Behind the Line
Topic: Your Career
Your Current Career
Openings are always hardest, and growing pains can be feisty. At which restaurants were you on opening staff?
- Nate Hamilton
- Chef de Cuisine
- Harvest
- Madison, WI
I was the opening sous chef at Graze here in Madison. Three weeks of consecutive 17 hour days. It was a really interesting process, from watching the construction to formulating the menu to hiring ...
more »
![Melissa2_web[1]](/system/avatars/1174/thumb/melissa2_web[1].JPG?1320965073)
- Melissa Trimmer
- Pastry Chef
- Le Cordon Bleu Chicago, Pastry Chef Instructor
- Chicago, Illinois
In Chicago: Nightwood
In Michigan: Bite (not to be confused with the one in Chicago)
- Celina Tio
- Executive Chef/Owner
- JULIAN
- Kansas City, MO
I opened Spoodles at Disney's Boardwalk Resort, Citricos at Disney's Grand Floridian, Palo on the M.S. Magic and most recently, my very own restaurant JULIAN. I love openings - everyone genuinely ...
more »
- Susan Goss
- Executive Chef/Owner
- West Town Tavern
- Chicago, IL
Drew and I opened Something Different: Carry Out Cuisine in 1983, Something Different: The Restaurant in 1989. SNAX (Not a Sports Bar) in 1991 , Zinfandel Restaurant in 1993 and West Town Tavern in...
more »
- Zeeshan Shah
- Chef de Cuisine
- Old Town Social
- Chicago, IL
I worked at Custom House starting around the fifth month it was open as a
fine dining steak house concept, so it felt like opening because everything
seemed to be changing everyday. From Breakfast ...
more »
- Joncarl Lachman
- Executive Chef/Owner
- HB Home Bistro
- Chicago, IL
The two restaurants where i have been on the opening staff have been the two of which i am/was chef/owner...and the experiences couldn't be more different.
Over 7 years ago i was a part of the o...
more »
- Charlie Berg
- Sommelier
- Michael Mina Bourbon Steak DC
- Washington, DC
Town House Restaurant.
- Greg Biggers
- Executive Chef
- Café des Architectes
- Chicago, IL
The "Rick Tramonto compound" in Wheeling, Illinois. I was hired as the chef for the steakhouse and RT Lounge. I was involved in opening four concepts in one hotel at one time. It was insane to say ...
more »
- Matthias Merges
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Yusho-Chicago
- Chicago, Illinois
Yusho Chicago
Restaurant Charlie at THe Palazzo Las Vegas
Trotter's Togo Chicago
Restaurant C at One and Only Palmilla, San Jose del Cabo Mexico
The Metropolitan Salt Lake City Utah
Gabriels H...
more »
- Gerard Craft
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Niche Restaurant and BRASSERIE by niche
- St. Louis, MO
Niche, Brasserie, and Taste Bar. All three of my restaurants. I was never involved in the opening of a restaurant before my own. Each restaurant was unique and just as hard as the other in its own ...
more »
- Nathan Sears
- Executive Chef/Owner
- The Radler and D.A.S.
- Chicago, IL
I was never an part of an opening. I joined Vie shorty after it opened though. Getting the staff together and working to what you expect is always a hard part.
- Josh Kaplan
- GM/Beverage Manager
- Eleven City Diner
- Chicago, Illinois
The Wit Hotel, Leopold.
- Mark Steuer
- Chef/Partner
- Carriage House and The Bedford
- Chicago, IL
I consulted on the rootstock opening, and we are in the process of opening the bedford right now.
- Daniela Ortiz
- Server
- Talde
- Brooklyn, NY
The list of Chicago restaurants where I was part of the opening staff reads like an obituary: Il Tre Merli, Savannah, Lola's Club Roulette, Spago, and Pluton.
- Brian Reilly
- Chef
- Noodlecat
- Cleveland, Ohio
Tristan Charleston sc
Al DI LA Charleston sc
Virtues Akron OH
Almost
The Green House Tavern Cleveland OH
- Jill Barron
- Executive Chef/Owner
- MANA food bar
- Chicago, IL
De Cero Taqueria, and Mana Food Bar. My first job out of school was on an opening staff in a seafood house.
- Troy Graves
- Chef/Partner
- Red Door
- Chicago, Il
I opened Kent's in New Buffalo, Mi. Followed that up with an offshoot of the same concept in Kalamazoo, Mi. Here in Chicago I opened Tallulah in Lincoln Sqaure and Eve in the Gold Coast. I really e...
more »
- Geoff Rhyne
- Sous Chef
- The Ordinary
- Charleston, SC
I helped open SugarToad back in '08. I'm still here seeing the vision unfold. It's been quite a challenging endeavor, but rewarding as well
- Toni Roberts
- Pastry Chef
- State and Lake Chicago Tavern
- Chicago, IL
At my current position, C-House. The opening experience was very educational.
- Stephanie Samuels
- Pastry Chef/Owner
- Angel Food Bakery
- Chicago, IL
Besides mine, Angel Food Bakery, I was working for Erwin Dreschler at Metropolis Cafe when he took me with him to open up Metropolis 1800 back in 1990.
- Jimmy Bannos Jr.
- Executive Chef/Owner
- The Purple Pig
- Chicago, IL
Miramar Bistro and Mia Francesca
- Carrie Nahabedian
- Executive Chef/Owner
- NAHA and Brindille
- Chicago, IL
Sinclairs with Norman Van Aken as Chef, Charlie Trotter as a cook, Suzy Crofton as pastry chef and owners Marshall Field V and Gordon Sinclair. Very memorable...
Four Seasons Hotel Chicago..seven ...
more »
- Jimmy Bannos
- Owner
- The Purple Pig and Heaven on Seven
- Chicago, IL
Four Heaven on Sevens. My diner called Juicy-O. My steakhouse which is called T-Bones, which I just closed and am reopening as Fat Rosies Taco and Tequila Bar. And my soon to open new restaurant, G...
more »
- Chrissy Camba
- Chef
- Bar Pastoral
- Chicago, IL
I was the opening sous chef at Duchamp and opening chef de cuisine at Vincent (current restaurant). It's true - openings are difficult and helping the restaurant grow can make you crazy...but to se...
more »
- Tony Priolo
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Piccolo Sogno
- Chicago, IL
Piccolo Sogno!
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
The Laughing Planet Cafe in Bloomington, Indiana, which is still there after 15 years. We opened that very successful business on a shoestring dime. I was also on the opening team of the Hi Ricky N...
more »
- Cary Taylor
- Executive Chef
- The Southern
- Chicago, IL
The Southern