Give My Compliments to the Chef: Featured Summer 2026
FEATURE PHOTO FROM The Bartolotta Restaurants
Chicago’s culinary scene is unmatched and attracts some of the world’s top chefs. By pairing a sincere passion for food with pure talent, these Chicago culinary artists are sure to elevate your wedding day meal. Not only will you be served a work of art, but your guests will also talk about the delectable meal for years to come.
Matt Jergens
Executive Chef, The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel
Inspired by his Midwest and New England upbringing, Executive Chef Matt Jergens brings a passion for innovative cuisine and years of experience to The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel. His love for cooking began early, shaped by the contrasting food cultures of Iowa and Boston. A graduate of Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, he refined his craft at The Liberty Hotel, earning five promotions in five years. Now at The Gwen, Chef Jergens leads a talented culinary team, creating vibrant, modern menus that embody the lively spirit of River North while remaining grounded in timeless techniques and classic flavors.
Dish: Seared Diver Scallops with crispy pancetta.
Aaron Bickham
Director of Culinary and Corporate Executive Chef, The Bartolotta Restaurants
Chef Aaron Bickham serves as Director of Culinary and Corporate Executive Chef for The Bartolotta Restaurants, where he has been an integral part of the team since 2001. A classically trained chef with broad cultural and culinary expertise, he oversees menu development, kitchen leadership, operations and guest experience while mentoring and recruiting the next generation of culinary talent. His strengths in banquets, catering, menu creation and restaurant management have been instrumental to the company’s continued success. Chef Aaron’s distinguished career includes working alongside Chef Paul Bartolotta, Chef Daniel Boulud and Chef Thomas Keller, the latter during the prestigious Bocuse d’Or chef competition. He has also held leadership roles in top Chicago and Milwaukee restaurants and trained at the International Culinary Center.
Dish: Grilled 20 oz bone-in prime ribeye served with caramelized trumpet royale mushrooms, braised cipollini onions and bordelaise sauce.
Nick Wirth
Executive Chef Tournant, The Bartolotta Restaurants
Nick Wirth is the Executive Chef Tournant with The Bartolotta Restaurants, where he helps shape the culinary vision across the organization, including its acclaimed wedding and event offerings. A Wisconsin native, Chef Nick began his career at Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro before training at the Culinary Institute of America and working with Chef Norman Van Aken in Miami and at Vidalia in Washington, D.C. He returned to Milwaukee in 2006 and rose through the ranks at Lake Park Bistro and Bacchus before becoming Executive Chef Tournant for The Bartolotta Restaurants. Today, he brings his expertise to the culinary leadership team at The Bartolotta Restaurants, supporting elevated menus for restaurant operations, weddings and special events.
Dish: Caviar on brioche toast, topped with crème fraîche and chives.
Carlos Orozco
Executive Head Chef, Catered by Design
Raised in a family of bakers and bakery owners, Carlos Orozco honed his passion for executing delicious sweets at the French Pastry School in Chicago. Having an extensive background in delectable desserts and off- premises catering, he has streamlined Catered by Design’s (“CBD”) kitchen and operations to run like a well-oiled rolling pin.
For the last 10 years, Orozco has created unique dishes and has incorporated different techniques to improve the systems both in CBD’s commissary and in the field at events. Orozco believes that leadership and teamwork are a part of who he is and attests that those attributes play a key part in achieving success in the catering world.
Dish: Lemon basil ricotta salmon topped with a lemon cream sauce served over turnip purée and accompanied by a tricolor quinoa timbale.
Eric Blackwell
Executive Chef, Moveable Feast + Co.
Executive Chef Eric Blackwell is a celebrated chef rooted in the Fox Valley community, bringing more than two decades of experience to the table. From humble beginnings in local diners to orchestrating unforgettable wedding feasts for hundreds of guests, his culinary journey reflects both skill and heart. As Executive Chef of Moveable Feast + Co, he leads the culinary vision for the company and its venue, Company 251. Guided by a passion for flavor-rich, locally sourced and wholesome ingredients, Chef Eric transforms every dish into a story of creativity and care.
Grounded by his faith, devoted to his family and committed to his community, he embodies the true spirit of farm-to-table dining — where every bite reflects passion, purpose and place.
Dish: Grilled rainbow carrots with Swiss chard, shaved red onion, almond, honey and lemon, plated on Moveable Feast’s signature tablescape.
Chris Jung
Executive Chef, Maxwells Trading; Visiting Chef at Marisol Restaurant at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
Chicago welcomes Maxwells Trading’s Executive Chef Chris Jung for its latest Chef Collab series. At Maxwells Trading, Chef Chris leads back-of-house operations, bringing a sustainability-driven approach to the kitchen and collaborating on menu development with chef partner Erling Wu-Bower. In 2025, the duo was named James Beard Award finalists for “Best Chef: Great Lakes” for their Asian-influenced yet distinctly American menu. Chef Chris earned his degree from the Culinary Institute of America before moving to Chicago in 2018 to cook under Wu-Bower at Pacific Standard Time. After completing an eight-month kaiseki apprenticeship at Tokyo’s Asada Ryotei and serving as chef de cuisine at Momotaro, Jung opened Maxwell’s Trading with Underscore Hospitality in late 2023.
Dish: Chicken Karaage with green cabbage, sesame vinaigrette and Japanese tartar sauce.
Ken Regan
Executive Chef, The Odyssey
Leading the innovative culinary team at The Odyssey is Executive Chef Kenneth Regan. A native of the south suburbs of Chicago, Ken brings a deep passion for seasonal and locally sourced ingredients to every dish he creates. He is dedicated to supporting local farmers and artisans by incorporating fresh, Midwest- grown produce, cheeses, and meats into his menus. Chef Regan draws inspiration from Midwest craftsmanship and is always in pursuit of the finest, freshest ingredients. “The goal is to cook as you would for family,” he says — a philosophy that resonates in every meal served at The Odyssey.
Dish: Surf & Turf: Midwest Certified Angus Beef paired with butter-roasted shrimp, complemented by a silky green pea and carrot purée, and finished with crispy horseradish potatoes for a refined balance of richness and bright, savory notes.
Paul Virant
Executive Chef & Owner, Vistro Prime (Hinsdale), Petite Vie (Western Springs), Gaijin (Chicago)
Paul Virant is a celebrated chef and restaurateur known for his dedication to seasonality, preservation and Midwestern ingredients. He is the executive chef and owner of Petite Vie, a modern French brasserie in Western Springs; Vistro Prime, a neighborhood steakhouse in Hinsdale; and Gaijin, Chicago’s only okonomiyaki-focused restaurant. He is also the creator of Jar Sessions and author of The Preservation Kitchen. A four-time James Beard Award finalist and Food & Wine Best New Chef (2007), Virant earned a Michelin star for Vie and was named Jean Banchet’s Chef of the Year in 2024.
Dish: Steak frites featuring an eight ounce dry aged top sirloin, compound butter and pomme frites.
Bekah Maly
Executive Chef, RR Events
RR Events’ executive chef, Bekah Maly, is a Chicago-based culinary professional originally from Kentwood, Michigan. After earning degrees from Grand Rapids Community College and Kendall College, she most recently served as executive chef at Eataly Chicago. Inspired by her mother’s scratch-made family dinners and her father’s career as a food scientist, Chef Bekah views hospitality as the art of creating intentional, memorable experiences. Outside the kitchen, she enjoys attending concerts, traveling and supporting organizations like Feeding America.
Dish: Grilled salmon with roasted cauliflower, olives and charred lemon.
Tito Alvarado
Chef, Venuti’s Italian Restaurant and Banquets
Venuti’s Italian Restaurant and Banquets is proud to introduce its chef, Tito Alvarado. Chef Tito comes with 30 years of culinary experience and a background in Italian cuisine. Hailing from a small town in Ecuador, he grew up enamored by his father’s cooking and passion for Greek cuisine. Although Chef Tito loved his father’s cooking, his passion was in Italian cuisine, specifically old-world-style Italian food. After attending the New York Institute of Culinary Education, he started his career working at a Manhattan Italian restaurant under the guidance and mentorship of Chef Giovanni Trotony. There he learned the ins and outs of heritage Italian recipes and the secrets to some of the most famous Italian dishes in the world.
He brings these secrets with him to Venuti’s, incorporating such flavors in both the restaurant and event catering menus while incorporating his own unique touches.
Dish: Chef Tito’s Special Surf and Turf: Lobster sauce smothered crabcake stuffed between two 6 oz. filet mignon medallions over a bed of risotto and topped with sauteed jumbo gulf shrimp.
Clinton Dew
Executive Chef, The Glen Club
Chef Clinton Dew began his culinary journey at Big Jones in Andersonville, training under the mentorship of three-time James Beard Award nominee, Chef Paul Fehribach. He then went on to become Sous Chef at White Oak Tavern and Inn, where his dedication and culinary talent quickly earned him a promotion to Executive Chef. With another harsh Chicago winter approaching, Dew returned to the south in 2017 as Executive Banquet Chef at The Olde Farm in Bristol, VA, managing large-scale events for up to 4,000 guests, including VIPs like Jack Nicklaus and Peyton Manning. After three years in the South, he made his way back to the Midwest to start a family, drawn to the region’s sense of home and balance. Today, Chef Dew blends Southern flair with Midwestern sensibility in every dish.
Dish: Filet Rossini: foie gras, sauce Périgueux, sauteed spinach and pomme puree.
Jenner Tomaska
Chef Partner, The Alston
Jenner Tomaska is a James Beard Award-nominated chef known for blending classical French technique with modern Midwestern cuisine. He is the chef behind Esmé, the Michelin- starred tasting-menu restaurant celebrated for its immersive, artist- driven dining experiences, as well as the Executive Chef and partner of The Alston in Chicago’s Gold Coast. Across both concepts, Tomaska is recognized for his refined culinary perspective, live-fire cooking and commitment to creating thoughtful, experience-driven hospitality that continues to shape Chicago’s evolving dining scene.
Dish: Foie Gras Torchon: A classic French preparation of foie gras, filled with Sauternes gelée and finished with a bright cherry jam.
Hector De La Rosa
Executive Chef, Chicago Marriott Naperville
Originally from Jerez Zac, Mexico, Hector De La Rosa is a seasoned Executive Chef boasting more than 22 years of culinary expertise. Since 2017, Chef De La Rosa, affectionately known as “Chef Lobo,” has been an integral part of the culinary landscape at Chicago Marriott Naperville.
Prior to this, he served as the Executive Sous Chef at The Hilton Oak Brook Hills Resort. Renowned for his innovative approach to cuisine, Chef De La Rosa is celebrated as a visionary chef, well-versed in current food trends and renowned for his ability to craft menus that push boundaries. With an understanding of diverse ethnic and regional cuisines, he consistently delivers exceptional dining experiences. His strong personal work ethic and guest-driven focus on quality service results in mouth-watering flavors and meticulously crafted presentations.
Dish: Land & Sea: Phyllo-wrapped Sixty South salmon stuffed with Alaskan king crab over a sundried tomato lemon butter and an airline chicken breast with a shallot sherry wine sauce, spinach and mascarpone homemade ravioli, French carrots, local asparagus and Peruvian drop red peppers.
Austin Zerkle
Executive Chef, Embassy Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile
Chef Austin Zerkle’s passion for seasonal, thoughtfully sourced ingredients stems from his Southern Illinois roots, where time spent hunting, fishing and foraging for wild morels fostered a deep connection to seasonal ingredients. Today, that foundation shapes every dish, defining his approach to each plate. Blending classic French technique, Italian simplicity and the soulful comfort of southern American cuisine, Chef Austin works closely with each couple to curate menus that feel personal to the occasion and crafted with intention for the celebration.
Dish: New York Strip: Char-grilled New York strip steak, roasted local asparagus and foraged mushrooms, creamery butter mash, cabernet jus.
Alexander Zentner
Executive Chef, Elite Events Chicago
Elite Events Chicago’s executive chef Alexander Zentner developed his passion for food long before stepping into a professional kitchen. Born and raised in Chicago and shaped by time spent in Georgia during his childhood, Chef Alexander found inspiration at home, cooking alongside his mother and grandmother, while his father’s love of grilling and smoking sparked an early fascination with live fire and bold flavors. He went on to refine his skills at Kendall College Culinary School, building a strong foundation in classical techniques and modern cuisine before going on to gain experience in Michelin-starred kitchens and large-scale catering operations. Across each role, Chef Alexander developed a culinary approach rooted in precision, creativity and hospitality. At the core of his work is the belief that food is more than just nourishment — it’s an experience that brings people together, celebrates culture, creates lasting memories and inspires creativity at every table.
Dish: Mushroom Ravioli with foraged mushroom and ricotta filling, porcini cream sauce, mushroom bacon and chervil.
Doug Burke
Executive Head Chef, Hawk’s View Golf Club
Doug Burke is a seasoned culinary professional with more than 40 years of experience in the food and hospitality industry. Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for creativity, leadership and a deep passion for the craft, creating memorable dining experiences while mentoring teams and balancing tradition with innovation in the kitchen. His decades of hands-on expertise reflect not only technical skill, but also resilience, adaptability and a lifelong commitment to hospitality. Outside the kitchen, Chef Doug brings the same creativity and authenticity that have defined his culinary journey, valuing connection and thoughtful expression in everything he does.
Dish: Chilean Dijon seared salmon: Chilean salmon delivered fresh, marinated in lemon garlic and baked with light Dijon crust.
