet, this is chef Matthias Merges' world. Yusho,...

Leigh Omilinsky, the new pastry chef at Nico Osteria, said her pastry syle is evovling. "I know that my style will change here at Nico Osteria. I know that I will embrace simplicity more and maybe be a bit less feminine."

Pastry chef Leigh Omilinsky: It takes patience, it takes drive

May 2, 2019 at 12:25 p.m.

Leigh Omilinsky knew she would be a chef when she was a teen. All it took was some time at a culinary camp and a little seed of an idea...

Strong work ethic, good service motivate Gibsons partner

June 15, 2018 at 5:25 p.m.

Chicago has a rich history of great steakhouses. Gibsons Bar & Restaurant easily makes the list of great steak restaurants and is revered by steak lovers. As you enter the...

Emilio Gervilla of Emilio's Tapas previously owned 11 restaurants. Now he owns two: One in Hillside and one in Chicago.

Emilio Gervilla finds that 2 is the perfect number

June 15, 2018 at 8:19 p.m.

It has been many years since I talked to Chicago's iconic and talented Spanish chef Emilio Gervilla. As the last patrons finished their lunch at Emilio's Tapas Sol y Nieve,...

Antique Taco chef/owner Rick Ortiz is from Bridgeport.

Chef Rick Ortiz fuses passions at Antique Taco

December 23, 2018 at 10:41 a.m.

In Mexico, tacos constitute addictively tasty sustenance for the masses. At Antique Taco (1360 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-687-8697), things are different. While the tacos are equally delicious, they range from...

Jimmy Bannos and his son, Jimmy Bannos Jr., right, on the patio of The Purple Pig.

Closeness in the kitchen for Bannos family

June 16, 2018 at 6:19 a.m.

I couldn't believe that 6 o'clock on a Thursday night was a good time to connect with the father-and-son Bannos team, but I was assured that it was best for...

Chef Thai Dang works in the kitchen at Embeya in 2012.

Embeya chef incorporates training, heritage into his cooking

June 18, 2018 at 6:03 a.m.

Stopping by Embeya (564 W. Randolph St., 312-612-5640) in the midafternoon, as the waitstaff presents final checks to lunch customers and reset tables, while the kitchen staff busily ramps up...

Acadia restaurant's pastry chef, Ji Yoon.

From art student to Acadia

June 17, 2018 at 5:33 a.m.

10:45 p.m. is not the usual time for an interview, but that is how it worked out. As I entered Acadia on South Wabash, pastry chef Ji Yoon greeted me...

Five minutes with … Phillip Foss

June 17, 2018 at 8:15 a.m.

It's hard to imagine a fine restaurant at the end of a small and lonely dead-end section of 14th Street off of Western Avenue. It is bordered on one side...

Gioco chef has rules on eating out

June 17, 2018 at 4:28 p.m.

On Wabash Avenue just south of Roosevelt Road in a revitalized part of Chicago sits Gioco. From the outside, the entrance seems unassuming. If you drive by too fast, you...

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