Restaurants

At his Chicago restaurant Hermosa, Ethan Lim offers Cambodian-inspired sandwiches during the day and a "Family Meal" multi-course private dining menu at night. He's the subject of a new American Masters profile. 

“God bless the pioneers of the Indian community who brought Indian food [to the United States], but we’ve gotten settled into this greatest hits world,” says Zubair Mohajir, the chef behind the buzzy Wicker Park restaurant Wazwan. 

Fatima Zabiha Foods was started by a Pakistani immigrant who realized that "halal" meat in the U.S. was ill-defined. He wanted meat that conformed to his expectations. Now Chicago is a leading provider of halal meat, and Fatima continues to grow.

Devon Quinn operates not just the Avondale restaurant Eden and the various catering businesses of The Paramount Group, but also grows a wide variety of plants for their use in a greenhouse. "It’s just about that connection from earth to plate,” he says. 

Even today there is a huge disparity in the number of women head chefs, but achieving success in the food industry earlier on was even less common. Meet some of the women who influenced Chicago and America's attitudes towards food. 

The finalists for the James Beard Awards, one of the food industry's biggest recognitions in America, have been announced. Chicago has five nominees, plus an honorable mention who recently moved to the city. 

Sisters Amy and Clodagh Lawless own and operate The Dearborn in the Loop, but previously chafed at the lack of recognition they received as women in the restaurant industry—and scions of an Irish restaurant family. “We’re always Billy Lawless’s daughter or Billy Lawless’s sister,” Clodagh says. “I’m like, ‘Excuse me.’”

The exuberantly creative Esmé presents plenty of culinary conundrums for beverage pairings, which are handled by Tia Barrett. But she also champions beverage producers who are people of color or have a charitable component.

Now in its eighth year, Chicago BLACK Restaurant Week celebrates the "Jordan Year," 2023, after the legendary athlete's number, by offering deals and events to support Black-owned restaurants. 

Christian Hunter is the executive chef at Atelier, the new restaurant replacing Elizabeth in Lincoln Square, a tiny spot that Iliana Regan made famous for her local, foraged food. Hunter's approach to food is similar in its adherence to local products.

The semifinalists for the James Beard Awards, one of the food industry's biggest recognitions in America, have been announced. Chicago has eleven nominees amongst them, four fewer than last year. 

At the holidays, Klein's Bakery & Cafe offers two Venezuelan must-haves for Christmas: the tamale-like hallacas, and pan de jamón. Hallacas are typically made as part of a big family in Venezuela, but Klein's helps immigrants have a taste of their traditional holiday experience even in Chicago.

Morocco won a group containing the second- and third-place finishers in the last World Cup and then defeated the heavyweight Spain in the first knockout round of the 2022 World Cup. Khalid Kamal, the owner of the Moroccan restaurant Shokran, is rooting from them from afar, along with his family back in Morocco.

The work hasn't always been easy for pitmaster Dominique Leach, co-owner of Pullman barbecue restaurant Lexington Betty Smoke House. But she says her community has been receptive to her work as a Black woman chef, and lines at her restaurant are longer than ever.

The pickup-and-delivery-only restaurant Laos to Your House is the only restaurant in Chicago where you can try the cuisine of the Southeast Asian country. “We're really putting in a lot of time and a lot of effort into this, but it doesn't feel like work when you're passionate about it," says one of the owners.