Clodagh Lawless and Amy Lawless/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
49 Amy Lawless and Clodagh Lawless Co-owners, The Dearborn “I get to work with my sister and best friend [Clodagh] every day, and as two women in business, we are so inspired at The Dearborn by our other women in leadership positions,” says co-owner Amy Lawless. “We wanted to create a true melting pot of cuisines, taking inspiration from our Midwestern-native Executive Chef Aaron Cuschieri.” Being originally from Ireland, Amy explains, “we strive to create a dining experience based on the Irish saying ‘Céad Míle Fáilte,’ meaning a thousand wishes.” Amy also notes “It’s great to see women getting recognition in this industry, and Clodagh and I are honored to be a part of it.” (Tom Keith)
Michelle Durpetti/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
45 Michelle Durpetti Managing Partner, Gene & Georgetti/Turnkey Hospitality and Founder, Michelle Durpetti Events In a wood-frame building that was built in the River North area after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 (with wood scavenged from the fire!), Gene & Georgetti has a more-than-eighty-year history as one of Chicago’s premier—and longest-running—steakhouses. In addition to managing an events and hospitality business, Michelle Durpetti stands at the head of what can only be considered a Chicago institution. Says Durpetti, granddaughter of co-founder Gene Michelotti, “I have owned and operated my own business for the last fifteen years. And it wasn’t until 2019, after my father’s health started to take a more serious turn, that I really started to get involved in the restaurant.” Stepping into Gene & Georgetti’s is like stepping into Old Chicago, and Durpetti is keeping the restaurant strong and vital into the twenty-first century. (David Hammond)
35 George Liakopoulos, Christine Liakopoulos and Patty Laskaris Principals, Diamond Properties Group Diamond Properties owns and manages several classic Chicago diner-type restaurants, including White Palace, Hollywood Grill and The Hat—this last one offers a huge number of foods original to Chicago, including the Mother-in-Law, Big Baby, rib tips and the Chicago hot dog. George Liakopoulos, who owns Diamond Properties with his mother Christine and sister Patty, tells us, “Our restaurants are staples of their neighborhoods. And they’ve been around for a long time. White Palace has been there since 1939. Hollywood Grill has been there since the nineties. Each restaurant has their own personality. I never wanted them to have that corporate look, where everything looks the same.” (David Hammond)
Mary Aregoni/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
28 Mary Aregoni Founder, Saigon Sisters Saigon Sisters founder Mary Nguyen Aregoni not only endures, she helps others along the way. After surviving refugee camps as a child in Southeast Asia, years later Aregoni left a successful career in corporate America to sell the foods of her origins, just as her mother and grandmother had done. In the fourteen years since opening at the Chicago French Market, Aregoni launched three restaurants with her family and has forged supportive relationships with many women in the industry. She often partners on themed opportunities, such as the World Food Tour with Tigist Reda of Demera restaurant. Helping other women is “a natural instinct for me,” says Aregoni. “The more you give, the more you will get in return without even asking for it. Success is not a competition for me: I find that I get better performance and growth through collaboration, networking, and strategic partnerships.” (Monica Kass Rogers)
Rodolfo Cuadros/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
25 Rodolfo Cuadros Executive Chef/Owner, Amaru, Bloom and Don Bucio’s Taqueria “At home, we eat plant-based foods four days a week,” says Chef Rodolfo Cuadros, and he’s developed plant-forward menus for Bloom and Don Bucio’s Taqueria. “We don’t say our restaurants are vegan,” says Cuadros, “because vegan tends to be more of a lifestyle. We’re plant-based because the reality is that the way we’re eating now, it’s going to be impossible to eat like that in twenty years.” Chicagoans can thank the pandemic for Cuadros’ plant-based approach; as he tells it, “We started Bloom as a ghost kitchen, just to bring in a little more revenue, but it became a time of growth, and after the pandemic, we decided to go all-in. And I love vegetables. I’m a big guy, but I feel better with a plant-based diet.” (David Hammond)
24 Tony Hu Chef/Founder, Lao Sze Chuan Restaurants Tony Hu is a survivor. In 1989, before coming to the United States, Hu graduated from The Culinary Institute of Sichuan, China’s first such school. In Chicago, in the early aughts, Hu opened a number of very successful restaurants, including the hugely popular Lao Sze Chuan in the Chinatown mall, which spawned multiple locations, as well as other Chinese restaurants including Lao Beijing and Lao Shanghai. Around the time he started to be called “the Mayor of Chinatown,” Hu became president of the Chinese American Association of Greater Chicago (Chicago’s largest nonprofit Chinese organization); he took some chances, and then ran into legal problems that put him out of commission for a while. Now he’s back, starting restaurants and running a catering business, though his Michigan Avenue location just filed for bankruptcy. In December, he opened Shoo Loong Kan (also known as Xiaolongkan), a Chinese hot pot restaurant in the historic building that once housed Won Kow. This man does not stay down. (David Hammond)
Dominique and Tanisha Griffin Leach/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
18 Dominique and Tanisha Griffin Leach Co-Owners, Lexington Betty Smokehouse and Products It may take a little extra effort for some of us to make it down to Pullman, but Lexington Betty Smokehouse has drawn us down south more than once. It’s a growing operation, and Dominique and Tanisha Leach have won placement for their Wagyu hot dogs and, soon, barbecue sauces at Mariano’s, a coup for what is still kind of a start-up operation. To watch Dominque and Tanisha preparing food and serving customers, you can see that they’re happy and love what they’re doing. “Honestly,” says Dominique, “what gives me the most joy is when I attempt to do a task and my team runs to get it done yelling ‘I got it, chef.’ To me it shows how hard they realize I am working. It shows respect and it proves we’re a team.” (David Hammond)
17 Charlie McKenna Pitmaster/Founder, Lillie’s Q Sauces & Rubs Best known for barbecue and Southern cooking at places like Lillie’s Q and Roux, Charlie McKenna is also behind a line of consumer products, including sauces, rubs and potato chips. McKenna tells us his branded products can be found in 15,000 stores in twenty-one countries. Sounds like a huge success, right? When we ask McKenna what kind of advice he might offer to chefs thinking about starting their own line of products, his response is quick and clear: “Don’t!” McKenna clarifies that he doesn’t want to squelch dreams, but it’s important for chefs to understand how difficult it is to make a decent profit on a product line. “I’m just saying, the amount of money needed is more than they can possibly fathom and that money goes to product development, distribution, marketing and shipping. And then you have to buy shelf space, pay slotting fees, to get your products into stores. Having your products out there is good for the brand, but it takes a very long time to make any money.” (David Hammond)
Heather Bublick and D’Andre Carter/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
16 D’Andre Carter and Heather Bublick Co-Owners, Soul & Smoke “My mission goes beyond just offering great food,” says Chef D’Andre Carter, who with Heather Bublick, serves some of Chicago’s best barbecue from Soul & Smoke locations in Avondale, West Loop and Evanston. “I’m passionate about giving back to those in the community who need it most and in creating an amazing work environment for all our employees.” Carter and Bublick are a husband-and-wife team, so we have to ask what it’s like to work with a spouse? “There are days where we barely see each other,” Bublick says. “But can we talk about anything else besides Soul & Smoke? No, not really. The conversation always goes back to work. Still, at night when we do come together, it’s interesting to hear his perspective about the day and compare it to mine.” (David Hammond)
Cecilia Cuff and Eric Williams/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
13 Cecilia Cuff and Eric Williams Owners, Bronzeville Winery Eric Williams describes the Bronzeville Winery, which opened in April 2022, as having been born out of The Silver Room, the innovative community hub he started twenty-five years ago. As with The Silver Room, Bronzeville Winery is multifaceted, but expands the focus on art and community to include imaginative, high-quality food and wine selections. “The community we’ve built at The Silver Room definitely feeds into the winery,” Williams notes. “Our customers are happy to have places like these on the South Side.” Asked what’s next, Williams responds that the focus is on consistency. “We get busier every day. We’ve added live music and a Sunday brunch. We’re working to maintain and build on what we’ve created.” (Cynthia Clampitt)
Esam Hani/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
11 Esam Hani Owner, One of a Kind Hospitality The 2700 block of North Milwaukee Avenue is dominated by One of a Kind Hospitality. Esam Hani, owner of the restaurant and bar group, refers to it as “my block.” For good reason. His eating and drinking establishments are all on that block: Red Star Liquors, Saba Italian Bar and Kitchen, Café con Leche, The Harding Tavern, The Old Plank, Mr. E’s and the Walk In. Why all in the same block? There was no master plan. “It’s crazy. Things came up. I guess I was bored.” His new Mexican place, opening late spring, will be a few blocks south, at Milwaukee and Sacramento. “I build places that I like to go to. I always had to leave Logan Square to go to these places—that’s part of the reason I built what I did.” (Tom Keith)
Julia Shell Hale/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
10 Julia Shell Hale Publicist, Julia Shell Public Relations and Co-Owner, The Albion Manor, The Parlour and The Dandy Crown Julia Shell Hale is one of a growing number of publicists-turned-restaurateurs, and she is recognized for upgrading Chicago’s pub game with English-style taverns that serve significantly better food than average pub grub. Her husband Jamie, who helps run the business, is from England, which may explain their U.K. style of taverns, which during soccer season are filled with cheering lads. Recently, James Menendez has come aboard as executive chef, after doing time at Sixteen, Moody Tongue and Grace, three fine-dining stars. “When he came to us,” remembers Hale, “we asked, ‘are you sure you want to do this? Don’t you think you’re gonna get bored making fish and chips?’ But he was intrigued by the flexibility and creativity” of cooking in a pub rather than a white-tablecloth restaurant. (David Hammond)
7 Doug Dunlay, Michael Dunlay, Derek Rettell and Josh Rutherford Co-Owners, 4 Star Restaurant Group Doug Dunlay, Michael Dunlay, Derek Rettell and Josh Rutherford are the men behind 4 Star Restaurant Group, the team that brings to Chicago diverse and popular restaurants including Smoke Daddy, Remington’s and Ella Elli. With restaurants that aim to be the “cornerstone in the neighborhoods where they reside,” Michael Dunlay tells us, “People are our priority, guests are our focus. We have an unrelenting commitment to service and hospitality, exceptional food at a reasonable price, and being an involved neighbor in our communities. Our motto is ‘It’s all about the guest.’” (David Hammond)
Ryan O’Donnell/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
6 Anna and Ryan O’Donnell Founders, Ballyhoo Hospitality Since 2018, husband-and-wife duo Ryan and Anna O’Donnell have made moves to redefine neighborhood dining throughout Chicago and the North Shore. Significant pivoting allowed the co-founders of Ballyhoo Hospitality to “spread their wings” during the restaurant industry’s most taxing years. Driven to keep their restaurants from failing during the pandemic, they found new ways to serve guests while honoring strict government guidelines. At a time when most restaurants were barely surviving, Ballyhoo Hospitality opened three restaurant concepts, including a second Sophia Steak location in Lake Forest and Pomeroy in Winnetka. And Ballyhoo Hospitality shows no signs of slowing down: their eighth restaurant, DeNuccis, is set to open in Lincoln Park this spring. It’s located across the street from Gemini, the first restaurant in the Ballyhoo family. (Melissa Elsmo)
Amy Morton/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
5 Amy Morton Founder, AMDP and AMDP Concepts After opening a number of restaurants (Found Kitchen + Social House, the Barn, Stolp Island Social), and, most recently, LeTour, an innovative adventure in French Moroccan cuisine, Amy Morton is at the top of her game. When we asked her how she’d define the personality of LeTour, she said without hesitation “Andy Warhol on the French Riviera.” That quirky, slightly off-center creativity informs, she tells us, “the vibes of the room, many of the design elements, even the food.” Andy Warhol on the French Riviera sounds like a sunburn, and when we mention that to Morton, she says that “our fixtures over our lounge tables in the dining room are designed and modeled after the straw hat Warhol wore on the Riviera.” Like we said, quirky and off-center, but cool and very promising. (David Hammond)
Luke Stoioff and David Rekhson/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
4 Luke Stoioff and David Rekhson Partners, DineAmic Hospitality Bar Siena, Prime & Provisions and Lyra are a few of the restaurants in the DineAmic Hospitality family, and it all started in Luke Stoioff’s backyard, when the then-seven-year-old set up a tent and served pretzels and lemonade to local construction workers. Now, along with David Rekhson, Stoioff and DineAmic are building restaurants all over Chicago. What holds these places together? Stoioff tells us that their “core values are hospitality, memorability, ingenuity and community.” Stoioff relates a story that encompasses those core values: “I was chatting with a family at one of our restaurants, and we were talking about ice cream, and how Ben & Jerry’s had discontinued the dad’s favorite flavor: Heath Bar Crunch. So, I walked out, went to 7-Eleven, bought Heath bars and vanilla ice cream, smashed up the Heath bars, mixed it all up and re-froze it. Then we served the guy his favorite ice cream again.” (David Hammond)
Daniel Alonso/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
3 Daniel Alonso Founder/Creative Director, Bonhomme Group Walking into one of Bonhomme Group’s clubs, cocktail bars and restaurants—and there are many, including Porto and Coquette, as well as Spain’s Beatnik Country House—you’ll discern a distinctive style: colorful, dynamic, exciting. Who comes up with the concepts for all these places, and who designs them? Answer: Dani Alonso. He sounds matter-of-fact as he says, “I am one of the very few folks out there that conceptualizes and designs. I don’t use outside designers, and I don’t use outside decorators. I design every square inch of all the venues, I come up with a story of every venue, the concept of every venue, the development of the brand, image, the logos, all of it.” It’s safe to say, when you walk into one of Bonhomme’s distinctive places, you’ll be walking into the creative mind of Mr. Alonso. (David Hammond)
2 Erick Williams Executive Chef/Owner, Virtue Hospitality This has been a busy few years for Chef Erick Williams, who now owns and operates three restaurants—Virtue, Mustard Seed Kitchen and Daisy’s Po-Boy & Tavern—located in Hyde Park and the South Loop. What themes hold them altogether? “Fun, delicious fare served by passionate and kind team members,” Williams tells us.”Virtue Hospitality maintains a standard that leads with respect, dignity, and dinner.” That operating philosophy has led to recognition such as a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes, and pages of raves in the New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. When asked about the future, Williams tells us, “Let’s just say the opportunities are increasing, not slowing. We have expanded our capacity to scout for great talent to grow our teams, and we will continue to grow as fast.” (David Hammond)
Scott Weiner and Greg Mohr/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
FEATURED RESTAURATEURS 1 Greg Mohr and Scott Weiner Founders and Principals, Fifty/50 Restaurant Group The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group, headed up by Scott Weiner and Greg Mohr, was founded in 2008 and now owns or manages fourteen establishments, including popular spots with multiple locations such as Roots Pizza and West Town Bakery. There are approximately 100,000 active members in their loyalty group, and that number is likely to grow with the opening of OKAY Cannabis Dispensary in Wheeling (with two other locations on the way). “We’re the first in the country,” says Weiner, “to bring together a cannabis dispensary, a bar, a lounge and a bakery. We’re also doing some other crazy stuff right now, like trying to reinvent the corporate cafeteria.”
The Fifty/50 Group has vision, but they’re also hard at work with their new restaurant, Kindling, in Willis Tower, which brings wood-fired fine dining to downtown Chicago, as well as at the new Second City location going up in New York City.
We ask Weiner about a comment he made on a recent ABC news report; he’d said he manages his company with “strength, equity, inclusivity and kindness” and we were interested in hearing more about how kindness plays into his management philosophy. “It’s the root of all we do,” says Weiner, “Life’s too short not to be kind, and I do have a strong Buddhist philosophy and many faults in life, and I feel it’s very important to be open-hearted. When you’re open-hearted, everybody can feel it. You know, the way we treat our delivery people, our sales reps, the team members in our restaurants, and, of course, our guests. It’s a trickle-down, and everybody feels it.” (David Hammond)
Restaurateurs The Hall of Fame
Terry Alexander, Peter Garfield, Paul Kahan, Donnie Madia, Eduard Seitan Partners, One Off Hospitality Group
Rick Bayless Founder, Frontera Restaurants and Recipes
Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz Founders, Boka Restaurant Group
Bruce Finkelman and Craig Golden Partners, 16″ on Center
Scott Harris CEO, Scott Harris Hospitality
Cody Hudson, Jon Martin, Robert McAdams, Peter Toalson Principals, Land and Sea Dept.
Nick Kokonas Founder, The Alinea Group
Billy Lawless Founder, Gage Hospitality Group
Rich Melman and Jerrod Melman, Molly Melman, RJ Melman Founder and Executive Partners, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
John Ross and Phillip Walters B. Hospitality Co.
Carmen Rossi Principal, 8 Hospitality
Brendan Sodikoff Founder, Hogsalt Hospitality
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