Partners

“You can tell a lot about a person by the types of people they choose to surround themselves with.” Founder Rich Melman

Founding Partners

Richard Melman

Founder and Chairman of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

The restaurant business has been Melman's life work, beginning with his early days in a family owned restaurant, and later as a teenager working in fast food eateries, at a soda fountain, and selling restaurant supplies. After realizing that he wasn't cut out to be a college student, and failing to convince his father that he should be made a partner in the family business, Melman met Jerry A. Orzoff, a man who immediately and unconditionally believed in Melman's ability to create and run restaurants. In 1971 the two opened R.J. Grunts, a hip burger joint that soon became one of the hottest restaurants in Chicago. Here Melman and Orzoff presented food differently and with a sense of humor, creating the youthful and fun restaurant which was a forerunner in the trend towards dining out as entertainment that swept this country in the early 1970’s.

Melman and Orzoff continued to develop restaurant concepts together until Orzoff's death in 1981. Through his relationship with Orzoff, Melman formulated a philosophy based on the importance of partners, of sharing responsibilities and profits with them, and of developing and growing together. Today, Melman has over 80 working partners, most of whom have come up through the organization.

To operate so many restaurants well, Lettuce has needed to hire, train and develop people, and then keep them happy and focused on excellence. Melman's guiding philosophy is that he is not interested in being the biggest, the richest or the most well known restaurateur. He has always just wanted to be the best he can be. He places enormous value on the over 7,500 people who work for Lettuce Entertain You, and feels tremendous responsibility for their continued success. Melman’s commitment now is to develop the young leaders of Lettuce to ensure that the company will be around for another 50 years.

Melman's personal life revolves around his family. He and his wife Martha have been married for forty-seven years and have three children who are leaders at Lettuce and successful restaurateurs themselves.

Jerry A. Orzoff

Co-Founder

IN LOVING MEMORY 1936 – 1981

Fred Joast

Founding Partner and Executive Committee

Fred Joast says it’s the opportunities for creative expression and challenge that keep him enamored of the world of restaurants. Joast joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in 1973, was one of the first to become part of the organization. He consulted with Richard Melman on the development of the first Lettuce property, R.J. Grunts. He then became a partner in the company and was heavily involved in the creation, planning, and development of the second Lettuce property, Fritz, That’s It! in Evanston, Illinois and the majority of the restaurants to follow. Fred is a troubleshooter and a master at organizing the back of the house; or kitchen operations. Joast currently assists all Lettuce properties in his capacity as Founding Partner and Executive Vice President, Operations.

In addition to assisting in operations, Joast keeps track of new talent and innovations in the foodservice industry through his role as periodic guest lecturer at Princeton University and the Cornell School of Hotel and Restaurant Management, as well as through his membership on the Board of Trustees at Kendall College.

Austrian-born Joast, who attended European hotel schools, worked at several major Chicago restaurants, including Biggs, The Standard Club, Gaslight Club and French Market, before joining Lettuce. Married, Joast enjoys spending time with his family and pursues travel, expedition diving, and photography in his free time. His personal commitment is to others: to share his knowledge and expertise, so they can attain their goals and succeed personally and professionally. Joast believes that his success depends on their success.

Bob Wattel

Founding Partner

IN LOVING MEMORY 1940 – 2018

One of the Founding Partners in Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. (LEYE), Bob Wattel was responsible for Advertising, Market Research, Frequent Diner Program, and Customer Service.

Wattel began his career with LEYE in 1974 as a Manager of Great Gritzbe’s Flying Food Show. In 1975, he helped establish his present position with an eye to providing a “core of support for the company’s establishments”. Citing the nature of the restaurant industry and LEYE’s rapid growth, Wattel stressed the importance of being able to make decisions quickly and effectively as well as to keep up with the constantly changing industry.

“I feel as though I’m a developer of people, and I appreciate the challenge I get from working in such a fast-paced environment,” said Wattel.
“I get a great feeling of excitement when I tell people that I’m a partner of Lettuce Entertain You,” he often said.

Bob enjoyed spending time with his wife, two sons, and daughter. Wattel enjoyed softball and golf. He was also an avid fan of Chicago sports teams, including the Cubs, Bears, and Bulls. Wattel was a graduate of Roosevelt University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

Marvin Magid

Executive Vice President

IN LOVING MEMORY 1946 – 1987

Charles Haskell

Founding Partner and Executive Committee

IN LOVING MEMORY 1944 – 2015

Executive Partners

Kevin Brown

CEO of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

Kevin Brown brings over 50 years of experience and leadership to his role as CEO of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, one of the most esteemed multi-concept restaurant companies with more than 100 restaurants and 60+ concepts nationwide.

As CEO, Kevin collaborates with Chairman and Founder Richard Melman, President R.J. Melman, and other key executives to drive innovation, develop new concepts, and strategically expand existing ones. Kevin, along with his more than 70 partners, are also instrumental in sharing and teaching Lettuce’s signature philosophies and culture of caring.

A Pittsburgh native and Michigan State University graduate, Kevin was the first candidate interviewed by Rich Melman on a college campus in 1977. He accepted the position the same day. Kevin began his career at Lettuce’s first restaurant, R.J. Grunts. He then managed The Pump Room and Un Grand Café amongst others, earning his first partnership in 1981. He later built some of Lettuce's most renowned restaurant concepts, including Shaw’s Crab House, Wow Bao, and Big Bowl. He became President in 2000, and has been CEO since 2003.

Kevin is also co-head of Lettuce Consulting using his experience to provide hospitality services and expertise to restaurant companies, developers, and investors nationwide.

Kevin is also dedicated to his community, serving as a Trustee of the University of Chicago Medical Center since 2003. He is also a Member of the Economic Club of Chicago, Commercial Club of Chicago, Illinois Restaurant Association, and the Advisory Board of Michigan State University.

R.J. Melman

President of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

R.J. Melman is the President of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, a privately held, family-owned restaurant group with more than 110 restaurants and 60 unique concepts nationwide. Since joining the company full time in 2001, he has held numerous positions within Lettuce, as well as consulting on various restaurant projects outside of the company. Throughout his tenure with the organization, R.J., alongside his partners, have created and opened more than 25 of Lettuce’s most notable concepts including RPM Italian, RPM Steak, RPM Seafood, Sushi-san, Aba, Ramen-san, Bub City, Miru, The Oakville Grill & Cellar, Summer House, Three Dots and a Dash and more.

R.J. was named President of Lettuce in 2017 and under his leadership, Lettuce has successfully expanded to new markets including Austin and Miami with Orlando and Nashville coming soon.

R.J. and his partners are also the founders of the award-winning country music and BBQ festival, Windy City Smokeout. The four-day festival has brought together the best in BBQ, beer and country music for more than decade and continues to attract more than 90,000 guests each summer to the United Center in Chicago.

R.J. graduated from the University of Kansas and resides in Chicago with his wife Kate, and their two children. He is active within the Chicago philanthropic and business communities and is proud to be an Executive Committee Member of the YPO Chicago Chapter as well as Chapter Chair in 2020-2021. In 2023, R.J. was selected as one of EY’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 National winners. R.J. currently serves on the board of Northwestern Hospital, and he previously served on the Board of Directors for Del Taco Restaurants for seven years when it was a publicly traded company.

Jerrod Melman

Executive Partner

Jerrod Melman is an Executive Partner at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. Since opening his first concepts, Hub 51 and Sub 51 in 2008, Jerrod, alongside his partners, have created and opened more than 25 of Lettuce’s most notable restaurants, nightclubs and bars including RPM Italian, RPM Steak, RPM Seafood, Sushi-san, Ramen-san, Bub City, Pizzeria Portofino, The Oakville Grill & Cellar, Summer House, Three Dots and a Dash and more. In addition to overseeing operations, menu development, hiring and training, Jerrod takes great pride in the people that he has the opportunity to work with every day at the restaurants.

Since graduating from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in communications, Jerrod has worked with other renowned hospitality groups, including BR Guest Hospitality and Union Square Hospitality Group in New York as well as In-N-Out Burger in Arizona.

Jerrod and his partners are also the founders of the award-winning country music and BBQ festival, Windy City Smokeout. The four-day festival has brought together the best in BBQ, beer and country music for more than decade and continues to attract more than 90,000 guests each summer to the United Center in Chicago.

Today, Jerrod plays an integral role in the expansion of Lettuce Entertain You across the country, overseeing the growth along with his partners, of the RPM and San brands of restaurants with RPM Italian in Las Vegas and Sushi-san coming soon to Nashville.

Molly Melman

Executive Partner

Molly Melman is an executive partner and director of divisional training at Lettuce Entertain You. She has opened more than two dozen Lettuce restaurants including RPM Italian, RPM Steak, RPM Seafood, Pizzeria Portofino, Ramen-san, Sushi-san, The Omakase Room, il Porcellino, Bub City, Three Dots and A Dash and more.

Molly graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology. After college, she moved to the East Coast to teach kindergarten in the South Bronx through the nonprofit organization Teach for America. After moving back to Chicago, she joined her brothers, R.J. and Jerrod, as they were opening Hub 51 in River North in June 2008. Molly began hosting and serving at the restaurant. She then moved into a management role to learn the ins and outs of the operational side of the industry.

From there, Molly was able to combine her teaching skills with her restaurant background and moved into the role of divisional training manager in 2011. In this position, she is responsible for interviewing and hiring candidates for all positions, overseeing the training and development for new restaurant openings, as well as working with a team of trainers who run hourly training and ongoing development. For the last decade, Molly and her partners also execute Windy City Smokeout, an award-winning country music, BBQ and beer festival in Chicago.

Molly and her partners opened a multi-concept restaurant and private event space on the Chicago River, including Pizzeria Portofino, which opened in July 2019, RPM Events which opened in September 2019, and RPM Seafood which opened January 2020. In February 2022, Molly and the team opened The Omakase Room at Sushi-san, a ten-seat omakase restaurant from Master Sushi Chef Kaze Chan. Most recently, the RPM brand expanded to Las Vegas with the opening of RPM Italian at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

Molly is a creator and founding member of the Rowe Club, a group created to empower women in the restaurant industry which launched in 2017. The Rowe Club was created around three main focuses: education, networking and philanthropy.

Bill Nevruz

Executive Partner and Divisional President

Bill Nevruz is an Executive Partner and Divisional President for Shaw’s Crab House, Tokio Pub and Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab.

Bill started his career as a restaurant manager on the East Coast. He began to look for opportunities in the growing restaurant scene of Chicago. A position at the iconic Shaw’s Crab House presented itself in 2000 and soon after, he became General Manager of another Lettuce Entertain You restaurant Mity Nice Grill. He then went to Shaw’s Crab House in Schaumburg in 1999 as the General Manager and in 2005, he returned to Shaw’s in Chicago in the same role. As a General Manager, he concentrated on generating sales and helping to develop new programs for the restaurants like the renowned weekend brunch buffet and sushi menu and Shaw’s.

Pushing Shaw’s growth led Bill to be recognized as a company leader, and in 2010, Bill was promoted to Divisional Supervisor. In this position, he was able to contribute to the company by developing his own management teams and exploring and developing new concept ideas. In 2011, his entrepreneurial spirit eventually led him to the creation of Tokio Pub. Shortly after Tokio Pub’s opening, Bill became Partner of both this original concept and Shaw’s.

In 2015, Bill seized the opportunity to work directly with Rich Melman on opening Oyster Bah, a neighborhood, east-coast-inspired seafood house in the heart of Lincoln Park. He utilized the direct relationships with oyster growers and seafood purveyors that have been established at Shaw’s to present a quality product at this new restaurant. He evolved the concept into a crab-centric seafood spot and re-named it Quality Crab & Oyster Bah in 2019. With the discovery of the high demand for great crab, he and his team opened Crab Cellar in 2018, Chicago’s only unlimited king crab and prime burger restaurant.

With a strong commitment to providing growth opportunities for his team Bill continues to work on new restaurant ideas and innovative programs for his existing restaurants.

Bill treasures his time with his wife, Paula and their four children, A.J., Molly, Brooke and Dottie. Bill lives by a theme his father taught him, “Aces in their places.” He leads by this example, putting his team in a position where they will always find the most success.

Carrol Symank

Executive Partner and Vice President

Carrol Symank is an Executive Partner and Vice President of Risk Operations for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. Symank oversees sanitation programs for more than 130 restaurants and works to maintain the company’s high standards of providing safe, wholesome food. Symank heads the Risk Management Department, which focuses on all matters of guest and employee health and safety.

Symank has a diverse background in the hospitality industry as he started working in restaurants in his hometown of Houston, Texas and from there, his career took him to New York and eventually to Chicago, where he started with Lettuce in 1988 with a focus in training. He was quickly promoted to Director of Training and in this position he opened more than 30 restaurants. Symank was named a Partner and became the Vice President of Training in 2001. In 2003, he took over the food safety programs at Lettuce. Currently under his supervision are the operations of food safety, sanitation, general liability, security, workers compensation, insurance and customer service.

Symank has a passion for the industry and enjoys his work with both employees and guests. He prides himself on being able to turn negative situations into positive ones. His adopted motto is “work hard and be nice to people.”

Symank is married and has two children. His wife, Cheryl Baran Symank is also employed with Lettuce. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family. The couple loves dining out but entertaining at home proves to be a way for Symank and his wife to shift gears from work, while still doing something they love.

Christopher Meers

Divisional President

Christopher Meers is Divisional President of Mon Ami Gabi, Café Ba-Ba-Reeba!, Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba, Summer House Santa Monica, The Oakville Grill & Cellar, El Segundo Sol, Happy Camper Las Vegas, RPM Italian, RPM Steak, RPM Seafood, RPM on the Water, Pizzeria Portofino, Ramen-San, Sushi-San, The Omakase Room at Sushi-San, Three Dots and a Dash, Bub City, Joe’s Live Rosemont, and the Windy City Smokeout.

Born in Washington D.C. and raised in Bethesda, MD, Chris began his restaurant career at the age of 16 by convincing his parents to let him work part-time as a dishwasher at a local steakhouse. This experience led Chris to a variety of restaurant jobs while still in high school, including food runner, sandwich shop manager, and weekend produce vendor, where he learned that “the concepts of good food and good profit go together.”

While attending the University of Maryland, Chris went to work for the restaurant group Capital Management, followed by Ruth’s Chris Steak House. While at Ruth’s Chris, he became immersed in the operational side of the restaurant business while opening and then managing their Cleveland, OH location.

In 1998, Chris was approached by Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants and accepted the position of General Manager of Executive Chef/Partner Gabino Sotelino’s Ambria and Mon Ami Gabi restaurants in Chicago. This partnership with Gabino led to the expansion of the Mon Ami Gabi concept to Las Vegas and Bethesda, MD.

This early connection with Chef Gabino remains most important to Chris. He has learned many aspects of the restaurant business from working with Gabino and values his professional and personal relationship with him.

In 2008, Chris collaborated with Lettuce Partners R.J. and Jerrod Melman to open Hub 51 in Chicago’s River North area.

Because of his relationship with R.J. and Jerrod, Chris says, “I have a new understanding of how to reach certain demographics, how important bar business is to the success of a restaurant and how to market in this day and age.”

2010 brought a new restaurant to Chris’ division with the opening of Mexican concept, El Segundo Sol in Las Vegas.

This was followed by more collaboration with R.J. and Jerrod, including the openings of RPM Italian, Bub City, Three Dots and a Dash and Summer House Santa Monica.

In 2014, the partners introduced a new concept, RPM Steak, followed by the opening of Summer House in North Bethesda, MD, and a second RPM Italian location in Washington D.C.

Chris continued to expand the Lettuce footprint with the opening of Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, a sister concept to the renowned Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba. Then, in the following May 2022, Chris and his partners expanded the RPM brand to Las Vegas with the opening of RPM Italian at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace.

In 2023, Chris and his team opened The Oakville Grill & Cellar, a California wine country-inspired restaurant and its private event space, 167 Events in Fulton Market District, followed by two new Summer House locations in Las Vegas and Disney Springs, FL. Most recently, Chris led his team through the first collaboration between Lettuce Entertain You and Happy Hospitality for the opening of Happy Camper’s Las Vegas location.

Over the past years, Chris’ relationships with Lettuce Founder Rich Melman and CEO Kevin Brown have become especially important to him, as he notes, “I am grateful for the leeway they give me at Lettuce. I can be a true entrepreneur and build restaurants with my own ideas.”

Chris lives in the Chicago area with his wife Melissa and their three children. He enjoys spending time with his family and is an avid fan of Chicago’s sports teams.

Dave Quillen

Divisional President of Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab Chicago, Las Vegas and Washington D.C.

At the age of 16, Dave began his career in the restaurant business working at a small, privately owned seafood house near his home in Delaware as a prep cook. Dave quickly took to working in the kitchen and gained great experience as a result. This experience led to other restaurant jobs, from breakfast and short order cook to line cook at a respected seafood chain.

While in college at James Madison University, Dave was working as a line cook at the local Red Lobster restaurant. As graduation came near, Dave was questioning his decision to pursue law school. His GM at the time thought Dave had the tools necessary to be successful in the restaurant business and interviewed him for a management position. A few months later, Dave moved to Washington, D.C. and began a career in management.

“I realized that the restaurant industry offered everything I wanted in a career. A dynamic environment, aggressive pace, and a true feeling of accomplishment at the end of every day” says Quillen. Intrigued by other aspects of the industry, Dave moved south to work for some small regional chains in North Carolina. At 24, he became a General Manager and specialized in opening restaurants. Dave was with Firebirds Wood Fired Grill since it’s beginning. Dave opened multiple locations, including the first location outside of North Carolina, in Phoenix, Arizona. There he became engrossed in the financials of the business and was fortunate enough to build many fruitful relationships with industry professionals.

It was through one of those relationships that Dave learned of the opportunity to work with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants and Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab. Dave was offered a position as a #2 manager and accepted immediately. He was soon in Chicago learning all about Joe’s and Lettuce. Dave moved to Las Vegas as part of the opening management team for Joe’s in 2004.

A new restaurant opening afforded Dave the unique opportunity to work directly with Rich Melman. Dave says, “Seeing Rich’s attention to detail and incredible vision was inspiring and educational.” In 2005, Dave was promoted to General Manager of Joe’s. In 2009, Dave became a partner at Joe’s in Las Vegas and in 2015 was promoted to the Operating Partner of the Joe’s division.

Joe’s continues to grow more every year. Dave states it simply, “It is no secret that the success of the restaurant is due to the caring family of employees and managers that work at Joe’s. I am very fortunate to be a part of it.”

Dave’s life outside of Joe’s stays pretty busy with his wife Sandra, son Cameron, and daughter Avery. He enjoys playing golf, watching the Pittsburgh Steelers, and NASCAR.

Ethan Samson

Vice President & Deputy General Counsel

Ethan Samson is the Executive Vice President & Deputy General Counsel for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. In addition to legal affairs, Ethan oversees development/new business opportunities for Lettuce and provides strategic oversight for the corporate and operations teams.

Ethan started his career with Lettuce as a Summer Intern while attending the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign). After graduating with dual-degrees in Accounting and Finance, he earned his CPA and started as a Staff Accountant for Lettuce. Ethan continued in this role while earning his JD from Chicago-Kent College of Law until graduating and being admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2010. He spent the next four years working as a Corporate Attorney specializing in Mergers and Acquisitions at Reed Smith LLP. Ethan rejoined Lettuce in the Legal Department in 2014.

Since his return, Ethan has had the opportunity to be on the frontlines of the company’s growth by participating in the negotiations for leases and financing sources for new projects in existing markets (Chicagoland, DC Metro, Las Vegas, Los Angeles) and for the company’s entry into new markets (Austin, Orlando, Miami).

He additionally supports the operations teams in working through ever-changing regulations and a wide variety of legal matters. Ethan also played a key role in facilitating the Wow Bao transaction with Valor Equity Partners (Valor), a Chicago-based equity firm that partnered with Lettuce to grow the Wow Bao brand.

Ethan sits on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services and is a member of the Advisory Council for the Illinois Restaurant Association.

He met his wife, Michaela, through their careers at Lettuce and loves when she tries new recipes at home. Ethan also enjoys golf, live music, trying new restaurants, rooting for the Bears, Blackhawks, and Cubs, and participating in his book club’s debates.

Gerard Centioli

Senior VP of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises

Gerard Vincent Centioli is the President & CEO of ICON INC (ICON) and Executive Partner of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. and Co-Head of Lettuce Consulting LLC.

Centioli was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and is a second-generation restaurateur. After receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration degree with majors in public accounting and marketing from Gonzaga University in Washington, Centioli joined Gil’s Enterprises, Inc.

Gil’s Enterprises, Inc. merged into Collins Food International, Inc. (NYSE: CF) in July 1983 at which time Centioli was named Regional Vice President of the KFC Division of CF. In March 1984, he was named Vice President of Administration of the KFC Division of CF. His affiliation with Lettuce began in 1984, through a joint venture with CF to develop the Ed Debevic’s concept. He was then named President and CEO of Ed Debevic’s, Inc. in 1988. As the 7th member of the Lettuce Executive Committee in 1993 he oversaw several of Lettuce’s brands as CEO including Maggiano’s / Corner Bakery.

Maggiano’s and Corner Bakery were preparing for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of the company’s stock in 1995. In anticipation of the IPO, the individual Maggiano’s and Corner Bakery entities were merged into a single corporation - Maggiano’s / Corner Bakery, Inc. and Centioli was named President and CEO. Maggiano’s / Corner Bakery, Inc. ultimately merged into Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE: EAT) in August 1995. Centioli was named Senior Vice President of EAT and President and CEO of the Maggiano’s / Corner Bakery Division. In October 1995 he was elected to the Board of Directors of EAT. In January 1996 EAT formed the Italian Concepts Division which included Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Maggiano’s Little Italy and Corner Bakery, at which time Centioli was named President and CEO of the Division. While under Centioli’s direction, Romano’s Macaroni Grill grew from 62 to 94 units, Maggiano’s Little Italy grew from inception to 10 units and the Corner Bakery grew from inception to 42 units. In April 1997 EAT formed the Emerging Concepts Division and named Centioli President and CEO. The Emerging Concepts Division was comprised of Maggiano’s Little Italy, Corner Bakery, Big Bowl and Wildfire.

On March 8, 1999, Gerard Centioli, Richard Melman and Michael Fox founded ICON LLC. ICON was formed to establish partnerships with bona fide icons for the expressed purpose of multi-unit development.

The first ICON partnership was established with Joe’s Stone Crab, Inc. In 1999, ICON and the Weiss Family formed Joe’s Stone Crab Development Company to develop the brand beyond Miami and guest can now enjoy Joe's Seafood in Chicago, Washington D.C. and Las Vegas.

The second ICON partnership was established with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. [NYSE: KKD]. In 2000, ICON and KKD formed KremeWorks LLC to develop the brand in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii and British Columbia. KremeWorks developed a dozen and operates ten Krispy Kreme Doughnuts & Coffee shops in the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii.

The third ICON partnership was established with PICK-QUICK Drive In, Inc. In 2007, ICON founder Gerard Centioli and Joe Burgi formed PICK-QUICK Development Company LLC to develop the concept beyond Fife. The first ICONcept, the PICK-QUICK Drive In Flagship, broke ground in Auburn, Washington on September 27, 2010.

ICON entered into a consulting relationship with The Musso & Frank Grill on October 20, 2009. After ten (10) years, and the one-hundredth (100th) Anniversary of The Musso & Frank Grill on September 27, 2019, ICON Founder Gerard Centioli and the Echeverria, Jones and Kohlmeyer families are considering prospective locations for their first ICONcept.

The fifth ICON partnership was established with Gene & Georgetti of Chicago, Illinois. Chicago’s oldest steakhouse was opened by Gene Michelotti and Alfredo “Georgetti” Federighi in 1941. In 2021 ICON and the Durpetti family formed Gene & Georgetti Development Company LLC to develop the brand beyond Chicago.

Centioli is married to Anne Jenkins and they reside in Edmonds, Washington. Centioli has a passion for college football that he acquired attending University of Washington games with his father Gill, a season ticket holder since 1951. He is now a University of Washington and University of Notre Dame season ticket holder and attends games with his children and grandchildren. Centioli also enjoys celebrating his children’s avocations by flying with his son Lauren Vincent, a pilot and attending opera with his daughter Cicilia Rose, an opera singer.

Additional Accolades:
Centioli was a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) from 1989 – 2004 and served as an officer of the Chicago Chapter from 1994 - 1996.

Crain’s Chicago Business named Centioli one of the 40 Players Under 40 in 1994. Nation’s Restaurant News named Centioli one of the Top 50 New Players in 1997.

Centioli was elected to the Board of Regents of Gonzaga University in April 1999 where he continues to serve.

In June 1999, Centioli was elected to the Board of Directors of Lawry’s Restaurants, Inc. where he continues to serve and Chair the Strategic Planning Committee.

Centioli was elected to the Board of Directors of the National Italian American Foundation in March 2000 and was reelected in June 2021.

In March 2002, Centioli was elected to the Board of Directors of the Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNA) where he served as Chair of the Quality Assurance Committee.

Centioli was elected to the Board of Directors of the Italian American Chamber of Commerce – Pacific Northwest in January 2011.

In September 2012, Festa Italiana presented him the Gill A. Centioli Memorial Award.

Howard Katz

Divisional President

Howard Katz is the Divisional President of Wildfire and Big Bowl. During his time with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, he has worked as a manager for more than 15 different restaurant concepts and has a great mind for business and creativity, mixed with a passion for people and great food.

Katz began his restaurant career in high school as a hamburger cook at the Ground Round in Morton Grove, Illinois. Then, just after receiving his bachelor’s degree in Restaurant Management from the University of Illinois in 1982, Katz was hired by Lettuce. His career with Lettuce started as a manager for Bones (now L. Woods) as well as The Great Gritzby’s and Jonathan’s, where he was promoted to General Manager at age 23, the youngest GM in the company’s history. From Jonathan’s he worked at Fritz, That’s It! And then was part of the opening team at Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! in 1985.

In 1989, Katz was promoted to Partner with Lettuce at the young age of 28, again the youngest in Lettuce history. As Partner, he was at the forefront of creating new concepts including Tucci Benucch, Tucci Milan and Tucchetti and others outside of the Chicagoland area in markets including Minnesota, Arizona, and Seattle.

Katz was made President of Wildfire in 1997 and upon his arrival, Katz and his partner Joe Decker made several changes to transform the restaurant into a steakhouse. Katz now oversees 7 Wildfire locations in Illinois, Minnesota, and Virginia that are among the busiest and most recognizable restaurants within Lettuce.

In July 2014, Katz took over operations of the Big Bowl division with the goal of bringing it back to its original roots of fresh and delicious Chinese and Thai food.

Katz spends most of his time in the hustle and bustle of the restaurants. He works on a daily basis with employees in both the front and back-of-house, instilling in his team the importance of the philosophies upon which Lettuce was founded. A North Shore resident, Katz is married with two sons, Joshua and Daniel and enjoys watching his sons play college baseball and going to Cubs games.

Jay Stieber

Executive Vice President & General Counsel

Jay Stieber is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

Jay joined the Lettuce team in 1995 bringing a myriad of experiences. As one of the Executive Partners of Lettuce, he spends the majority of his time dealing with issues involving strategic and tax planning, real estate, bank relations, investor relations and other legal matters. He has negotiated and been instrumental in most of Lettuce’s projects. He also spends a considerable amount of time working on governmental affairs at the federal, State and local levels

In 2011 Jay joined the Board of the National Restaurant Association and served as its Chairman in 2018. He has also served as Chairman of the Illinois Restaurant Association. In 2017 he co-founded the Restaurant Law Center, served as its first Chairman and is a Trustee of the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. He is also a board member of the Chicago Chamber of Commerce and its PAC.

Jay has a BS in accounting from DePaul University, a JD from Northwestern University School of Law, and is a CPA and an attorney. Originally from New York, Jay has traveled extensively throughout the world. Jay is married and in his free time enjoys golf, cooking his favorite gazpacho recipe and cheering for Northwestern University football.

Jennifer Bell

Chief Marketing Officer

Jennifer Bell is the CMO at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. Jennifer's contributions have been instrumental in the remarkable growth of our marketing department, both at the store and corporate levels. As a visionary leader, she skillfully oversees and manages all aspects of marketing, including PR, the highly successful Frequent Diner loyalty program, gift cards, data insights, digital and email marketing, social media, web, and graphic design.

Jennifer's journey with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants started over 25 years ago when she began as a server at Maggiano's. Armed with a Mass Communications degree from Winona State University, through dedication and hard work, she quickly advanced through the ranks within the marketing department, showcasing her talents and passion for the restaurant industry.

Not only does she have a deep passion and a strong knowledge of the restaurant industry, but she has also been a thought leader and mentor in the marketing department, growing a strong team of creative thinkers. One of Jennifer's most remarkable achievements has been in bridging technology and marketing to elevate the guest experience. She takes pride in upholding Lettuce's reputation, fostering customer loyalty, and expanding our digital footprint. Jennifer's hunger for personal growth is evident as she continuously seeks knowledge and learning opportunities. Recently, she completed two Executive Education courses at Kellogg, delving into Crisis Public Relations and Digital Marketing Strategies.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Jennifer actively gives back to the community as a Board Member for Culinary Care, a non-profit organization with a noble mission of nourishing as many cancer recoveries as possible.

She resides in Evanston with her husband Mark, their son Gus, and their dog Rocky. Gardening, cooking, and dining out are among the delightful activities that bring joy to her everyday life.

Kevin Reynolds

President of Lettuce Fly and CEO of KremeWorks

Born and raised in Chicago, Kevin Reynolds was first introduced to the hospitality business at 14, sweeping floors at a local tavern. He continued working in restaurants throughout high school and college. Still, it was working at Ditka’s, with its high-energy atmosphere and great food, cemented his passion for the restaurant industry. While attending DePaul University in Chicago’s Lincoln Park, Reynolds worked as General Manager for a local treasure, McGee’s Bar & Grill. Working closely with McGee’s owners and management, he helped make the location a go-to destination for great food, sports, entertainment, and libations. During his three years at McGee’s, the spark to own his restaurant truly ignited.

Reynolds wanted to “learn from the best,” and in 1993, he joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants at Maggiano’s Little Italy. In 1996, Reynolds was promoted to General Manager of Maggiano’s Old Orchard. Later that year, Lettuce sold Maggiano’s to Brinker International. Reynolds then became a Partner with Maggiano’s in 1999, and in 2001, he became Maggiano’s Northeast Area Director.

Rising for a new challenge, Reynolds joined Areas USA in 2009, a company specializing in food and beverage concessions in airports and motorways. As Senior Director of Operations, his responsibilities included: design, construction, marketing, leasing and staffing multi-unit operations. Reynolds and his team opened more than 60 restaurants in less than three years in eight cities nationwide. Here, he learned to manage multiple brands at once while tendering contracts, negotiating new franchise locations, and continuing to build brand relationships.

In 2011, he re-joined the Lettuce team leading the way in developing non-traditional concepts in airports. The airport restaurants proved to be an integral sector of growth and Reynolds was made Partner in September 2012. In 2014, Reynolds expanded Lettuce’s portfolio to Navy Pier with the openings of Ozzie’s Pops & Pretzels, Big City Chicken, Frankie’s By The Slice and Big Bowl Express.

Reynolds is currently involved with airport operations in Chicago, D.C., Denver, Phoenix, Charlotte and Orlando. From 2015 - 2023, he served as CEO of Kremeworks LLC, dba Krispy Kreme in the Pacific Northwest.

Reynolds lives in Winnetka with his wife, Andrea, and their three children. He enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, playing golf, biking and volunteering.

Marc Jacobs

Executive Partner & Divisional President

Marc Jacobs is an Executive Partner & Divisional President at Aba, Antico Posto, Beatrix, Beatrix Market, Ema, Rotisserie Ema, L. Woods and The Dalcy.

Marc began his career with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in the fall of 1991, as a banquet server and busser at Bones (now L. Woods) in Lincolnwood, Illinois. After being cross-trained as a server, host and line cook, Marc was promoted to a manager of the restaurant upon his graduation from UIC in the summer of 1995.

Two years later, Marc was transferred to R.J. Grunts, Lettuce’s first restaurant, and quickly climbed the ladder to become General Manager. It was there that he first worked alongside Rich Melman on the re-development of the restaurant, which ultimately launched Marc’s lifelong career in restaurants and hospitality.

In Marc’s 32 years with Lettuce, he has been a Partner for 18 years and has led the creation, design and re-concept of more than 20 restaurants nationwide. Today, his portfolio includes Beatrix; a neighborhood restaurant and coffeehouse located in River North, Streeterville, Fulton Market, Oak Brook and the Loop, Beatrix Market; a quick and healthful grab-and-go experience with four locations in Chicago and one in Charlotte Douglas Airport. Aba, a Mediterranean and California-inspired restaurant in Chicago, IL, Austin, TX and Bal Harbour Shops in Miami, FL. The Dalcy; a private event hall in Fulton Market and Ēma; the sister restaurant to Aba, with locations in Chicago and Glenview (opening Summer 2024).

Marc is centered around his love for food and drink, restaurant design, menu development and team building. Outside of the restaurants, Marc sits on Lettuce’s Executive Board, is a member of the Lettuce Consulting Group and is an Advisory Council member at DePaul’s School of Hospitality Leadership. He enjoys visiting new restaurants, traveling and spending time with his wife Vanessa, their three children, Samantha, Alexandra and Gabriel and their dog, Jake.

Mark Tormey

Divisional President of Di Pescara, Saranello's, Petterino's, The Ivy Room and Do-Rite Donuts

Mark Tormey is the Divisional President of Di Pescara, Saranello's, The Ivy Room and Do-Rite Donuts.

Mark Tormey was born in 1953 in West Point, New York the oldest of five children. He is the son of a colonel in the U.S. Army. Most of his adolescent years were spent in Washington D. C., where he got his first experience in a series of small restaurants, working as a dishwasher, busboy and as a waiter.

Mark Tormey received a B.S. from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where he studied Hotel and Restaurant Administration, interning in such diverse properties as Tavern on the Green in New York City and Heritage House in Mendocino, California.

He arrived in Chicago in 1977 and for two years working at The Hyatt Regency Chicago as a restaurant manager. In 1979 he moved on to Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants as an Assistant General Manager at Jonathan Livingston Seafood. In 1982, he became General Manager of the Pump Room. He became a partner at Lettuce in 1984. Throughout the 1980’s, he headed up the Lettuce Management Division, opening successfully, the Chicago P. J. Clarke’s, Jim McMahon’s Restaurant and The Club at the Wrigley Building.

In 1991, Mark and Rich Melman opened the first Maggiano’s Little Italy, a Southern Italian Family Style Restaurant that became an instant success. In 1992 and 1994, Lettuce, under Tormey’s direction, opened two more Maggiano’s. In 1995, Lettuce Entertain You sold the restaurant to Brinker International. After the sale, Mark headed up the Maggiano’s brand as President for 15 years. Mark oversaw 47 restaurants, increasing sales to $450 million. Today, Maggiano’s Little Italy is still a successful Brinker International brand operating in locations from coast to coast.

In 2005, Mark came back to Lettuce and developed a new restaurant, Di Pescara, in the esteemed Northbrook Court Mall. Di Pescara, named after a fishing village on the Adriatic coast, features fresh seafood, homemade Italian and prime steaks. Today, Mark also oversees The Ivy Room, an event space in River North, Petterino’s in Chicago’s Theater District, Saranello’s in Wheeling, IL.

In addition the Lettuce concepts, Mark is an executive partner with Do-Rite Donuts, a chef-owned counter service restaurant that serves up artisanal donuts made daily, plus fried chicken sandwiches and coffee.

Mark resides in Chicago with his family. His son Clay is also part of the Lettuce family as the General Manager at Bub City in Rosemont, IL. In his free time, he likes to play golf, swim, and jog. For Mark, it is the inherent challenge to be better each and every day that motivates him. The restaurant business provides him with just that opportunity.

Michael Haley

Chief Information Officer

Michael Haley is the Chief Information Officer and Partner at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, overseeing the Information Technology Department at the corporate office. Throughout his more than 19 years with Lettuce, Michael’s primary goals are to remove obstacles and streamline the IT footprint throughout the organization from products and services that support all employees, the restaurant, and the corporate office. In his role, Michael has the pleasure of assessing the current position of IT throughout the company and strategizing for the future to grow the organization.

Michael graduated from Central Michigan University in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering and a double minor in Computer Science and Military Science. He then went on to join the Military, achieving the rank of Major in the Army National Guard.

Prior to joining Lettuce, Michael worked in several different industries in the Engineering and IT fields, including the automotive industry, healthcare, insurance, wine and spirits, and more. Michael attributes his success to his experiences and passion for Engineering, IT, and the Military. He enjoys working with the next generation of IT leaders and learning from them their strengths and areas of opportunities to position them to succeed, thus making the department grow stronger.

Originally from Midland, Michigan, Michael now resides in Grayslake, IL, with his wife of more than 32 years, Kristie. During his free time, Michael loves spending time with his three children, Caleb (wife Courtney), Conor, Chloe, and granddaughter Kinsley! He enjoys outdoor activities and traveling with his family. Michael is an avid trout fisherman and enjoys duck hunting and boating.

Scott Barton

Divisional President

Scott Barton serves as a Divisional President at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, where he brings his expertise to a diverse array of dining concepts ranging from fine dining to fast-casual experiences. Establishments under his guidance include Tre Dita, Miru, Eiffel Tower Restaurant, Osteria Via Stato, M Burger, and Big City Chicken.

Scott embarked on his journey with Lettuce in 1992, assuming the role of restaurant manager for Avanzare. Presently, he collaborates closely with chefs, managers, and partners to cultivate and expand the captivating portfolio of Lettuce's culinary concepts.

Working closely with his management teams he strives to define and achieve new goals, all aimed at enhancing restaurant experiences for both guests and staff alike. His attention to what makes a restaurant successful— genuine hospitality and a focus on details—remains at the core of his operations and training.

Steve Donahue

Chief Financial Officer

If anyone could “count” the ways to succeed in a restaurant, it would be Steve Donahue. Beginning his career in restaurants and working his way through accounting, Steve is now the Chief Financial Officer for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants.

Steve Donahue grew up in Freeport, Illinois working in restaurants during high school and then into college where he graduated from the University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign. In 1989, Steve graduated with a BS in accounting. Then in May of 1990, he passed his CPA. Steve began working at a machine tool distributing company in Schaumburg, Illinois as a staff accountant balancing many responsibilities at a small company. Steve answered a newspaper ad for a staff accounting position with Lettuce. He interviewed with Tom Muno, now a fellow partner, accepted the position and moved his way up from staff accountant to accounting manager to a controller and eventually to be a Lettuce partner, where he helps oversee the accounting department with a focus on new concepts.

As a partner, Steve especially takes pride in working for the best restaurant company in the world. Steve never has a boring day as he is always working with new concepts and talented people. Steve sees the Lettuce as a group of partnerships and his challenge is to make sure that everything is done consistently within a diverse group of restaurants. This means tracking everything from sales to food and labor costs to construction costs. But, with his background in restaurants, Steve is able to understand the restaurant business and translate it into accounting.

When Steve is away from the office, he lives in Chicago with his wife, Toni, and their two beautiful sons, Sam and Jack. He enjoys running, biking, spending time with his sons, and exploring Chicago’s vibrant restaurant scene.

Susie Southgate-Fox

Executive Partner

Susie Southgate-Fox is an Executive Partner of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. Southgate-Fox began working with Richard Melman, the founder and Chairman of the Board of Lettuce, in the late 1960s. She met Melman at his father’s restaurant, Mr. Ricky’s, where she worked as a cashier and hostess. In 1974 Susie began her career with Lettuce Entertain You as a server at Bones. After being promoted to management positions at Ed Debevic’s and Shaw’s Crab House, Southgate-Fox joined the corporate office in 1988 as Manager of Human Resources. She then became the Director of Training and was made Vice President of Training and Development, and finally was named Senior Vice President of Human Resources in 1992.

Southgate-Fox managed all aspects of human resources and was extensively involved with employee relations, coaching, and counseling, resolving employee grievances and disputes as well as keeping Lettuce in compliance with current labor laws. As the company continued to grow at a rapid pace, Southgate-Fox worked diligently with the HR team and stores to make Lettuce an employer of choice and in keeping our philosophy and culture alive. She also oversaw the administrative day-to-day operations at the corporate office.

In 2021, Southgate-Fox decided to step down from her position as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources. She was proud of the strong and dedicated HR team she had built that would continue taking Lettuce forward.

Today she assists Rich Melman in a variety of projects as well as continues to oversee the Lettuce Help You Fund and day-to-day operations of the corporate office.

Born in England and raised in Israel, Southgate-Fox earned a B.A. degree in Special Education from Northeastern University in Chicago and taught emotionally disturbed adolescents for 12 years. She later taught Organizational Behavior at Kendall College where she formally sat on the college’s Advisory Board. Currently, she sits on the Board of Advisors for William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, UNLV. In 2004, Southgate-Fox was the recipient of the “Elliot Motivator of the Year” award.

Southgate-Fox’s personal interests include traveling, reading, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with her family. She is married with two sons. Susie Southgate-Fox bears the distinction of being the first Lettuce partner who is also a mom.

Thomas Muno

Senior Vice President of Accounting and Operational Analysis

Thomas Muno is Senior Vice President of Accounting for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. Upon graduating from Loyola University in 1984, Tom began his career with Lettuce as an entry-level accountant. Since then, Tom has held almost every accounting position including assistant to the vice president of finance, accounting manager, and Controller of Lettuce.

Working in these various positions enabled Tom to learn different aspects of the Lettuce as a business and gain valuable experience in not only the accounting area but also restaurant operations. He has performed and/or directly supervised every function in the accounting department. This includes the general ledger accounting, budgeting, cash flow, internal audit, and payroll for over 100 locations, including the corporate office.

In his current position, Tom helps in overseeing the Lettuce Accounting department and is involved in the year-end audit, tax planning and strategic planning. He collaborates with restaurant operators on a multitude of projects from budgeting to break-even analysis and new store projections.

Tom is married with two sons and when he is not at work he enjoys spending time with his family (and dogs), watching the Cubs and Blackhawks, reading and trying to golf.

Managing Partners

Adam Rochman

Partner & Vice President

Adam Rochman is a Partner and the Vice President of Wildfire and Big Bowl Restaurants.

Adam’s appreciation for food came at an early age. He recounts fondly, watching Jacques Pepin, Julia Child, and Martin Yan on Saturday afternoon television as a child. That appreciation for food grew to an interest in cooking, and soon after, recognition that working in the restaurant industry was what he wanted to do. Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago he was familiar with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants and wanted to gain experience with the company to enhance his restaurant industry education.

In the spring of 1998 as a freshman at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in the Hospitality Management program, Adam secured an internship at Shaw’s Seafood Grill in Deerfield. His experiences with Lettuce’s Internship program were the foundation for his career. He immediately felt welcomed into the Lettuce family and began to understand the organization’s culture that would later come to define his personal management style.

Upon graduation in May of 2001, he returned home to Chicago. A meeting with Lettuce Partners, Bob Loeschorn and President of Wildfire, Howard Katz, proved to be a pivotal point in Adam’s life. He became a Manager at Wildfire Chicago and began to develop his own approach to management, taking on as much responsibility as he could. Two years later, he was asked to be part of the opening team for Wildfire’s fifth location in Schaumburg. He would spend the next three years in Schaumburg as an Assistant General Manager, mastering the practice of Wildfire systems and operations. In 2006, Adam was promoted to General Manager of Wildfire Glenview at the age of 26; it was a job that came with tremendous challenges and rewards. Over the next six years in Glenview, he created long-lasting relationships with hundreds of regular guests, while guiding a skilled, polished, and professional team.

In late 2012, Adam was promoted to Partner and Vice President of Wildfire Restaurants. Since then has been a divisional leader, instrumental in the growth and operations of all Wildfire and Big Bowl locations. In addition to food and beverage programs, operations, and guest experience, Adam's focus has been the further development of his management teams; guiding and teaching his managers, ensuring that as opportunities within the company become available, his managers are the strongest candidates for advancement.

In 2019 Lettuce Entertain You embarked upon a "Digital Transformation". The vision was to sunset aging technologies and replace them with best-in-class cloud-based solutions that would elevate the employee and guest experience for the near and long-term future of the organization. Serving as the overarching internal Project Manager, Adam worked with a small team to lead and support a cross-functional effort to evaluate, contract, design, configure, build, test, train and implement a significant portfolio of SaaS platforms. With the fundamental goal of improving the lives of Lettuce employees and the experience of our guests, the initiative led to updates to the Point of Sale System, Human Resources Information System, Time and Scheduling, Payroll, Enterprise Resource Planning, Online Ordering, Guest and Reservation Management, Applicant Tracking, and Benefits Administration.

Today Adam works towards system optimization. Leveraging years of operational experience along with the subject matter expertise gained through system implementation, he looks to find ways to best use new technology, ensuring Lettuce is poised for growth. Adam is passionate about supporting restaurant operations and their operational leaders for the organization.

Adam resides in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, and in his free time, he enjoys traveling, playing tennis, and following Cubs baseball.

Amarit Dulyapaibul

Managing Partner

Amarit Dulyapaibul is a managing partner and oversees operations and development for the “San” brand of restaurants including four locations of Ramen-san, two locations of Sushi-san and The Omakase Room at Sushi-san.

At an early age, he began working at the restaurants his parents own and operate in downtown Chicago. Moving through the ranks, he started as a dishwasher, became a host, then a server and eventually transitioned to a manager role. Through this, Amarit has gained a tremendous amount of respect for all the hardworking individuals that devote their time to the industry.

After graduating with a Master of Arts in Architecture from Tulane University, Amarit returned to Chicago to begin his career. Specializing in high-end residential design and construction, he developed his understanding of space, scale and atmosphere that would eventually prove instrumental in his success at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. After two years of design work, Amarit returned to hospitality.

In 2011, Amarit joined Lettuce as part of the team at Ben Pao. He spent time at several other concepts, including Foodlife and Foodease, to learn different styles of operations and management. Eventually, he came to work under the leadership of partners R.J., Jerrod, and Molly Melman at Paris Club Bistro & Bar and Studio Paris Nightclub.

Amarit was promoted to General Manager of the 59 W. Hubbard building and oversaw the opening of Ramen-san in 2014, where he has consistently grown year-over-year revenues via delivery technologies and various strategic partnerships. In early 2016, Amarit helped open il Porcellino in the same building; in late 2017, he and the team opened nearby Sushi-san.

Today, Amarit oversees operations and growth for the “San” brands, which includes Ramen-san Deluxe in Streeterville, Ramen-san in River North and Lincoln Park, and Ramen-san Whisky Bar in Fulton Market in addition to Sushi-san in River North and in the Willis Tower.

Amarit and his partners opened The Omakase Room at Sushi-san, a unique omakase restaurant in Chicago's River North. Most recently, Amarit and his partners opened the fourth location of Ramen-san in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Born and raised in the heart of Chicago, Amarit resides in downtown Chicago with his wife, Torie.

Bob Loeschorn

Vice President

Bob Loeschorn is Vice President of Big Bowl and Wildfire, two of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ most successful restaurant concepts, which have locations in Chicago, Oak Brook, Lincolnshire, Schaumburg, Glenview, Illinois, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, and McLean, VA.

Bob Loeschorn began his career with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in December 1986 as a manager of Lettuce’s Ed Debevic’s in Torrence, California. After opening the Beverly Hills Ed Debevic’s, Bob moved up the ranks quickly and was promoted to supervisor of the three Ed’s, located in Torrance, Beverly Hills and Phoenix, Arizona. In August of 1992, Bob assisted with the opening of Tucci Benucch in Minneapolis, Minnesota, followed by the Tucci opening in Seattle, Washington. In November of 1995, Bob relocated to Chicago to oversee the opening of Wildfire. As part of the development of Chicago’s Wildfire, he has acted as both the general manager and supervisor for the restaurant. Bob’s extensive commitment and dedication are evident in Wildfire’s success.

Loeschorn has been in the restaurant business for 30 years beginning with his mom and dad’s motel and small New Hampshire restaurant. At age 19, his desire to explore led him to a Los Angeles catering company where Bob served guests ranging from Ronald Reagan to members of the L.A. Rams. Missing the restaurant atmosphere, Bob joined the staff at Los Angeles’ Victoria Station, where he held positions ranging from prep cook to regional kitchen manager and general manager in charge of west coast management training, over his 10 years of employment with Victoria Station. The restructuring of the company in November 1986 prompted Bob “to test the water outside of Victoria Station.” Bob has been with Lettuce ever since.

Bob, his wife Kimberly and their two children, Hannah and Charlie, reside in the Northern Suburbs of Chicago. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, ice skating, skiing and traveling with his family.

Don Carson

Restaurateur

The restaurant business is in Don Carson’s blood. The son of legendary Chicago restaurateur Chris Carson, Don is also associated with one of the city’s other leading restaurant luminaries, Richard Melman.

Carson, who oversaw operations at Don & Charlie’s eatery in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a Managing Partner in one of the nation’s leading restaurant organizations, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants.

Carson was raised in Rogers Park, on the North Side of Chicago. Growing up in a restaurant family, Carson remembers dining out three to four days a week as a young boy. While growing up eating, tasting and trying new food items, Carson learned to appreciate food that was prepared from scratch with no thought ever given to skimping on quality.

At the age of 10 Carson began his long career working at his father’s restaurants, opening and running various concepts for his father. In 1977, Carson teamed up with his mother, sister and two brothers and opened Carson’s Ribs in Skokie.

In 1982, Carson left Carson’s Ribs and joined Lettuce Entertain You. That Fall he and Rich Melman opened Don & Charlie’s in Scottsdale which soon became the hub of baseball during Spring Training. At Don & Charlie’s the goal was simple: Be the best you can be and always care for your guests. Nationally known for being synonymous with sports and hospitality, Don & Charlie’s enjoyed an almost 40 year run.

Gabino Sotelino

Chef Partner of Mon Ami Gabi and Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

Considered by many in the industry and the culinary community as one of the most respected leaders and owner/chefs in Chicago, it is no secret that the talent behind Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! and Mon Ami Gabi comes from Chef Gabino Sotelino, chef/partner of Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! and the four Mon Ami Gabi locations with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants.

A native of Spain, Sotelino was born to a Basque mother and a Galician father in Vigo, a city in northwestern Spain. At age nine, his family enrolled him in the San Francisco el Grande seminary in Madrid. His religious vocation lasted until he was 12 when he decided to leave and became a bellhop at the posh Hotel Ritz. After making enough detours through the kitchen, he landed a job on the cooking staff at age 14.

From the Ritz, he moved to other top hotel kitchens throughout Europe including Plaza Athenee in Paris and Koons Hotel in Switzerland. He eventually joined Hilton International Hotels as part of a team opening hotels around the world including Hong Kong, London, Cairo, Istanbul, Tokyo, the Canary Islands as well as Montreal where he eventually stayed. After spending a year and a half working at the Montreal Exposition, Sotelino moved to the United States where he joined the Madison Hotel organization opening new hotels before becoming the executive chef at Capitol Hill Restaurants. His duties included service for special functions at the White House. Soon after, Le Perroquet called and his culinary contributions to the city of Chicago began.

Chicago embraced the talents of Sotelino upon his arrival in 1974 when he assumed the position and quickly established himself as the premier executive chef for the four-star restaurant Le Perroquet. In 1977, he met Richard Melman, Lettuce’s CEO and founder, who offered him a position as the chef for Lettuce's newly acquired restaurant, The Pump Room. Sotelino accepted and, as a master of his craft, soon turned the Pump Room into one of the finest restaurants in the Midwest.

The partnership between Sotelino and Melman flourished and they were soon planning the creation of Lettuce’s original fine dining restaurant, Ambria, which opened to rave reviews in 1980. In 1981, Gabino introduced Chicago to a true Parisian bistro with Un Grand Café (now Mon Ami Gabi, or “My Friend Gabino,”) a combination of Ambria’s quality cuisine with a more informal atmosphere.

In 1985, Melman gave Sotelino the opportunity to open another restaurant – Chicago’s first-ever tapas bar. Sotelino felt that the city of Chicago needed a taste of Spain in the restaurant scene, and he took great pride in representing the culture and gastronomy of his home to the people of Chicago. Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba has made tapas, the hot and cold appetizers of Spain, an integral element of Chicago’s dining scene.

Having garnered dozens of accolades since he opened Ambria in 1980, Sotelino’s Ambria was rated Chicago’s favorite restaurant by the 1998 Zagat guide. In 1997, Chef Sotelino was bestowed the Perrier-Jouet chef of the Midwest award by the James Beard Foundation, the most prestigious culinary award given in the United States. Gourmet magazine’s best restaurants in America listed Ambria as “one of the top tables in the Midwest” in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Gault Millau’s The Best of Chicago, called Sotelino “one of the most gifted chefs in the Midwest – and a lot of other towns as well,” and gave Ambria a rating of three toques. The Best of Chicago awarded only four restaurants with this honor, which was the highest given. Sotelino was also named “Chicago Chef of the Year” by the Chefs of America in 1990.

While open, Ambria received a four-star ranking from Chicago Magazine, Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. The American Automobile Association also rewarded Ambria the coveted five-diamond ranking. Ambria also swept first and second place honors in Zagat guides under food, service and ambiance categories for more than 12 consecutive years. Both Ambria and Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba also made Chicago magazine’s list of Top 40 Restaurants Ever that the publication put together for its 40th anniversary issue in 2010.

Active in community and industry affairs, Sotelino has been honored with some of the most prestigious awards. Sotelino was awarded the Medalla al Merito Nacional of Spain in 1990. It is the most distinguished award given by the king of Spain to a Spanish native living outside the country who has demonstrated outstanding service and contribution to his country. He has been honored with the Academie Culinaire de France, an award traditionally given to French national chefs for their outstanding contributions to the culinary arts of France-Sotelino was the first Spaniard to receive this prestigious French award. He is also a member of the Commanderie des Cordon Bleus de France, a select group of expert chefs chosen from around the world and is one of only three national chairpersons of the Grand Master Chefs Association. Sotelino has also held the highly regarded position of president of the Euro-Toques inc. USA Chapter.

Geoff Alexander

President and CEO of Wow Bao

Nine days after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993, Geoff Alexander joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. During his more than 30 years with the Chicago-based company, he has worked on the implementation of various restaurant concepts including, Vong’s Thai Kitchen, Big Bowl and Shaw’s Crab House.

Always an innovative leader in technology, Geoff brought his expertise to Wow Bao in 2009. He immediately debuted self-ordering kiosks, and his knack for industry disruption didn’t stop there. In 2017 he introduced a fully tech-enabled front-of-the-house environment where guests ordered via an iOS or Android device and received their food from animated personalized cubbies.

Recognizing the opportunity for growth, Geoff was responsible for bringing Wow Bao into airports, sports stadiums, university campuses, music venues, e-commerce platforms, and to more than 5,000 grocery stores across the country. He also launched Wow Bao vending machines, serving hot steamed buns, in multiple states, further positioning the brand as a pioneer in technology.

An early adopter of the dark kitchen space, Geoff and his team began to offer signature Wow Bao menu items to restaurants around the country in 2020. This groundbreaking extension of the business allows restaurant operators to grow top-line sales and increase bottom-line profits, while expanding Wow Bao’s rising profile. By early 2023, Wow Bao has added more than 700 Dark Kitchens across the U.S. and Canada.

Geoff has continued the revolutionary advances synonymous with Wow Bao with the recent launch of its CollectaBao Digital Collectibles. By joining the metaverse, Wow Bao is the first virtual restaurant to successfully marry a web3 integrated loyalty program with a traditional guest rewards program.

Nation’s Restaurant News placed Geoff on their Power List and cited him as one of their Most Influential Restaurant CEOs in the country. Under his leadership Wow Bao was named “Brand of the Year” twice – the first company to be recognized more than once.

An industry thought leader, Geoff is a sought-after voice and is frequently showcased at conferences, on podcasts, and in consumer and trade press. He is also Chairman of the National Restaurant Association’s Fast Casual Industry Council.

J Joho

Chef Propriétaire

Known the world over for having made an indelible mark on the culinary world with his exquisite personal cuisine, Chef J. Joho humbly entered the profession as a 6-year-old, peeling vegetables in his aunt’s restaurant kitchen in Alsace, France. His formal training began as a 13-year-old apprentice for Paul Haeberlin of the acclaimed L’Auberge de L’Ill, and continued in kitchens in France, Italy, and Switzerland. By the age of 23, Joho was the sous chef at a Michelin three-star restaurant where he commanded a 35-person staff. It was while he was studying at the Hotel Restaurant School in Strasbourg that Joho immersed himself in the hotel and restaurant business, as well as the arts of butchering, pastry, cheese and wine.

Joho’s rise to international success began on the 40th floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange with Everest, which became one of the world’s premier dining rooms. His past establishments across the country in Chicago (Everest, Studio Paris) and current in Las Vegas (Eiffel Tower Restaurant) set standards for dining and win accolades at every turn. Joho is also a partner in several other concepts, including Chicago’s M Burger, and was a founding partner of the Corner Bakery concept.

Inspired by the arts, Joho has filled his restaurants with the work of many of his friends, including Swiss sculptor Ivo Soldini, Italian sculptor Virginio Ferarri, and painters including John Westmark and Tim Anderson. Joho has also authored “The Eiffel Tower Restaurant Cookbook: Capturing the Magic of Paris” where he shared 50 of his signature dishes, transporting the magic of Paris into kitchens of gourmet homes across the country.

Chef Joho was awarded the Critic’s Choice Lifetime Achievement Award by the Chicago Tribune in 2016. Joho was also named “Restaurateur of the Year” by Gayot in 2012. James Beard Foundation has awarded; “Who’s Who”, “Best New Restaurant”, “Best American Chef: Midwest”; nominations for “Best Outstanding Restaurant”, “Outstanding Chef,” and “Outstanding Service.”

In 2018, Chef Joho and his team at Everest celebrated the 35th anniversary of the French fine dining institution, which Robert Parker called “a brilliant meal from a great chef at the top of his game.” Everest was awarded many accolades; The highest marks from Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Magazine, the “country’s best selection of Alsace wine” by USA Today, The New York Times and Saveur and the Five-Diamond AAA rating. Everest was a member of Les Grande Table Du Monde Traditions & Qualité, Maitre Cuisiniers de France and the only Chicago member of the prestigious Relais & Chateaux/Relais Gourmand.

In 2022, Chef J. Joho teamed with Lettuce and Marriott International to create two unique concepts in the new St Regis Chicago. Miru, a Japanese-inspired all-day restaurant opened in May 2023, and Tre Dita, a Cucina Toscana opened in March 2024.

Janet Kirker

Managing Partner & Executive Chef

Janet Kirker grew up in Champaign, Illinois, and developed a passion for food at a young age while spending time in the kitchen with her mother and grandmothers. Preparing food for holidays and celebrations year after year sparked her interest in cooking and enticed Janet to learn more about the culinary arts.

Janet’s first job in a professional kitchen was as a dishwasher at a local catering company. She eagerly worked up to a cook position and continued growing with the company throughout high school and college. In 1993, Janet received a B.S. in Restaurant Management from the University of Illinois and her Culinary Arts degree from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York in 1995.

After school, Janet joined the team at Chicago’s iconic restaurant, Charlie Trotter’s. She spent most of her time in the pastry department, which led her to be the Assistant Pastry Chef at Danny Meyer’s Contemporary Indian Cuisine restaurant, Tabla, in New York City three years later. From there, Janet broadened her experience in other various positions including the Sous Chef at Café Lucy in Napa, Sous Chef and Executive Chef at Charlie Trotter’s, Trotter’s To-Go, and the Culinary Director at The Chopping Block in Chicago.

In July 2012, Janet joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants as the Executive Chef at Foodease in Water Tower Place, where she helped expand the concept through menu creation and operations. Three years later, Janet was influential in the opening of Beatrix Market in Streeterville, where she brought delicious, healthful, and homemade food to the restaurant. Beatrix Market now has four locations in Chicago as well as an airport location in Charlotte, North Carolina. Janet also oversees kitchen operations at RJ Grunts, Lettuce Entertain You’s original restaurant concept. Janet became a Partner in 2017 and then a Managing Partner in 2022.

In her free time, Janet enjoys cooking at home for family and friends, traveling with her husband, and watercolor painting.

Jeffrey Drazin

Managing Partner

Jeffrey Drazin is a managing partner for the “San” brand of restaurants, including Ramen-San, Sushi-San and The Omakase Room. He also oversees operations for Il Porcellino, Bub City, Three Dots and a Dash, and R.J. Grunts. In addition to his work in the restaurants, Jeffrey is a Managing Partner for Windy City Smokeout. His love of bbq and country music makes this role one of his favorites.

Without a doubt, Jeffrey knew that he belonged in the hospitality industry. At age 16, he scooped ice cream at a Baskin-Robbins (where he learned there is no better flavor than Peanut Butter ‘n’ Chocolate), and during college, he worked at Ned Kelly’s steakhouse. There, Jeffrey discovered the different facets of restaurant life: He worked as a line and prep cook in the heat of the kitchen before eventually transitioning to the front of the house as a server. But it was his internship at Lettuce Entertain You’s restaurant Wildfire that made him realize restaurants are exactly where he was meant to be.

After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management from the University of Illinois in 2001, Jeffrey joined Lettuce as a manager at Wildfire in Minnesota. Under the leadership of the Wildfire partners, Jeffrey was mentored on how to run a successful restaurant. From there, he was part of the opening teams for three different Wildfires and landed as General Manager at the Lincolnshire location.

In 2014, Jeffrey moved to Lettuce’s Melman / Meers division of restaurants to oversee the 59 W. Hubbard building and, from there, he helped open il Porcellino, Sushi-San River North and Willis Tower, Ramen-San Fulton Market and Streeterville, Tallboy Taco and Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba. He enjoys opening new restaurants and is eager to continue to expand the “San” brand.

Under the guidance of partners R.J., Jerrod & Molly Melman as well as Chris Meers, Jeffrey has learned how to be a leader in the industry. He is very proud of his work in the division and is excited to continue training and developing his teams to create exceptional restaurants.

Jeffrey would not be where he is today without the love and support of his wonderful family and amazing wife, Allie. When not in the restaurants, Jeffrey enjoys spending time with his son, Emerson. He also loves traveling to far-off locations to explore new cultures and cuisines.

Joe Decker

Vice President and Executive Chef of Wildfire

Joe Decker is Vice President and Executive Chef of Wildfire. He currently oversees all Wildfire culinary operations in Chicago, Oak Brook, Glenview, Schaumburg, and Lincolnshire, IL, Minnesota, and Virginia locations. Joe was part of the initial team which developed the menu at the 1940’s-inspired dinner club. Signature dishes at Wildfire include Filet Medallion Trio, Macadamia Nut Crusted Halibut, Wildfire Chopped Salad, Horseradish Crusted Filet Mignon, Roasted Prime Rib of Beef, and Cedar Planked Salmon. It prides itself on being ranked in the top five “Most Popular” restaurants in Chicago’s Zagat Guide.

Decker, a Chicago native, got his start in the food business by volunteering to work for free at Ann’s Bakery in suburban Wilmette in exchange for learning the secrets of great baking.

His next stop was the Oakton Bakery in Skokie, where he confirmed the hunch that he loved the food business but disliked bakery hours. Decker continued his culinary education and added a few hours to his sleep by enrolling in Washburne Trade School, graduating in 1981.

Decker pursued a career track that took him through some of the top restaurants in the country. He apprenticed at Jimmy’s Place in Chicago and went on to become sous chef at Cafe Provencal in Evanston, where he mastered French food preparation. “The roots of my cooking stem from Cafe Provencal. The rustic French cuisine: olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, and peppers. The transition is easy to make. Both cuisines utilize the finest ingredients, prepared simply.”

The next stops were Mallory’s, where he ran the kitchen, and Don Roth’s Restaurants. While with Roth’s, Decker took a cooking sabbatical to New Orleans, where he studied Cajun cooking at four famed restaurants — K-Paul’s, LeRuth’s, Commander’s Palace and Mr. B’s. From there, he embarked on the fate-determining trip to Europe.

After traveling throughout Italy, Decker came back to the U.S. with the inspiration to re-create the rustic Italian cuisine with which he had fallen in love. He headed out to California to hone his country Italian cooking at Trattoria Primizia near San Jose. The restaurant was one of the first to feature thin-crust “designer” pizzas.

Less than a year later, Decker auditioned before Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants’s Richard Melman. It was the late Marvin Magid who extended the invitation to Decker, stating, “You talk a big game, now I want to see if you can cook.” The twelve-course Italian feast Joe created was such a success that he was awarded the position of chef at Avanzare, Lettuce’s first Italian restaurant. He became Scoozi!’s head chef when it opened in 1986, creating its healthy country Italian cuisine.

In addition to Scoozi! and Avanzare, Decker has been instrumental in opening several other of Lettuce’s successful restaurants over the years including Twin City Grill in Minneapolis; Tucci Bennuch in Minneapolis; Tucchetti in Arizona; foodlife in Chicago; and Ben Pao in Chicago. He helped bring a version of the 87-year-old Miami Florida’s best-kept secret, Joe’s Stone Crab to Chicago and is a partner and helped open Chicago’s Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab.

Decker continues to play an integral role in the Lettuce’s corporate and restaurant kitchens to develop the innovative food concepts that have made the company one of the nation’s leading independent restaurant groups. He has joined the Big Bowl team and oversees chefs and menu development. Decker enjoys the diversity of complex Asian cooking and the simplicity of American food.

Decker is happily married to his wife, Kim and enjoys working out and cooking at home. His family loves attending sporting events, especially their two athletic sons’.

John Buchanan

Founding Partner and President of Lettuce Consulting Group and Senior Vice President of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises

He’ll tell you he’s never had a dull day in the restaurant business and Chicago-born John Buchanan is probably right. That’s largely because Buchanan, who began his career in the business as a dishwasher, has worked at more than two dozen Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants properties since joining the organization in 1978. When Rich Melman, Lettuce founder and Chairman of the Board, realized the need for a Human Resources Department, he selected Buchanan to head up the project. John was the original author of Lettuce’s Management Training Program.

Buchanan held the position of Vice President of Training and Development at Lettuce for several years, but ultimately missed the excitement of operations. He went on to create several Lettuce concepts as well as participating in dozens of restaurant openings, being involved in all aspects of their creation.

A psychology graduate of Northern Illinois University, Buchanan is a natural teacher and often lectures at Lettuce’s internal “Management University” on a variety of topics. His ability to teach and motivate has led to the position of President of Lettuce Consulting Group. Buchanan, who lists Benjamin Franklin, Clarence Darrow, and Houdini among his heroes, worked for a major steak house chain as well as Interstate United Corporation before joining Lettuce. His career at Lettuce began at Evanston’s Fritz, That’s It! in 1978.

Kelly Clancy

Managing Partner

Kelly Clancy is the Managing Partner and Divisional Supervisor for The Oakville Grill & Cellar, 167 Events and RPM Restaurants, including RPM Italian (Chicago, Washington D.C. and Las Vegas), RPM Steak, Pizzeria Portofino, RPM Events and RPM Seafood.

Quite literally growing up in restaurants, Kelly worked in her father’s restaurant answering phones, washing dishes, making pizzas and eventually managing during college. Having this familiarity with the hospitality industry, it was only fitting that Kelly went to work for The Kimpton Group after graduating college. She quickly realized that her passion lies in restaurants and found herself applying at Chicago’s premier restaurant group, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants.

She began her career working at Mity Nice Grill for two years before transferring to the Mon Ami Gabi division. She moved over to Hub 51 and Paris Club Bistro & Bar in December 2011 before making the move to open RPM Italian in Chicago in February 2012. From there, she continued on the managing team that eventually opened RPM Steak and a second location of RPM Italian in Washington, D.C. In the latter part of 2019 and early 2020, she and the team opened their most ambitious project to date on the Chicago riverfront – a multi-concept space that includes Pizzeria Portofino, RPM Events and RPM Seafood.

In May 2022, Kelly and her partners expanded the RPM brand to Las Vegas with the opening of RPM Italian at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. Most recently, Kelly and team opened a California wine country-inspired restaurant in Fulton Market District, The Oakville Grill & Cellar, along with operating the neighboring 167 Events.

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Kelly is a die-hard White Sox fan. She is married and loves live music and traveling. She believes that experiencing other cultures, cuisines, and languages is truly what life is all about and helps create authentic and meaningful experiences in the restaurants. Kelly gets her inspiration and motivation from her peers and teammates and gets her energy and joy from watching them grow and helping them become more successful. She is excited about what the future holds for RPM and watching it become a worldwide brand with global recognition.

Kevin Trojanowski

Managing Partner Beatrix Market in Streeterville, The Loop and DePaul

Kevin’s passion for food began when he was a child, where he would cook and bake with his grandparents using fresh produce from their home garden. Kevin worked in a high-volume bakery throughout high school, and it is here that his love for the business was cemented. After college, Kevin managed a small taqueria, which taught him the importance of attention to detail, cherishing the guest and watching every penny.

Kevin joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in 2005 as a manager of Foodlife, Chicago’s Original Food Hall, at Water Tower Place. With more than 25 years in the restaurant industry, Kevin has spent more than half his career at Lettuce. He has grown tremendously within the organization during that time; working his way up from a floor manager to General Manager, to now a Partner.

He has brought structure to multiple management teams in which he oversees, has implemented efficient operating systems for more than ten restaurants, focuses on improving profitability and continues to drive food culture daily. Kevin helped develop the Foodease Market concept in Water Tower Place and has been instrumental in the creation of Beatrix Market located in Fulton Market, Streeterville, Chicago’s Loop, and at DePaul University’s downtown campus.

Most recently, Kevin spearheaded the creation of a sustainability initiative for Lettuce. He executed the company-wide goal to remove plastics and is currently working with scientists to find certified, biodegradable solutions to eliminate waste and landfill production from the restaurants.

When he is not in the restaurants, Kevin enjoys spending time with his wife, Christine and his two daughters, Haley and Peyton. He also enjoys cooking for his family, gardening and fishing.

Kiran Pinto

Partner with The Ivy Room, Gem Catering, Lettuce Parties, Miru, Tre Dita & St. Regis Chicago

For as long as she can remember, Kiran has been passionate about food and was culturally influenced by her Irish-German mother and Indian father while growing up in Peoria, IL. After high school, Kiran attended Boston University’s School of Hospitality Administration and spent her college years interning at local restaurants. It was in Boston that she began a focus on front-of-the-house operations. She studied abroad in London and Sydney to experience hospitality firsthand from a global perspective.

After her travels, Kiran established roots closer to home in Chicago and that is where she first met Scott Barton – a career encounter that changed her life. Kiran spent five years at Tru and then went on to L2O, Nacional27 and M Burger. In 2011, Kiran joined RJ and Jerrod Melman’s division for the openings of Paris Club, Studio Paris, RPM Italian, Ramen-San and RPM Steak. In 2015, Kiran shifted gears to create Lettuce’s first events venue, The Ivy Room. From there her role expanded to include Gem Catering and the Lettuce Parties & Special Events teams. In 2022, Lettuce and Marriott International joined forces to establish Lettuce's first full-service food and beverage operations at the St. Regis Chicago, leading the opening of Miru, a Japanese-inspired all-day restaurant in May 2023, and Tre Dita, a Cucina Toscana in March 2024.

With over two decades at Lettuce, Kiran has built a solid reputation for her commitment to the guest dining experience and leading exceptional teams. When she’s not restaurant hopping throughout the city with her husband, Cory, and her children, Julien & Nora, you’ll find Kiran traveling for friends, family, laughter and more places to eat.

Mark Dorian

Vice President

Mark Dorian, is the Vice President of Purchasing for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants.

A native of New York City, Mark started his restaurant career at the world-renowned Greenbrier in West Virginia. After completing the two-year Culinary Apprenticeship Program, he moved back to New York City for the next 10 years, spending the final four years at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Café as Executive Sous Chef. In 1994 he moved to Chicago and Lettuce where he held the position of Chef at Un Grand Café, Papagus, Brasserie Jo, and the Corporate Lab. In February of 2001, he became a partner with the opening of Petterino’s and Di Pescara.

Continuing to challenge himself, Mark accepted the VP of Purchasing position in 2009. His knowledge of food, beverage, and operations gave him the experience necessary to be the perfect fit for VP of Purchasing at Lettuce.

Mark is married with four daughters and currently resides in one of Chicago’s west suburbs. He enjoys cooking at home for friends and family and is also an avid long-distance cyclist.

Michael Giles

Managing Partner & Operator

Michael Giles is a Managing Partner and operator for Aba, Beatrix, Beatrix Market, Ema, Rotisserie Ema, and The Dalcy. With a strong passion for food and operations, Michael has worked for several restaurant groups in multiple cities including Minneapolis, San Diego and Portland.

Starting with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in August 2010, Michael worked at Scoozi in River North and quickly was promoted to the General Manager. Just three years later, Michael led the opening team at Beatrix River North, a neighborhood coffeehouse and restaurant. After finding success in the concept, Michael became a Partner in August 2015 and has continued to rise with Lettuce ever since.

Michael has since been influential in the opening of Beatrix Streeterville, Beatrix Fulton Market, Beatrix Market, Ēma and Rotisserie Ēma.Michael led the opening of Aba, a Mediterranean restaurant and rooftop patio featuring a light, California-style of cooking and The Dalcy, a 6,000-square foot private event hall in Fulton Market, Austin, TX and most at Bal Harbour Shops in Miami, FL.

Michael oversees daily operations, food quality, and the ongoing training and development of the management team. Working closely with the chef team to facilitate new and creative ideas, Michael is constantly focused on hiring and developing his management teams and growth.

As a Gold Coast resident, he enjoys checking out new bars and restaurants, exploring the city and playing ice hockey. He also enjoys travel, especially visiting his native hometown of Edina, MN., and spending time with family and friends.

Perry Fuselier

Vice President

Perry Fuselier is the Vice President of Mon Ami Gabi - Las Vegas.

Perry’s career started at the early age of thirteen in New Orleans at LeRuth’s Restaurant, a Mobile five-star establishment run by famed chef/owner Warren LeRuth. For five dollars a day, Perry helped set the dining room, wipe down chandeliers, polish silverware and vacuum the floors. As a teenager, he appreciated the money, but the most treasured part of working at LeRuth’s was working with his father every day, who was also employed there.

After a total of fifteen proud years of Perry working alongside his father, including a period at his own restaurant, Chez Pierre’s (where his father handled all of the cooking and Perry ran the front of the house), Perry went to work for another restaurant icon, Ruth Fertel of Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Under Fertel’s mentoring, he learned the secrets of success: serve the best quality product to your guests and take care of your employees. After a promotion to General Manager of the Metairie, Louisiana location, Perry worked tirelessly to grow the now popular Ruth’s Chris name. Perry trained many of the future restaurant general managers that helped Ruth’s Chris’ grow to seventy-five stores.

In 1999, Perry was approached by Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants to open the new Mon Ami Gabi restaurant in Las Vegas. It was an exceptional opportunity for him to learn from Richard Melman. Perry then went on to help open the third and fourth locations of Mon Ami Gabi and work with Gabino Sotelino at Café Ba-Ba-Reeba!

As a devoted leader, Perry currently oversees all operations of Mon Ami Gabi Las Vegas and El Segundo Sol. He prides himself on employee development- a skill learned over the past seven years with Lettuce.

Perry is now at home in the culinary hub of Las Vegas. Although his career has taken him far from those first simple tasks when assisting the opening captain at LeRuth’s, one aspect remains constant: valuing family time. Perry spends precious moments away from the restaurant dining and traveling with his wife Arlyn and spending time with his children, Taylor and Ashley and stepson, Brandon. He also enjoys spending time on the golf course.

Randy Brand

Vice President

Randy Brand is the Vice President of Osteria Via Stato, Tallboy Taco, M Burger and Big City Chicken.

Randy was born and raised in the hospitality business. Starting from a young age, he would spend his summers helping his parents operate their privately owned quaint resort in northern Minnesota. What started out as a summer job, serving guests, created his lifelong passion for food, beverage and hospitality.

Due to his love of hospitality, Randy decided to attend the University of Denver, graduating with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Throughout the next fifteen years, Randy worked in hotels and restaurants across the country gaining insight and experience from different cultures and styles of service.

While attending the National Restaurant Show, Randy was introduced to Lettuce Entertain You and decided to join the team, moving his family to Chicago in 1999.
Working first at Nacional 27, Petterino’s, and Papagus, Randy then opened Osteria Via Stato in 2004, which led to Pizzeria Via Stato soon after. After two successful restaurant openings, Randy was made a Partner in 2004 and soon thereafter, a Managing Partner in 2005. In 2009 he opened six M Burger’s followed by Tallboy Taco and Big City Chicken in 2014.

Joining the Lettuce Fly team in 2021, Randy now works with a consulting team that oversees food and beverage operations for two golf courses across the United States. His knowledge of construction management, restaurant operations and leadership style have grown into a hybrid role within Lettuce. He is currently the Vice President of Osteria Via Stato, Tallboy Taco, M Burger and Big City Chicken as well as oversees food and beverage operations for Dream Golf.

As a leader, Randy focuses on employee development, encouraging managers and hourly staff to grow, learn, develop, build relationships, communicate and lead. He also strives to enable his team to develop as individuals, “My job is to provide opportunities for people to grow. Nothing would please me more than to know that this team – this restaurant – has allowed people to provide for their family and themselves.”

In his spare time, Randy enjoys spending time with his wife, Heidi, and their three daughters, Ally, Caroline and Claire.

Ron Thompson

Managing Partner

Ron Thompson is Managing Partner of Wildfire and Big Bowl.

It was at the age of 15 when Ron began washing dishes at a neighborhood breakfast joint when his passion for the industry began. Gaining experience while fulfilling his interests, Ron worked in restaurants throughout high school and college and soon became part of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants and Wildfire restaurants.

After washing dishes at a young age, Ron was ready to experience different aspects of restaurants. He moved on to work at a malt shop in high school and served at a St. Paul restaurant which focused on daily menus and specials. It was there that he developed his palate and appreciation for a wide variety of tastes. The restaurant opened its second location in Minneapolis and Ron was promoted to manager and then to general manager. Executing at high levels in both food and service, Ron perfected his managerial skills and maintained high standards for himself and his staff.

After college, Ron was looking for a restaurant company that was also known for high standards in service and food with an opportunity to learn and grow. After working with smaller restaurants, he was interested in a company involved with larger restaurants with an array of concepts. In 2001, Ron joined the Wildfire team for the opening of the Eden Prairie location and in 2008 became a managing partner of Wildfire Eden Prairie. In 2012, Ron became partner at Twin City Grill. Ron is also now a partner of Big Bowl.

Over the years, Ron has especially enjoyed teaching and working with people on a daily basis. The fast pace of the restaurant world and the interaction with customers is what Ron loves about his job. Now as managing partner he prides on giving advice to those he has worked with and making sure his staff and customers enjoy every moment of their experience at Wildfire. When Ron is away from Wildfire and Big Bowl he enjoys spending time with his wife and their three children.

Ryan Richardson

Managing Partner

Ryan Richardson is a Managing Partner for Mon Ami Gabi, El Segundo Sol, Summer House, Happy Camper, and RPM Italian in Las Vegas.
With over 25 years in the restaurant industry, Ryan’s impressive leadership extends to overseeing a dynamic group of establishments, including Mon Ami Gabi, El Segundo Sol and RPM Italian Las Vegas.

Ryan's passion for culinary arts led him to pursue a career in the restaurant industry. A native of New Orleans, he discovered his love for food early on, while holding various restaurant jobs in college and serving as a manager at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

Ryan's first role with Lettuce was as an Assistant General Manager at Mon Ami Gabi in 2003, where he quickly proved his management acumen. Although he briefly returned to New Orleans in 2005, fate would bring him back to Mon Ami Gabi following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. His determination and leadership qualities led him to assume the position of General Manager in 2007, where he now oversees the largest property in Lettuce's portfolio, serving approximately 20,000 guests every week. Additionally, Ryan played a pivotal role in the successful rollout of breakfast services, catering to as many as 1,000 people on some days.

Ryan's outstanding abilities in financial management, team motivation, and seamless coordination between the kitchen and front of house have been instrumental in positioning Mon Ami Gabi as a premier dining destination in Las Vegas.

A testament to his entrepreneurial spirit, Ryan has opened three restaurants since 2022 including RPM Italian Las Vegas (May 2022), Summer House in the Durango Casino & Resort (December 2023), and Happy Camper (January 2024), Lettuce Entertain You's first collaboration with the Happy Hospitality group. His expertise doesn't stop there, as he also spearheaded the renovation of El Segundo Sol, completed in July 2023, elevating it to new heights of excellence.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Ryan enjoys traveling, working out and exploring new restaurants.

Partners

Aaron Mervis

Partner

Aaron Mervis is a Partner of Wildfire and Big Bowl.

It is no surprise that Aaron Mervis ended up in the restaurant industry; his family is obsessed with food. Mervis grew up going to Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. When he was a teenager, he started talking about what kind of restaurant he would open one day and thought of Merv's Bar & Grill. This idea gave him focus and a goal.

After high school, Mervis decided on Washington University in St. Louis and graduated with a degree in Marketing and Spanish. Still, he often thought about the restaurant industry but planned to enter it through marketing. First though, traveling to Europe and experiencing the cultures and cuisines of many different countries was a priority. He spent the next six months traveling and eating his way through Western Europe and then landed in Madrid to teach English for the rest of the year. This experience of meeting new people and sharing stories and adventures helped solidify his dream of running a restaurant.

In 1999 he returned home and met Howard Katz, Ross Buter and the Wildfire division. He started his career as a Host in Lincolnshire and knew right away that the restaurant business was a perfect fit. In 2000, he was promoted to the management training program. His first memorable project was to revamp the martini list and make exciting new cocktails, like the martini flight and his dad's Bloody Mary recipe (both still signatures on the menu today).

Katz and Buter pushed Mervis hard to learn and grow within the company. In 2002 they promoted him to a #2 manager and then encouraged him to experience the opening of the next Wildfire in Glenview in 2004. In 2006 he returned to Wildfire in Lincolnshire as the General Manager. Just one year later, Katz gave him the opportunity to open their newest location in McLean, VA. Mervis was promoted to partner in 2014 and supervised the Big Bowl in Reston along with the Wildfire in Tysons Galleria.

His current goals are to continue developing his managers' careers and to expand the company's name in the DC area. Lettuce has played an important role in his personal life as well. At a rehearsal dinner in October 2008 at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! he met his wife Lindsey. They live outside of Washington, DC with their daughters Gracie and Kate. They both love sports, theater, music and, of course - food.

Allison Gallese

Partner and Director of Sales & Marketing

Allison Gallese is an Partner at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, overseeing marketing, private events, and catering sales for Osteria Via Stato, M Burger, Eiffel Tower Restaurant, Lettuce at Navy Pier, as well as Miru and Tre Dita, located in the St. Regis Chicago.

Allison’s career in hospitality began as a dishwasher at a small diner in her hometown of Bennington, Vermont. She continued in front-of-house roles through high school and while attending Syracuse University, before joining the opening management team at a steakhouse and raw bar in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts.

Just two days after moving to Chicago in August 2006 to pursue a master’s degree in hospitality, Allison began working at Osteria Via Stato. The following year, she took over Osteria’s events and catering program and went on to lead the sales teams at several other concepts including TRU, Nacional 27, Intro, and Frankie’s Scaloppine.

In 2016, she expanded her responsibilities to lead the marketing initiatives for twelve Lettuce brands including Everest, Eiffel Tower, M Burger, and Naoki. With over 25 years of experience in the restaurant business, Allison continues to channel her approach to hospitality, “The answer is yes. The question is how,” into everything she does.

Allison lives in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago with her husband Robert. She loves horseback riding, being outdoors, and exploring the world as much as possible.

Andrew Ashmore

Partner & Corporate Chef

Andrew Ashmore is the Partner & Corporate Chef at Beatrix, Antico Posto and L. Woods Tap & Pine Lodge. Andrew was born and raised in Grand Rapids, MI, where at age 17 he got his first job at a mom & pop Italian restaurant washing dishes. His love for the industry grew from there as he worked his way through various positions, from a Prep Cook tossing pizza dough to a Line Cook plating dishes. To increase his skill set and pursue his newfound passion, Andrew attended culinary school in Grand Rapids, graduating in 2007 with an associate’s degree in Culinary Arts and Culinary Management. Andrew then moved to Las Vegas to begin his career and worked his way through a variety of positions, including Sous Chef and Chef de Cuisine, until he was Executive Chef at Michael Mina Group. Two years later, he excelled from Executive Chef to Brand Chef at Fox Restaurant Concepts, where he would go on to oversee the opening of a handful of restaurants in Arizona over the next six years and be nominated for a James Beard Award for “Rising Star Chef” in 2011.

In 2015, the ever-evolving restaurant scene brought Andrew to Chicago, where he became the Director of Culinary Operations at Roti Modern Mediterranean, and subsequently the Corporate Research and Development Chef at White lodging, where he was responsible for the culinary innovation of new and existing concepts nationwide.

Seeking an opportunity to return to the kitchen and the service-side of the industry, Andrew joined Lettuce Entertain You in 2019 and is most recently Partner & Corporate Chef, overseeing all five Beatrix locations, Antico Posto and L. Woods Tap & Pine Lodge. His favorite part of the job is collaborating with other Chef Partners to create new dishes, and training the teams on execution.

In his free time, Andrew loves to spend time with his wife and son by riding bikes, running out for donuts and picking vegetables in the neighborhood garden. Andrew also enjoys going out to eat, trying new restaurants, and of course, cooking at home for his family.

Ben Goodnick

Partner & Divisional Chef, Summer House Santa Monica, The Oakville Grill & Cellar

Ben Goodnick is a Partner of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants and the Divisional Chef of Summer House, with locations in Chicago, IL, North Bethesda, MD, Orlando, FL, and Las Vegas, NV, and The Oakville Grill & Cellar in Chicago, IL.

A Southern Illinois native, Goodnick began his culinary career at age 18 when he moved to Chicago and began working his way up the ranks of many of the city’s most renowned restaurants. While attending classes at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, he established credibility in the culinary field by manning the garde manger station at the suburban nouveau French institution Carlos’. Shortly thereafter, Goodnick began his lengthy tenure with Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, first working as a tournant at acclaimed Chef Gabino Sotelino’s nouvelle French / Spanish outpost Ambria before being promoted to sous chef at Ambria’s little sister, Mon Ami Gabi. It was here that he worked closely with Chef Partner Susan Weaver, who today, he credits with helping him become a collaborative and thoughtful chef.

In 2005, Goodnick took his talents east to become chef de cuisine at Boston steakhouse Grill 23. He spent four years in Boston before embarking on a six-month long voyage through Argentina. It was on this adventure that he learned firsthand the art of pairing meats with wine—a skill that served him well in his next culinary venture as executive sous chef at Epic Roasthouse in San Francisco.

Goodnick returned to Chicago—and to Lettuce—and was named Executive Chef of the classic French bistro Mon Ami Gabi in Lincoln Park in 2011. In addition to his wealth of experience, Goodnick also brought to the kitchen a respect and dedication to classic French flavors and techniques.

In 2012, Goodnick opened the first Beatrix location in Chicago’s River North, working closely with Lettuce Chef/Partners Susan Weaver, Rita Dever and John Chiakulas, in addition to Marc Jacobs and Rich Melman.

Along with Beatrix, Goodnick increased his Chicago presence in the fall of 2013 and became the Executive Chef for two new Lincoln Park concepts, Summer House Santa Monica and Stella Barra (now fully integrated into the Summer House brand). After working closely with Chris Meers, Fred Joast, and Chef Partner Jeff Mahin, Goodnick became the Divisional Chef for the opening team of the fourth location of Stella Barra and the second location of Summer House Santa Monica in North Bethesda, MD.

In 2020, he introduced Coastal Soups, a carryout and delivery-only concept that features homemade seasonal soup creations available in the winter months. In 2023, Chef Goodnick and his team opened a Napa Valley-inspired concept, The Oakville Grill & Cellar, in Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood. Later that year, Goodnick and his team expanded the Summer House brand with two new locations: Summer House on the Lake at Disney Springs in Orlando, FL, and Summer House in Las Vegas, NV, at Durango Casino & Resort.

Chef Goodnick resides in Lisle, IL. When he is not in one of the Summer House kitchens, you can likely find him in his home kitchen – testing recipes with his wife, who just happens to be a freelance food writer, and his two children.

Bob Broskey

Executive Chef Partner

Bob Broskey is the Executive Chef Partner of the RPM Restaurants, overseeing a chef team nationwide at concepts including RPM Seafood, RPM Italian, RPM Steak, The Oakville Grill & Cellar, Pizzeria Portofino, RPM Events.

A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, his early passion for being in the kitchen was influenced by a family of skilled cooks, which kick-started a self-taught culinary path. Bob's journey led him to Chicago, where he honed his skills at the two Michelin-starred restaurant Ria before making a name for himself at L2O, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants’ two Michelin-starred seafood restaurant.

Returning to his hometown, Bob played a pivotal role in opening the acclaimed Notion in Pittsburgh. He then ventured back to Chicago as the chef de cuisine at L2O, which evolved into Intro, a unique concept created by Rich Melman that served as a culinary incubator for up-and-coming chef talent. Bob rose to the challenge of overseeing this ever-changing concept, earning recognition with Zagat's "30 Under 30" award. After his tenure at Intro, Bob took the helm as the Executive Chef of Beacon Tavern and culinary director of Gage Hospitality Group, a seafood-focused gem that garnered acclaim.

In 2019, Lettuce Entertain You brought him back to lead the kitchen at RPM Seafood, where his unmatched passion for seafood shines. Following the opening, Broskey was made partner and today oversees the chef team nationwide for all RPM Restaurants including three locations of RPM Italian in Chicago, Washington D.C. and Las Vegas, RPM Steak, RPM Seafood, RPM Events, The Oakville Grill and Cellar and Pizzeria Portofino.

Callie Revel

Partner & Director of Operations for the Windy City Smokeout and Lone Star Smokeout

Callie Revel is a Partner & Director of Operations for the Windy City Smokeout and Lone Star Smokeout and an Associate Partner for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, where she has spent her career since joining in 2008 as one of the company’s first social media managers.

As a Bay Area native and a graduate of DePaul University in Chicago with a degree in psychology, Callie’s unique background informs her thoughtful approach to hospitality and operations. Callie has played a pivotal role in the growth and success of Windy City Smokeout in Chicago. The 2022 winner of the Academy of Country Music’s (ACM) "Festival of the Year” award, Windy City Smokeout has become synonymous with pairing the biggest names in country music and BBQ, and sees over 100,000 attendees throughout the weekend. Since the inception of Smokeout in 2013, Callie has coordinated and managed all logistics surrounding the festival, including event flow, sponsorships and ticketing strategy. In May of 2025, Callie will oversee the first-ever Lone Star Smokeout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Working closely with the world-class Dallas Cowboys organization, Callie is excited to bring Lettuce’s spin on hospitality to a new market in North Texas.

Throughout her career at Lettuce, Callie has managed the launch of over a dozen restaurant openings, including Summer House - Lincoln Park, Pizzeria Portofino, The Oakville Grill & Cellar and Sushi San - Lincoln Park. Among her proudest achievements are Summer House on the Lake at Disney Springs, which made its highly-anticipated debut in December 2023, and the acclaimed RPM Seafood in Chicago. Her leadership and project management expertise have helped shape these ventures into must-visit destinations for both locals and out-of-town guests alike.

Callie credits much of her professional development to her mentors within the Lettuce family, including executive partners Rich Melman, R.J. Melman, Jerrod Melman, Chris Meers as well as Michael Cunningham. Outside of work, she loves traveling, cooking and embarking on adventures with her husband and two rambunctious kids, Cade and Bryce.

Cannon Porter

Partner

Cannon Porter is a Partner of Aba, Beatrix, Ema & The Dalcy at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. Her passion for the hospitality industry began in 2004 when she started working at Texas Roadhouse in East Lansing, MI. Upon graduating from Michigan State University, Cannon was promoted to Service and Kitchen Manager. After spending nine years at Texas Roadhouse, Cannon came to Chicago to join the opening team of Beatrix River North as a manager in 2013, where she quickly was promoted to General Manager. In 2015, Cannon led the management team to open Ēma, as the General Manager.

In 2017, Cannon proudly went on to open and oversee Beatrix’s third location in Chicago’s Fulton Market District, where she focused on all aspects of the restaurant including working with the chef and management team, while maintaining a high standard for food and service.

Cannon opened Aba, a restaurant and rooftop patio and The Dalcy, a private event hall, both located in Fulton Market in 2018, Aba in Austin, TX in 2020 and Aba at Bal Harbour Shops in Miami, FL in 2022.

Cannon has a true passion for food and cocktails. When she’s not in the restaurants, Cannon enjoys dining out, attending sporting events and concerts, and spending time with her husband and son.

CJ Jacobson

Chef Partner

Orange County-born, Chef CJ Jacobson is best known for his ‘rustic-refined’ way of cooking. His craft revolves around hyper-seasonal, local California ingredients, where foraging plays the main part in the flavor profiles that he creates in his kitchen.

Jacobson has always been one for good competition. Even before starring on two seasons of Bravo’s Top Chef and ultimately winning Top Chef Duels in 2014, he attended Pepperdine University in Malibu on a volleyball scholarship and made the U.S. National Volleyball Team.

His professional volleyball career took him to Belgium, Israel, and the Netherlands, where he discovered food could be exciting and inspiring. Jacobson then returned to L.A. where he ultimately decided that restaurants would be his next career path. He enrolled at the Le Cordon Bleu-affiliated College of Culinary Arts in Pasadena, graduating in 2004 and his first professional job was cooking at Axe, a highly regarded restaurant with an ingredient-driven California menu. From there, he went on to work throughout California at Campanile under Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton.

After his first appearance on Top Chef in 2007, Jacobson accepted a position as executive chef at The Yard, a gastropub in Santa Monica, CA. The following year, Jacobson participated in the James Beard Celebrity Chef Tour and in 2012, he staged at the world-renowned Copenhagen restaurant Noma, working closely with acclaimed Chef René Redzepi. It was there he honed his skills and appreciation for every single ingredient—foraging for it, exploring it, and researching it. In July 2013, he became the executive chef at Girasol restaurant in Studio City, CA, and a year later was brought in as the first chef-in-residence at Intro in Chicago, IL which garnered three stars from the Chicago Tribune.

Jacobson is now the Chef Partner at Aba and Ēma, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, restaurant concepts focused on light, Mediterranean-style cooking. Aba recently opened its third location in Miami, FL with other locations in Austin, TX and Chicago, IL.

Corey Milner

Partner

Corey has always had a passion for the restaurant industry. Starting as a dishwasher in high school at Mrs. Peters Chicken in Kansas City, he worked his way through the restaurant with several positions and received his first management job at J. Gilbert's Wood Fired Steaks. He then managed at Houston’s and J. Alexander’s. Working for J. Alexander’s Corey traveled to San Antonio, Houston, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, and finally Chicago.

Finding himself eating at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants locations on his days off, it was only natural that his next step was to join the Lettuce team. After an inspiring meeting with Executive Partner/President Chris Meers, Corey began his career with Lettuce in 2012 as the General Manager at Mon Ami Gabi.

After 8 months at Mon Ami Gabi, Corey quickly proved himself as an integral part of the team and moved to Summer House Santa Monica and Stella Barra Pizzeria & Wine Bar in Chicago to open the restaurants as General Manager. “It was such an awesome learning experience,” said Corey. “From setting up contracts to choosing every detail like plates and napkins, it really taught me what it took to open a restaurant.”

Corey opened Summer House and Stella Barra in Chicago in 2013, followed by a second location in North Bethesda in 2015. Working at the restaurants and spending time with Chris Meers has given Corey the skills to become an entrepreneur.

Operating two of Lettuce’s fastest-growing and busiest brands, Corey is passionate about improving hospitality, staying up on food trends, building loyalty with his guests and most importantly, developing his team. “Building a restaurant from the ground up, we were able to put together a fantastic team. It’s been rewarding to cultivate the talent we’ve been given here at our restaurants, and see future leaders move up in the company,” said Corey.

Corey became an Associate Partner in September 2017 after five years with Lettuce. Corey and his team look forward to expanding the Summer House brand to exciting new locations including at Disney Springs in Orlando and Las Vegas in fall 2023.

Most recently, Corey and team opened a California wine country-inspired restaurant in Fulton Market District, The Oakville Grill & Cellar in April 2023.

If he is not at one of the restaurants, you will typically find him on the sidelines of one of his three children’s sporting events with his wife, Shauna.

Dana LaPointe

Partner, Training and Development

Dana (Rosenblatt) LaPointe is a Partner and oversees training and development for the “San” brand of restaurants including Ramen-san, Sushi-san, The Omakase Room at Sushi-san, R.J. Grunts, Bub City, Three Dots and a Dash and il Porcellino to name a few.

Born and raised in Highland Park, IL, LaPointe always had a natural affinity for working in restaurants. She attended Michigan State University where she studied hospitality business. Looking to bridge the gap between her love of learning and a desire to explore the hospitality industry, LaPointe started as a Lettuce Entertain You corporate trainer upon graduation.

Since beginning with Lettuce in 2007, LaPointe has overseen training for more than 25 restaurants – everything from fast casual to Michelin starred. Her varied experiences have solidified her belief that hospitality knows no bounds and that every detail matters.

During her free time, LaPointe enjoys traveling and spending time with her family.

Darryl Smith

Partner of Sushi-san

Darryl is a Partner with Sushi-san, a Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants restaurant in Chicago’s River North. He started his career in hospitality while he was in high school, starting as a dishwasher and then becoming a supervisor at Pizzeria Venti in Barrington, IL.

While attending Western Illinois University, Darryl worked for Levy Restaurants at Arlington Park International Racecourse and the United Center as a shift supervisor for the food and beverage concessions. He graduated from college with a degree in Hotel & Restaurant Management and was referred to Shaw’s Crab House, which is where started his career with Lettuce.

In 2009, Darryl started his first role at Shaw’s Crab House in Chicago as a manager and immediately connected with the senior staff and talented management team including partners Sara Rowe and Bill Nevruz. During his time at Shaw’s, Darryl grew to run the Oyster Bar and also take over the wine program.

Darryl had the opportunity to join the team at RPM Italian in Chicago in 2012 shortly after the modern Italian restaurant opened. In addition to running service and managing the beverage program, Darryl also collaborated with the chef team to control food cost at the restaurant. Working with the RPM Italian team opened his eyes to a whole new world of ingredients, preparations and flavors.

In 2014, the RPM Restaurants brand expanded with the opening of RPM Steak in Chicago. As part of the opening team, Darryl spearheaded educating and training the staff about the menu items in addition to managing food costs alongside the chef team. During his time at RPM Steak, Darryl had the opportunity to work alongside Wine Director Richard Hanauer who taught him about the world of fine wine and service. In 2016, Darryl earned his certification as a CMS Certified Sommelier.

Most recently, Darryl opened Sushi-san in 2017 as the General Manager. Working with an entirely new cuisine afforded him another excellent opportunity to learn from Master Sushi Chef Kaze Chan and his partners. Today, Sushi-san has been recognized as one of the Best Sushi Restaurants in Chicago by The Infatuation.

Darryl along with his partners opened a second location of Sushi-san at Catalog in Willis Tower in August 2021. In February 2022, Darryl and his team opened The Omakase Room at Sushi-san, a unique and upscale omakase experience led by Master Sushi Chef Kaze Chan.

Growing up in Georgia, WI and the suburbs of Chicago, Darryl and his wife Rosemary met while working at Shaw’s Crab House and are the proud parents of two daughters, Cecelia and Louisa. When he isn’t working in the restaurants, Darryl enjoys trying new restaurants, golfing, fishing, biking through the city and running along the Chicago lakefront.

David DiGregorio

Chef Partner at Osteria Via Stato

Raised in Rhode Island, Chef David DiGregorio attributes his appreciation of food to his Italian family’s tradition of cooking and eating together, later knowing as a child that he wanted to be a chef. At fourteen years old, he started his career working at various restaurants until entering the Culinary Arts Program at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island in 1978.

Throughout a two–year American Culinary Federation apprenticeship at the Mobil four-star Swiss Chalet Restaurant, Chef DiGregorio gained a strong background in cooking classic continental cuisine. In 1982, he moved his career path to Chicago and joined the reopening staff at the 95th Restaurant as a saucier. After working several positions in the kitchen, DiGregorio took over as the 95th’s executive chef in March 1986. Under his leadership, the restaurant was named one of the top ten restaurants of the year by critic James Ward and earned many national industry awards.

During his time with the 95th restaurant, Chef DiGregorio gained the attention of Rich Melman of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. In 1992, he became a part of the Lettuce Entertain You family. As Executive Chef Partner of local River North Maggiano’s, he brought to Chicago the Italian tradition of family-style dining and a greater appreciation of classic, American-Italian cuisine making the restaurant a legendary Chicago favorite.

In 2004, after taking a trip and dining throughout Italy with LEYE founder and Chairman Rich Melman, the team opened Osteria Via Stato in Chicago’s River North. Focusing on Italian dining that he experienced during his journey, the restaurant follows the Italian tradition of seasonal ingredients and local flavors. Osteria Via Stato’s simple and honest approach has made it a favorite mainstay for today’s epicureans—from neighborhood locals to award-winning chefs and winemakers throughout the world. In 2007, Chef DiGregorio and his team launched Pizzeria Via Stato, a Roman-style pizzeria featuring ingredient-driven tavern pizzas, salads, and small plates.

Chef DiGregorio continues to keep creativity and quality his top priorities for developing his ever-evolving, seasonally-driven menus. He seeks out and develops relationships with farmers, family-owned establishments and artisanal purveyors throughout the Midwest, assuring him the freshest, most innovative ingredients available.

Osteria Via Stato has received numerous awards and accolades including recognition in Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine; as well as being named Best Italian Restaurant in Time Out Chicago. The restaurant is also the recipient of Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence. Chef DiGregorio keeps an active schedule supporting charities and organizations close to his heart, including Chicago’s Green City Market, Meals-on-Wheels and United Cerebral Palsy Seguin of Greater Chicago.

Chef DiGregorio and his wife, Tiyang, have been married for 30 years and have three sons.

Ed Warm

Partner

Ed Warm has firmly established his mark in the entertainment landscape as a partner in the Windy City Smokeout Festival, Joe's Live, Bub City, Three Dots and a Dash, Joe's Bar, and Carol's Pub. Beyond these ventures, Ed actively promotes shows and curates private events across the nation.

Recently concluding his role as Chairman of the Academy of Country Music, Ed has held distinguished positions as Past Chairman of both ACM Lifting Lives Charity and IEBA. His influence extends to the Board of Directors of the Country Music Association. His dedication to giving back is evident through his board service with Receptions for Research, CreatiVets, and other esteemed organizations. A testament to his expertise, Ed has been honored with 14 Academy of Country Music Awards spanning across the Windy City Smokeout, the Joe's venues, and various promoter categories.

On a personal note, Ed and his wife Lauren cherish life in Chicago with their twin sons, William and Jack. He holds his alma mater, Indiana University, close to his heart.

Eric Rose

Partner of Hub 51, Bub City, Three Dots and a Dash, Joe’s Live and The Windy City Smokeout

Eric Rose is a Partner of Bub City, Three Dots and a Dash, Joe’s Live and The Windy City Smokeout.

For fifteen years, Eric has been an integral part of the Melman division influencing the growth of Hub 51, Bub City, Three Dots and a Dash, The Windy City Smokeout and the most recent location of Bub City and Joe’s Live in Rosemont. Eric developed a fondness for dining out at a young age, seeking new experiences at great restaurants all over the world. Though he grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, Eric developed a great relationship with his grandparents on the West Coast. His grandfather, a great businessman himself, also had a passion for food and fine dining – a trait that inspired Eric as a young man. After attending Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, Eric returned to Chicago to focus on a career in the hospitality industry.

After working with Bravo! Cucina Italiana and J Alexander’s, Eric joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in 2008. Originally hired to work at the first Lettuce restaurant, RJ Grunts, he was seen as an integral part of the team and Partners RJ and Jerrod Melman asked him to help open Hub 51.

A strong leader, Eric built a unique culture among his team which has played a significant role in his success within the company. “The best part about my role as manager, and now partner, is I can help my staff find their calling. Whether it is here, in the restaurant industry or elsewhere, I am excited to help our team grow,” states Eric.

A resident of Northbrook, Eric enjoys playing basketball, traveling, and spending time with his wife, Ashley, and their three daughters, Maya, Taylor and Evelyn

Francis Brennan

Chef Partner

In 1998, Francis Brennan walked into a two-star Michelin restaurant in Dublin, Ireland and asked if he could work for free to learn – and the chef said yes. Brennan had worked in kitchens while attending University of California at Santa Barbara, but with no other experience in the field, this top-tier restaurant gave him a full-time position just one month later. At this point, Brennan still did not consider pursuing a career as a chef until one night in the middle of service. He remembers having an epiphany that as a chef, he could take an ingredient and turn it into a moment of pure happiness for a guest. Years later, that remains Brennan’s favorite part of being a chef and he is influenced and motivated by the look that comes over guests when they taste something they love.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Chef Brennan enjoyed cooking for his family and friends from an early age. Never attending formal culinary school, Brennan developed his style while living and working in Europe and all over the United States. Now Brennan is Partner and Chef for Summer House Santa Monica.

Before landing at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, Brennan worked at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin, Ireland, the famed Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, and Aquavit in New York City, before honing his love and skill for baking at Payard Patisserie in New York City, where he became the head bread baker. After his time in New York, Brennan moved home to San Francisco to become Chef de Cuisine at Fifth Floor. Wanting to move back to Chicago, he took a job with the Park Hyatt on Michigan Avenue as the Chef de Cuisine at NoMI. He moved on to join the Lettuce family in 2008 on the opening team of L2O, where he would create their famed bread program and where he met Chef/Partner Jeff Mahin who was also from Northern California.

The two chefs started collaborating on side projects from the beginning, searching for a way to bring California-inspired cuisine to Chicago and serve the type of food that they enjoyed back home. In the meantime, Brennan started working at Petterino’s downtown where he noticed a small, underused space in the building, which he saw as an opportunity to team up with Mahin to create Do-Rite Donuts, a chef-driven doughnut concept that prepares small batches using seasonal ingredients. Brennan was then enlisted by Executive Partner and President of the Mon Ami Gabi Division, Chris Meers, to help out at Mon Ami Gabi and Café Ba-Ba-Reeba!, extending both restaurants’ bread programs, which put him in the right place to finally create his California-style concept with Mahin–Summer House Santa Monica on Halsted. In January 2015, he and Chef Mahin expanded Summer House Santa Monica to the Washington, D.C. market, opening Summer House in North Bethesda, MD. In February 2015, the now closed, Stella Barra Pizzeria & Wine Bar opened in North Bethesda, MD.

Brennan now lives in Lincoln Park with his wife Sarah and their children, Henry and Harrison. When not working, he works on the couple’s 150-year-old vintage row house and enjoys traveling and dining with his family.

Grant Waspi

Partner & Director of Operations

Grant Waspi is a Partner and Director of Operations at Lettuce Fly, LLC, the airport division of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. Lettuce Fly introduces Lettuce’s high-quality dining experiences to the traveling public including full-service restaurants, bars, kiosks and markets.

Originally from Palatine, IL, Grant has been working in the restaurant industry ever since he was 14 years old, when he worked as a busboy and food runner at Fritzl’s European Restaurant & Pub in Lake Zurich, IL. While Grant was in school studying Business Management at Eastern Illinois University, he continued working in restaurants, working a multitude of positions both front-of-house and back-of-house at Tracks Bar and Grill in Cary, IL.

Grant started his career with Lettuce as an intern in 2007 at Osteria Via Stato in Chicago, IL. He worked his way up to Manager and was promoted to General Manager in 2011. In 2015, Grant moved up to Divisional Supervisor, assisting Executive Partner Scott Barton in the day-to-day operations.

In 2018, Grant began to work with Lettuce Fly and today, Grant oversees more than a dozen different airport restaurants in several cities around the country including Chicago, Washington D.C., Denver, Charlotte and Orlando. The airport restaurant brands include signature Lettuce concepts like Big Bowl, Magic Pan, Hub 51, Summer House Santa Monica, Urban Olive, RJ Grunts Burgers & Fries, Big City Chicken, Tallboy Taco, Beatrix and more to come in the future.

In addition to overseeing operations of Lettuce Fly, Grant also works in partnership with Dream Golf at Sand Valley Golf Resort in Nekoosa, WI, assisting in development of food and beverage programs at the resort. Grant is passionate about bringing the same attention to detail and Lettuce culture of caring to Lettuce Fly concepts. To achieve this, Grant believes it is critical to spend time working side-by-side with the employees in the restaurants.

When Grant is not in the restaurants, he enjoys spending time with his wife Michelle and their three children Payton, Maya and Easton and their dog Stone. As a family they love to be outdoors, and enjoy skiing, camping, fishing, and hiking.

Greg Nemeth

Partner

Greg Nemeth is a Partner with the Wildfire & Big Bowl Division at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants.

Born in Chicago and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Greg’s passion for food started when he would assist his mom in making dinner as a child. Growing up he worked many different positions at a local iconic restaurant, The Hayward Fishery, and that cemented his hospitality career trajectory.

A graduate of California Culinary Academy, Greg held various leadership positions within the hospitality industry, including with The Santa Barbara Biltmore, Max’s Restaurants of San Francisco, The Northern California Golf Association and The Cheesecake Factory.

In 2006, Greg rejoined Max’s Restaurants, as they were looking to expand into the Chicagoland market. He returned to his hometown and opened Billy Berk’s Restaurant & Piano Bar in Westfield’s Old Orchard.

Greg joined Lettuce in 2010 and has overseen several Wildfire and Big Bowl locations where he plays an important role in developing the management team in the Wildfire & Big Bowl Division.

Greg lives in Western Springs with his wife, Marina and their children, Andrew and Lucia.

Hisanobu Osaka

Chef/Partner

Chef Hisanobu Osaka, a native of Japan, began his career at the Hilton Hotel Group. As Chef de Partie at the Hilton in Nagoya, Chef Osaka assisted in special events, where he collaborated with world-renowned Michelin-starred Chef Mark Meneau of L’Esperance. With that experience, Chef Osaka’s interests spread abroad when he was chosen to become the executive and private chef for the General Counsel of Japan in New Orleans in 1998.

In 2002, Chef Osaka joined Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto as a sous chef for his restaurants in Philadelphia and New York. Chef Osaka was able to influence menu development, as well as further mastering his craft. In 2009, he went on to work with Chef Daniel Boulud at Café Boulud and Daniel in New York (where Daniel won three Michelin stars in 2010) before returning to Chef Morimoto’s team as a corporate chef where he assisted with training and menu development at Morimoto Napa, Waikiki, Mexico, and Miami. While in Waikiki, he had the honor of cooking dinner for former President Barack Obama and his family, at their vacation home.

Shortly after arriving in Chicago, Chef Osaka joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants as a corporate chef. He focused on menu development for new concepts and existing brands, creating dishes for a wide variety of cuisines including Japanese-Italian, Spanish tapas, Mediterranean and quick-service Asian.

Chef Osaka leads the culinary team at Miru, which open at the St. Regis Chicago in May 2023. The restaurant showcases Osaka’s extensive classical French training and Japanese heritage, with selections like handmade dumplings, Izakaya-style dishes, an extensive sushi and sashimi program, as well as a robust wagyu and seafood section. The elegant dining room and open-air terraces boast expansive views of the Chicago River and Navy Pier.

Jacob Schwimmer

Associate Partner

Raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Jacob was taught the importance of hospitality from a young age. He grew up learning the ropes in his father’s Chicago hot dog-focused delicatessen, and began his career in the restaurant industry as a dishwasher at age 13. Jacob recognized he was most passionate about the front of house roles and responsibilities, such as making genuine connections with the guests, and in 1997 he set off to University of South Carolina to pursue a degree in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management with a specialization in Private Club Management. After graduating in 2001, Jacob moved to Palm Beach to manage private clubs along the east coast before moving to Chicago in 2004, where he worked at the Four Seasons and Fairmont Hotels for the following four years.

Looking for an opportunity to grow and increase his skill set, Jacob joined Lettuce Entertain You in 2008 as a Captain at L2O. Over the next decade, Jacob held various roles such as Dining Room Director at L2O, Wine Director at Everest and was the opening General Manager at Paris Club Bistro and Bar. In 2021, Jacob joined the team as General Manager of Mediterranean restaurant Ēma in River North, and after a year was named Director of Operations of both Ēma and its sister restaurant, Aba. Most recently, Jacob led the opening of Ēma’s second location in Glenview in September 2024 and is now proud to be an Associate Partner. Jacob’s favorite part of the job is getting to know the guests, and making sure each dining experience is a memorable one.

In his free time, Jacob enjoys researching future travel destinations with his wife, and taking advantage of all the exciting outdoor activities Chicago has to offer during the summer.

Jason Hollembeak

Creative Director and Partner

Jason is the Creative Director and a Partner at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. Jason leads the in-house design team that is responsible for creating the branding and visual communications from menu design and merchandise to signage and more on behalf of the restaurants as well as the Lettuce corporate brand.

Jason has always had a passion for art and design, attending school at Columbia College in Chicago, IL.

In addition to his love of art and design, Jason also has a passion for restaurants and hospitality. He started his career with Lettuce more than 20 year ago as a bartender and host at Scoozi in 1997. He eventually moved into management at Scoozi and Antico Posto. He briefly left Lettuce to start a freelance graphic design career and re-joined Lettuce at foodlife, Chicago’s first food hall, in 2000. Over the next few years, he assisted with other Lettuce concepts including Tucci Benucch, Big Bowl, Wow Bao, Mon Ami Gabi, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! and more.

It was during the opening of Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! in Las Vegas that Jason began to develop a relationship with Lettuce founder, Rich Melman. He collaborated with Rich on menu design and branding and in 2004, Jason moved to the Lettuce corporate office to begin working on graphic design for all Lettuce restaurant brands as well as the corporate brand.

From there, the graphic design team at Lettuce was born and in 2011, Jason was named Creative Director, where he and his designers oversee all facets of visual communications in-house. Today, Jason and his team work closely with partners, chefs and operators to create the branding, menus, signage, packaging, merchandise, marketing and social media campaigns and website design.

In addition to restaurant design, Jason is also a partner in the award-winning barbecue and country music festival, Windy City Smokeout that started in 2013. Jason and his team handle all the branding for the festival, execute on-site graphics, merchandise, promotions, and more.

Jason lives in Chicago with his wife Eileen. In his free time, he loves to travel and eat abroad, as well as play the drums.

Jeff Mahin

Chef Partner

Jeff Mahin is the co-founder of consumable nutrition brand Split Nutrition, as well as a chef / partner of Summer House Santa Monica (Chicago, Bethesda), Do-Rite Donuts (Chicago) and previously of the closed of Stella Barra Pizzeria & Wine Bar.

Mahin has accumulated several industry accolades including Zagat “30 under 30” list in 2012, Forbes “30-under-30” list of hospitality industry up-and-comers in 2012 and Restaurant Hospitality’s “13 to watch in 2013,”; as well as being a contestant on the first season of ABC’s “The Taste.” Chef Mahin was also the host of Cooking Channel’s cooking competition, Farmer’s Market Flip which debuted in April 2017.

Mahin spent much of his teen years using his natural talent and instinct to construct and deconstruct whatever foods he touched in his family’s kitchen. At age 17, Mahin began his professional training at the California Culinary Academy and later studied science and mathematics at University of California, Berkeley. Mahin has had experience working in prestigious kitchens around the country from Nobu in New York City to San Francisco’s Millennium, Blackhawk Grill and Patrick David’s. In 2006, he became a laboratory assistant at the three-star Michelin rated restaurant, The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire, England under chef/owner Heston Blumenthal.

In 2007, Mahin headed back to the U.S. where he assisted famed chef Laurent Gras in opening L2O in Chicago, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants’ Michelin-starred, modern seafood restaurant. He then started as a corporate chef within Lettuce, collaborating closely with the hospitality group’s partners including Lettuce founder Rich Melman to develop new recipes for the group’s more than 100 restaurants.

Mahin opened his first Lettuce concept, artisanal pizzeria Stella Barra Pizzeria & Wine Bar, in Santa Monica in 2011 with Lettuce managing partners R.J. and Jerrod Melman. There he experimented with more than 30 different variations to create restaurant’s signature pizza crust, using locally-milled flour and farmer’s market ingredients to make up the ever-changing menu. His California concepts also include M Street Kitchen in Santa Monica and the second location of Stella Barra in Hollywood.

In 2012, Mahin expanded to Chicago, partnering with Chef Francis Brennan to open artisanal doughnut shop Do-Rite Donuts and in summer 2014, Mahin and Brennan opened the second Do-Rite location in downtown Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood. Do-Rite’s doughnuts are prepared daily in small batches and utilize seasonal ingredients like Meyer lemon in the winter and fraise des bois in the spring.

In addition to Do-Rite, Mahin increased his Chicago presence in fall 2013 with two new Lincoln Park restaurants: his third iteration of Stella Barra, as well as a new concept, Summer House Santa Monica, bringing laid-back California-style cuisine to the Windy City. Designed to evoke a laid back, friendly vibe reminiscent of the Golden State, Summer House serves an ever-changing menu that spotlights locally-sourced produce and ingredients whenever possible and also boasts Mahin’s signature artisanal bread program.

In early 2015, Mahin expanded to the Washington, DC market, opening the fourth location of Stella Barra and the second location of Summer House Santa Monica in North Bethesda, MD.

Mahin is also an ambassador for Chefs Cycle, a fundraising endurance event featuring award-winning chefs fighting childhood hunger outside the kitchen. He also has a passion for health and nutrition, and enjoys discussing food and with some of the country’s leading nutritionists.

Jeffrey Hubbeling

Partner & Director of Operations

Jeffrey Hubbeling is Partner and Director of Operations for Pizzeria Portofino, RPM Events and RPM Seafood, all located at 317 N. Clark Street along the Chicago River in downtown Chicago.

After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in history from American University, Jeffrey opted to forgo graduate school and instead head to Colorado to ski. There, he took a job with the Chart House restaurant so he could ski during the day and work at night. This is where he found his passion for the restaurant business. The Chart House soon offered him the opportunity to go into management, so in 1992 he joined their team. In 1994, he moved to New York to become the General Manager of Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Manhattan where he enjoyed great success. After more than a decade there, Jeffrey was promoted to Midwest Regional Vice President, covering eleven locations, and relocated to Chicago in 2006.

Having moved to the Chicago area with his wife – who was expecting their first child at the time – the couple landed in Naperville. The job of RVP required a great deal of travel, which Jeffrey grew tired of, so he applied to work for Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. In March 2010, he was hired as the General Manager of Shaw’s Crab House. In 2015, Jeffrey moved to the role of General Manager at RPM Italian where he thrived on the excitement of the industry and focused on personal and professional development for both himself and his team and was later named Associate Partner.

Jeffrey spent four years as General Manager of RPM Italian before moving over in 2019 to the RPM brand’s latest development – a multi-level project located right on the Chicago River – where he serves as both Partner and Director of Operations. The space houses three different concepts: the casual riverfront restaurant, Pizzeria Portofino; a private event and wedding space, RPM Events; and the fish and seafood-focused restaurant, RPM Seafood.

When asked what he’s most proud of, Jeffrey says it’s having worked for Lettuce brands that have had sales growth year after year, and he is looking forward to working with his partners in developing RPM into one of the best restaurant brands in the country.

Jeffrey resides in Naperville and enjoys spending time with his lovely wife, Jana, and their daughter, Abigail, who is a competitive figure skater. He also enjoys playing golf, running, rock climbing and reading in his free time.

Jessica Ling

Partner and Controller at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

Jessica Ling grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and attended DePaul University, where she received her degree in Accounting. She started her career at Lettuce Entertain You as an intern in 2004 and quickly discovered her passion for merging finance with hospitality. Following her internship, she accepted a job as a staff accountant and has since worked her way to assistant controller at the Lettuce corporate office.

During her time at Lettuce, Jessica has been an integral part of overseeing the Accounting Department. Jessica loves working on implementing technological initiatives from an accounting perspective. Most recently, she designed the financial software program that will be used across more than 110 Lettuce restaurants nationwide. As part of the program’s rollout, Jessica is responsible for training all office managers company wide to successfully utilize the new software at their restaurants.

In her new role, Jessica looks forward to continuing her growth as a leader while empowering others to do the same. Today she co-manages a team of 16 accountants at the Lettuce corporate office and leads the summer intern accounting program.

Jessica lives in Chicago with her husband and two dogs, Toody and Kira. She can talk about music, movies, and books for hours. She’s a self-taught stained glass artist, and her favorite place is her stained glass studio. Her second favorite is a record store.

John Economos

Partner at Beatrix

John Economos first began his restaurant career with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in 2006 at Di Pescara in Northbrook, IL. Since then, he has gained experience at a number of restaurants within Lettuce’s portfolio, including Petterinos, Foodlife, Foodease, Beatrix, Beatrix Market and Bar Ramone.

In 2013, John joined the opening management team at Beatrix River North. He was instrumental in the development of the restaurant’s coffee and music programs and also worked with mixologists to create the fresh-squeezed juice cocktail menu. In 2015, John was promoted to General Manager and led the opening team of Beatrix Streeterville. He helped create the first Beatrix Market, a quick grab and go experience, while also continuing to drive the beverage culture for the Beatrix brand. John also assisted with the opening of Lettuce’s first wine bar, Bar Ramone in 2018. In 2021, he helped create Beatrix’s very own coffee brand, Beatrix Coffee Roasters.

Currently, John oversees both Beatrix River North and Beatrix Streeterville, as well as assists with the menu design for the Beatrix brand.

When John is not in the restaurants, he enjoys going to concerts and spending time with his wife, Jenny and their son, George.

John Simmons

Chief Human Resources Officer and Partner

After graduating with a Hospitality degree from UNLV, John joined Hyatt Hotels’ management training program and advanced through a variety of HR roles in 4 states. He left Hyatt to attend Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law in Washington, DC, where he interned at the National Labor Relations Board. Following admission to the Bar, John joined Morgan Lewis as a Litigation Associate until returning to Hyatt to join their in-house commercial legal team. John later moved to positions directly supporting HR teams as employment law counsel at U.S. Foods, Darden Restaurants and Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Throughout his career as an in-house lawyer and HR professional, John has supported and led domestic and global integrations, HR systems implementations and a variety of HR teams and disciplines.

John joined Lettuce in 2016. He was named Chief Human Resources Officer in 2019 and Partner in 2022. Along with Lettuce’s Benefits, DEI Program, Employee Engagement, HR Systems, and Compliance, Learning & Development and Recruiting teams, John is responsible for developing and executing HR strategies, driving and facilitating transformation and continuous improvement through people, and coaching and guiding corporate and business leaders and employees at all levels through employee relations matters and their own personal development, — all with a constant focus on Lettuce's Culture of Caring.

John grew up in a small town on the Massachusetts coast south of Boston. At 16, he entered the industry as a dishwasher and worked multiple kitchen and dining room positions as well as the front desk at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. John moved to Chicago in 1994, where he met his husband, Todd. They live a few blocks from Wrigley Field with their very spoiled dogs. They love to travel and explore live theater of all kinds whenever they can.

Justin Diglia

Chef Partner at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab

Justin Diglia is the Chef/Partner at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab. Growing up in a small Midwestern town of only 1,800, Justin Diglia’s interest in hospitality didn’t stem from dining at splashy restaurants or eating the food of award-winning chefs. Rather, it was the time he spent in the kitchens of his Italian family members, learning first-hand, the art of heartfelt, soulful cooking, that initially inspired his culinary ambitions.

Recognizing that food and hospitality had become his passion, Diglia decided to attend Sullivan University where he graduated with a double major in Culinary Arts and Business Administration. Following graduation, he took a position as Executive Sous Chef at Vincenzo’s, an old-world Italian restaurant located in Louisville, Kentucky. It was here that Justin honed his skills, fine-tuning his craft and mastering classic Italian and French techniques.

Eager to spread his wings in a bigger culinary city, Justin moved to Chicago in 2010. While he will admittedly say that the proximity to his Ohio hometown was an added bonus, it was the opportunity to join one of the most highly regarded restaurant groups in the country, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, that really sold him. Justin joined the team at Joe’s in 2010 as a Sous Chef, where his effusive goodwill and killer work ethic allowed him to quickly rise the ranks. Justin was named Executive Chef of Joe’s Chicago in the fall of 2016, Divisional Executive Chef in 2019, and in 2021, was named a Chef/Partner. He is responsible for overseeing the culinary teams and operations in each of Joe’s markets including Chicago, Washington D.C. and Las Vegas

Justin is constantly inspired by his teams’ passion for excellence and credits the high standards of service and quality of product as reasons that set Joe’s apart from its competition.

Justin currently resides in Chicago with his wife and two daughters. When he is not in the kitchen, he enjoys spending time with his two Shibu Inu’s, working out, and cheering for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds.

Kaze Chan

Master Sushi Chef & Partner

Master Sushi Chef Kaze Chan began his culinary career at the age of 20 while simultaneously pursuing his degree in architecture. He apprenticed at Restaurant Suntory in Boston as Assistant Sushi Chef, and from there he continued his culinary training under official Japanese Sushi Master, Shozu Iwamoto.

Upon graduation, Chan moved to Chicago where he was exposed to cuisines from around the world. New flavors and styles inspired him to incorporate global ingredients into his Japanese dishes. He furthered his career at premier establishments, including Sai Café, Mirai, Heat, Sushi Samba and Executive Chef / Partner of Kaze Sushi, where he refined his craft and continued to break the mold of Japanese cuisine.

In 2009, Chan was named Executive Sushi Chef / Partner at Macku Sushi. During this time, his innovative take on Japanese cuisine garnered high praise, being named one of the country’s best sushi restaurants by Travel + Leisure magazine and recommended by the Michelin Guide. From there, Chan joined Boka Restaurant Group’s Momotaro as Head Sushi Chef in 2014, where his passion for Japanese cuisine accompanied by his architectural background transformed each dish into a unique work of art.

With more than 20 years of experience in all facets of traditional and contemporary Japanese cuisine, Chan made the move to the renowned Chicago-based restaurant group, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. In December 2017, Chan and his Lettuce partners opened up Sushi-san in the heart of Chicago’s River North – a “not-your-typical sushi joint” that serves up made-to-order hand rolls, bincho-tan roasted meats and Hoshizaki blast-chilled Asahi beer in a raw industrial atmosphere.

Chan and the Sushi-san team opened the second Sushi-san in Chicago’s iconic Willis Tower in 2021. Most recently in February 2022, Chef Kaze Chan and his team opened The Omakase Room at Sushi-san, a unique 10-seat omakase experience hidden above Sushi-san River North where Chan showcases an 18-course menu with luxury ingredients. Chan flies fresh line-caught fish from Fukuoka, Japan twice a week to showcase the most exclusive and seasonal fish that can be found. The Omakase Room has been recognized among Chicago’s best dining experiences since opening.

In Chan’s time outside of the restaurant, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids, traveling, trying new fish, and exploring food culture all over the world.

Kevin Beary

Beverage Director and Associate Partner

Kevin Beary is the Beverage Director of award-winning Three Dots and a Dash, The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash and The Omakase Room at Sushi-san in Chicago, IL.

The success of Three Dots and a Dash is rooted in Beary and his teams deep understanding of historic rum recipes and re-creating them with their own riffs, presenting them in a way that offers guests a full sensory experience through the depth of flavors, custom glassware and dramatics of the large format cocktails. Three Dots and a Dash has hosted pop-ups at several prominent industry events including Tales of the Cocktail, Portland Cocktail Week, San Antonio Cocktail Conference, Charleston Food and Wine, Texas Tiki Week Hukilau, and more.

In 2019, Beary and his team opened The Bamboo Room at Three Dots and a Dash, a unique rum bar that was recognized as one of Esquire’s Best Bars in America in 2020 and North America’s 50 Best ‘One To Watch’ in 2022. The Bamboo Room is known for its great collection of esoteric interesting rums and rhum agricole. The goal is to showcase the rare and unique flavors and to tell the stories behind each rum and cocktail. Kevin and his team showcase modern techniques and classic presentations to present drinks in their best form across cocktail categories.

Between both Three Dots and a Dash and The Bamboo Room, there are more than 300 rums utilized, representing nearly every rum producing country in the world.

Most recently, Beary opened The Omakase Room at Sushi-san in downtown Chicago where he created a menu reflective of refined Japanese cocktail bars combined with his signature technique-focused drinks.

Beary has received several accolades over the years including The Bamboo Room being named the first ever Campari One To Watch Award at North America's 50 Best Bars in 2022, Bar of the Year at the Bar & Restaurant Expo in 2023, a national finalist in both the 2014 Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition and the 2015 USBG Cocktail Classic. Beary also won the Mai Tai Mix-Off at the ninth annual Don the Beachcomber Mai Tai Festival, the 2017 Continental Diplomatico Bartending Competition for North America and the World Mai Tai Championship in 2017. He has also been recognized through multiple industry awards including being named Rising Star Bartender from StarChefs in 2018 as well as earning the Jean Banchet Award for Best Bartender in 2020. Beary is currently completing his thesis project for a master's degree in Brewing and Distilling from Heriot Watt University.

Prior to joining Lettuce Entertain You, Beary served as General Manager of Rural Society and of NoMI Restaurant at the Park Hyatt Chicago. Previously, Beary was the restaurant and lounge manager of Hyatt at the Bellevue in Philadelphia.

A Long Island, New York native, Beary attended LaSalle University in Philadelphia. Beary’s passion for fine spirits translates into his personal life, with travel to more than 30+ rum distilleries across the globe.

Kevin Bratt

Associate Partner, National Wine and Spirits Director

Kevin Bratt is the National Wine and Spirits Director at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in Chicago, Las Vegas and Washington D.C., and the Beverage Director for Shaw’s Crab House in Chicago and Schaumburg.

The hospitality industry was a career meant-to-be for Kevin. Growing up north of Seattle in Washington State, Kevin first began waiting tables simply to make ends meet. A football scholarship brought him to Orange City, Iowa, where he attended Northwestern College. During this time, he would frequently make trips up to the Chicagoland area for fun. He quickly fell in love with the Windy City and all it had to offer, especially the growing restaurant scene, and after college decided to make Chicago his new home. Working in the Chicago hospitality industry fostered his passion and appreciation for all things wine and spirits.

In 2000, the iconic Miami restaurant, Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab was set to debut in Chicago. In need of a Wine Director, Kevin applied for the position and immediately struck a positive chord with the team at Joe's. In his new role, Kevin worked to break down the usual stereotypes of sommeliers. He wanted the wine program to be fun, approachable, and exciting for the guests – not intimidating or stuffy. Kevin was empowered to explore new products and labels, and break the mold of the standard steakhouse wine list. When Joe’s Las Vegas opened in the Forum Shops at Caesars in 2004, Kevin was promoted to Concept Wine Director, and now oversees the wine and beverage programs in Chicago, Las Vegas, and the newest Joe’s location, Washington DC. He has recently added the position of Beverage Director for Shaw’s Crab House in Chicago and Schaumburg.

Kevin has been actively involved in Wine Service and Restaurant Hospitality for over two decades and is certified by the Society of Wine Educators and the Court of Master Sommeliers. Additionally, he has consulted for several wine programs throughout the Chicago area, many of which have been commended both locally and nationally.

Kevin resides in Winnetka with his wife Kameron and their two sons, Jens and Owen.

Mark Sotelino

Partner

Mark Sotelino is a Partner at Lettuce Entertain You and leads the operations and development of Chicago and Washington, D.C. based concepts including Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! in Lincoln Park, Lil’ Ba-Ba-Reeba! in River North, and Mon Ami Gabi locations in Lincoln Park, Bethesda, MD and Reston, VA. As the son of two European immigrants, Mark grew up in Chicago and was exposed to a diverse array of rich cultures and the city’s restaurant scene from the very beginning. Originally from Zurich, Switzerland, his mother traveled the world, exploring various career paths while feeding her hunger for new cultures and languages ( she is fluent in five). Mark’s father, Chef Partner Gabino Sotelino, is from rural Galicia, Spain. At 14 years old, he began to work and help support his family and thus discovered a passion for the culinary arts. Chef Sotelino trained in renowned kitchens across the world beginning in Spain, France, England, and Canada, and ultimately brought his career to the United States where he embarked on opportunities alongside Rich Melman at Lettuce Entertain You.

Mark and his sister, Cristina, grew up in the Spanish and French restaurants that their father, Chef Sotelino, helped create and grow with Lettuce Entertain You. While his sister showed an early passion for cooking and baking, Mark didn’t immediately gravitate toward the culinary and hospitality world. While Mark was studying journalism at DePaul University, he took a job as a host at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!, just a short walk from his dorm on campus. It was that experience that quickly unlocked his passion for food, wine, and service. During those early years, Mark acquired as many roles as the management team would give him. He took pride in learning all of the positions and representing his Spanish heritage. Seeing a clear fork in the road after his 21st birthday, Mark decided to dive head-first into hospitality management full-time. He started to train as a manager at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! while also going through a gauntlet of training across the dining rooms and kitchens of famed Lettuce restaurants including Mon Ami Gabi, Ambria, Shaw’s Crab House, Vong’s Thai Kitchen and R.J. Grunts. The insight and experience he gained from the leaders of these institutions were invaluable to his early career.

In 2000, Mark was on the opening team of Mon Ami Gabi in Oak Brook, IL as a manager, and two years later, he relocated to Washington D.C. to open Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda, MD. Mark returned to Chicago in 2004 and worked as a manager at Scoozi, becoming the General Manager one year later.

In 2008, Mark was offered an opportunity to return to his restaurant roots as General Manager of Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!. He thrived in this role for nearly nine years before transitioning to Divisional Supervisor in 2017. During that time, he helped develop the Mon Ami Gabi locations in the Chicagoland area. By 2018, Mark was officially named a Partner with Lettuce Entertain You.

Mark’s career with Lettuce has spanned more than 25 years. His rich history and extensive knowledge have allowed him to build on his family’s legacy and develop the teams around him with great care and respect. While his number one passion is hospitality and restaurant development, Mark is happiest when he is exploring new places with his amazing partner, Rebecca. He also remains a lifelong basketball fan who continues to play organized hoops every chance he gets.

Matt Dolin

Associate Partner, Ramen-san

Matt Dolin is an Associate Partner for the Ramen-san brand of restaurants, overseeing day-to-day operations, coaching managers, developing teams and driving the growth of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants' renowned “San” portfolio. Known for his expertise in menu development and operational efficiency, he continuously seeks new opportunities to elevate the Ramen-san experience.

Originally from Atlanta, Matt grew up in Buffalo Grove, IL, where his interest in hospitality was sparked in high school while working at PF Chang’s. He pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Leadership with a focus on revenue management from DePaul University, graduating in 2012. His love for the dynamic environment of the hospitality industry and the joy of building relationships have fueled his career ever since.

During his tenure at Lettuce, Matt has been instrumental in the success of several brands. Starting out as a server at Big Bowl in Lincolnshire in 2009, he quickly advanced, subsequently serving as Manager, Assistant General Manager and Wine and Beverage Director at Osteria Via Stato. His leadership skills led him to oversee the opening of multiple restaurant locations, including Sushi-san, Ramen-san Fulton Market, and Ramen-san Deluxe, where he later took on the roles of General Manager and Director of Operations.

Matt lives in Berwyn, IL, with his wife Kori, whom he married in 2022. Outside of work, Matt enjoys dining out, biking, snowboarding and hiking.

Matt Mulvihill

Partner

Matt Mulvihill is a partner of Saranello’s, a restaurant by Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants.

A native of Glenview, IL, Matt graduated from the University of Illinois-Champaign with a degree in restaurant management in 1987. He spent the following six years working for S & A Restaurant Corporation, and in 1993, he was hired by Lettuce to serve in management at Maggiano’s Little Italy. In 1996, Maggiano’s was sold to Brinker International where Matt continued his services as a Managing Partner. He went to Washington D.C. to open up restaurants and lived there for three years. In 2000 he became the Midwest Director for Maggiano’s and opened up four restaurants in the region. Matt then rejoined Lettuce in May 2007 as the general manager and partner of Reel Club in Oakbrook, IL, which he opened with Mark Tormey and Mychael Bonner. He was at Reel Club until 2016 before taking over at Saranello’s.

Matt ultimately decided to rejoin Lettuce because of the challenge and excitement of opening a new restaurant. “Lettuce has a quality reputation for the food, service, and overall operation of their restaurants,” he comments. “I knew people within the company whom I trust and believe in.”

In 2016, Matt took his expertise to Saranello’s, while also continuing to work with other restaurants within the Di Pescara Division.

As a general manager, Matt says no day is the same and enjoys taking care of people and improving operational efficiency on a daily basis. He loves being surrounded by employees who truly make the restaurant work at an optimum level.

While restaurants are an important part of Matt’s life, his family is integral to his success. Matt has been married to his wife Frances for 22 years and they have three children: Mitchell, Maria, and Nicholas. Matt and Frances also keep busy attending many baseball, basketball and lacrosse games, and other sporting events that their three children are involved in. Matt and his family currently reside in Hinsdale, IL.

Matt cherishes being a part of Lettuce family, which he calls a “wonderful group of people to grow with personally and professionally.”

Matt Whittaker

Partner

Matt Whittaker is a Partner with Lettuce Entertain You, overseeing the several fast casual restaurants on Chicago’s Navy Pier, Water Tower Place, and three M Burger locations.

Matt grew up in Western Springs, IL and enjoyed dining out at a very young age. He was first introduced to Lettuce through its many restaurants in the Oakbrook Mall.

After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a business degree, Matt took a position as a server at Tucci Benucch in the 900 Building in Chicago on Michigan Avenue. It wasn’t long before he started his management career at Tucci Benucch. Matt then went to L Woods Tap and Pine Lodge as a manager before coming back downtown to become a member of the opening management team of Frankie’s Scaloppine and Frankie’s Pizzeria. Matt was promoted to the General Manager of Frankie’s in 2010.

In 2015, Lettuce opened two restaurants on the newly renovated Navy Pier including Frankie’s by the Slice and Big Bowl. Shortly after opening, Matt took over as General Manager and helped open two more restaurants at Navy Pier: Big City Chicken and Ozzie’s Pops and Pretzels on Navy Pier. In 2021, he took on additional responsibilities overseeing the restaurants at Water Tower Place on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile including Frankie’s Slice Shop, Sacred Grounds as well as reopening Do Rite Donuts. In his current role, Matt focuses on both front of house and back of house operations, hiring, employee development and training for several fast casual concepts throughout the Lettuce family.

Matt and his wife Courtney reside in Western Springs and have two boys, Donovan and Ryan. If Matt isn’t with his family or at work chances are you can find him on a golf course.

Maureen Larson

Partner of Aba, The Dalcy and The Ivy Room

Maureen Larson is a Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants Partner with Aba & The Dalcy as well as The Ivy Room.

Maureen’s passion for the hospitality industry was sparked between her Freshman & Sophomore year of college during a summer job at The Drake Hotel. She immediately loved meeting people from around the world and making their stay unforgettable. Switching colleges she headed off to the University of Wisconsin Stout majoring in Hotel and Restaurant Management.

After several years in the hotel industry, she joined Lettuce in 1991 pursuing a career in sales and catering. Maureen worked at many Lettuce restaurants including Brasserie Jo, Papagus and Bub City as a Sales and Catering Manager and then the Divisional Director of Sales. In the early 2000’s Maureen moved to the Lettuce corporate office eventually becoming the Vice President of Parties and Special Events. In 2015 she became a Partner in Lettuce’s first event venue The Ivy Room followed by The Dalcy Event Hall in the Summer of 2018.

Maureen has two children who she says she learns so much from each and every day. She has a passion for helping develop young women leaders, is a sports enthusiast (Go Bears and Cubs!), and loves serving on several boards in the city of Chicago.

Michael Bellovich

Chef Partner

Michael Bellovich is a chef partner of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, overseeing restaurants HUB 51, R.J. Grunts, RPM Italian and Bub City in Chicago, and all Summer House Santa Monica locations nationwide.

Born and raised in Chicago, Mike became interested in the origins of food and wine at a young age, thanks to his two grandmothers (hailing from Sicily and Czechoslovakia) always preparing hand-made meals. Wanting to emulate the food he always enjoyed growing up eventually led him to the Washburne Culinary Institute in Chicago where he expanded his passion to the restaurant industry. Upon graduating, Mike dove in and after working for LaBelle Gourmet Catering in LaGrange, Ill., for a few months, he took a position as sous chef at Carlucci’s in Chicago.

It wasn’t long before Mike’s love for cooking led him to Italy where he worked at various restaurants and took in the rich culture, history and of course, food. After returning to the States in 1998, he joined the Lettuce family and was part of the team behind the kitchen doors at the casual Asian concept, Big Bowl. He went on to help assist in opening and operating numerous Big Bowl restaurants across the country before heading off to Las Vegas and joining renowned Chef Gabino Sotelino at Spanish tapas restaurant Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! where he used his culinary expertise as the executive chef.

After a brief stint at Devito’s in Miami, Mike returned to the Windy City where he assisted in the conception and opening of River North dining destination HUB 51. A 13-year Lettuce veteran, Mike works closely with restaurateurs R.J. and Jerrod Melman and plays an important role at each of their restaurants overseeing the kitchen, operations, teaching, and training on a daily basis.

One of his biggest achievements has been starting new restaurant concepts, from the kitchen blueprints to the menu, and seeing the end result – customers enjoying the food. He aspires to continue opening new restaurants and enjoying the wild and crazy journey that often follows.

Today, Mike resides in the River North neighborhood of Chicago and when he’s not in the kitchen, can be found biking along the lakeshore in the summertime and taking in the occasional baseball game. While catching a good flick is on the top of his list, collecting cookbooks also ranks as a hobby – the “Fat Duck Cookbook” being his most recent addition.

Michael Cunningham

Partner

Michael Cunningham was named a Partner of Mon Ami Gabi and Café Ba Ba Reeba!, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in 2008.

Born the 3rd of eight children, the Cunningham house was always filled with visitors. Conversation and activities were an integral part of the mix. His parents often entertained guests at their large house and were known for their cocktail and dinner parties. He believes that this background set him up for success in the restaurant business because a restaurateur’s job is to entertain on a larger scale but with the same care as if it were your own party. His father often visited Chicago and St. Louis, and at a very young age he accompanied him on these trips and was educated on the proper manners and etiquette of dining out at restaurants. That was back in the days when the doorman at the Drake Hotel was responsible that children didn’t leave the building while the Doctor was attending meetings!

After high school, Cunningham proudly served an 18-month tour of duty in Vietnam and then set off for college at Eastern Illinois University. While in college he managed a popular college bar and a liquor store. After graduation, he became general manager of a full-service restaurant. After a few years of success there he set his sites on going to California to work for Bob Morris, owner of a beach restaurant that was then the busiest restaurant in California and the 7th busiest in the US. Bob’s forte was menu innovation and marketing. Cunningham enjoyed the assertive marketing style. He became Vice President of Operations for the five restaurants in that company and in charge of the catering division, which often involved the beachfront, clambakes and celebrities. Cunningham is most proud of raising sales from $6 million to $14.5 million during his tenure. “This experience enforced my belief that marketing and special events are an important part of a successful store.”

In 1992, Cunningham moved back to Illinois to be closer to his family. He took the year off to travel and dine through much of Europe and the United States. In 1993 he began his career with Lettuce as General Manager of The Pump Room. In 1998, he moved from tuxedos to tapas and became General Manager of Café Ba Ba Reeba! He was excited about working with a top chef, Gabino Sotelino, and has enjoyed growing the business to new heights. Cunningham said, “I enjoy the restaurant business and the challenges that it offers. I appreciate Lettuce’s depth of systems and the backup that is available for management, from its marketing department to the human resources and accounting arms. The hands-on approach by members of the executive committee makes it a comfortable company to be a member of.”

Michael was Project Coordinator for the building of Summer House Santa Monica in Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL (opened November 2014) and North Bethesda, MD (opened January 2015) as well as RPM Italian in Washington D.C. (opened June 2016).

Michael oversees the Mon Ami Gabi wine list for the four locations and was awarded the Chevalier of the Odre des Coteaux de Champagne in 2010. Additionally, Michael is one of the partners that directs the annual, highly popular and successful Windy City Smokeout.

Michael lives in Chicago with his wife and their daughter who is attending college. He enjoys yearly backpacking trips to the mountains with his youngest brother, his family’s get-togethers, kayaking, biking, and reading history. His family is sure that if he weren’t in the restaurant business he would be a history professor.

Naoki Nakashima

Chef Partner

Born and raised in Fukuoka, Japan, Naoki’s interest in the culinary arts began early. By age 16, he had his first job working in a noodle shop. At 19, he was working in a local fish market, laying the groundwork for a lifelong love of seafood. At 21, he traveled to America through an overseas study program, landing in California at a busy Japanese restaurant. Starting as a dishwasher, he worked his way up through the ranks to the sushi counter. His teacher there, Mr. Masa, soon left to open his own sushi restaurant and took Naoki along with him. His work with Masa-san taught him that classic proportion and attention to detail are crucial to elegant sushi presentations.

When Naoki was 25, a Malaysian friend from America returned home to Kuala Lumpur to find that Japanese cuisine was all the rage there. Opening a restaurant, he coaxed Naoki to join him as chef. One-and-a-half years later, Naoki moved to Hong Kong to open a Japanese Izakaya with another friend. There he executed the sushi menu as well as traditional Japanese small plates, similar to tapas.

He eventually landed in Chicago, at NoMI in the Park Hyatt. There his sushi maintained its classical roots, but the rest of the menu opened his imagination to American and European ingredients. Three years later, Naoki was discovered by Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants’ CEO Kevin Brown, who asked him to join the Shaw’s Crab House family. He has since elevated Shaw’s sushi program with solid execution and innovative flavor combinations.

In 2016, Chef Naoki opened his namesake sushi den in Lincoln Park’s iconic Belden Stratford which was named one of the best sushi restaurants in Chicago by Time Out Chicago. In 2018, Chef Naoki also launched a virtual concept, Naoki Fried Chicken, available for carryout and delivery only.

In addition to making his mark with Shaw’s, Naoki has also developed sushi programs at several other Lettuce restaurants, including Schaumburg’s Tokio Pub. In 2020, Naoki Sushi re-launched as a pop-up carryout and delivery only restaurant in Chicago’s River North.

Today, Chef Naoki continues to assist in developing and refining sushi programs throughout Lettuce restaurants.

Osvaldo Ocegueda

Chef Partner

Chef Osvaldo (Ozzie) Ocegueda was born in Jalisco Mexico and moved to Chicago at the age of 2. His passion for cooking began when he would help his grandmother and mother cook at home. At the age of 15, he started his culinary career working in fast-casual restaurants.

Ozzie joined Lettuce Entertain You in 1997 with the Big Bowl Division. He worked his way up from handling carryout to working nearly every kitchen position, eventually taking on the roles of trainer, sous chef, and executive chef. His career with Big Bowl spanned five states and over 20 restaurant openings. When Big Bowl was purchased by Brinker in 2000, Ozzie continued working with the brand until 2005, when he re-joined Lettuce.

With Lettuce, Ozzie continued to grow the Big Bowl brand along with Big Bowl Chinese Express for 13 years. In January 2013, he joined Kevin Reynolds and together they started the Lettuce Fly division, overseeing the development of restaurants in airports.

During his time with Lettuce Fly, Ozzie has helped to create, open and train in more than 20 different concepts spanning multiple cities, including Big Bowl, Wow Bao, Magic Pan, Hub 51, Summer House Santa Monica, Urban Olive, and RJ Grunts. In 2021 Ozzie was made a Chef Partner of Lettuce Fly.

Ozzie also helps in the development of the Lettuce concepts at Navy Pier. He collaborated with the team on developing menus for Big Bowl, Frankie’s Pizza by the Slice and Big City Chicken, which is now also at Midway Airport. Following the success of Big City Chicken, Ozzie and his team opened Ozzie Pops & Pretzels at Navy Pier in 2018. Ozzie continues to help with the future development of our airport concepts, Navy Pier concepts and consulting.

In his free time, Ozzie gives back to philanthropic causes, enjoys trying new restaurants in the city and grilling out with his family. He and his wife Norma have five children, many of whom also work for Lettuce. They love to take annual vacations to different parts of Mexico to enjoy the food, see family and friends and embrace their Mexican heritage.

Raul Gutierrez

Partner & Executive Chef

Raul Gutierrez is the Executive Chef of Big Bowl and is responsible for all kitchen operations, as well as food development, for the seven locations Illinois, Virginia and Minnesota.

Raul was born in Michoacan, Mexico and at the age of 16 he moved to Chicago and joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants, working as a busboy and line cook at RJ Grunts. From there, he joined the team at Shaw’s Crab House where he continued to take on more kitchen responsibilities. After succeeding at Shaw’s, Raul was selected as the Kitchen Manager for Big Bowl. It was at Big Bowl that Raul excelled and quickly became the Chef. When Lettuce sold Big Bowl to Brinker International, Raul’s skills were recognized and he was immediately promoted to Executive Chef, a promotion that included a move to Texas. While in Texas, he and his team opened eighteen Big Bowl locations under Brinker International.

When Big Bowl was sold back to Lettuce, Raul was thrilled to return to his adopted hometown of Chicago and continue to lead the concepts. Raul’s passion is working in kitchens and his career trajectory with Big Bowl and leadership from Divisional Partner, Howard Katz, showed him that loyalty, hard work and perseverance really pay off.

Today, alongside his partners, Raul oversees kitchen operations and menu development for seven Big Bowl locations across three states.

Raul enjoys spending time with his wife, Maria, 3 children and 3 grandchildren. Raul shares his passion for food at home as he loves to entertain his friends and family with his exploration of varied cuisines.

Richard Hanauer

Operational Partner

Richard Hanauer is the Operational Beverage Partner for RPM Restaurants and Pizzeria Portofino and the Wine Director for The Oakville Grill & Cellar.

Hanauer began his wine studies around the family dinner table before eventually making it his career. He studied Hospitality at Syracuse University and went on to work in restaurants in Chicago’s West Loop. In 2008 he joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants as a sommelier, and in 2014, Hanauer joined RPM Restaurants to lead their wine program.

Having started his wine career working as the sommelier at 160Blue and as a fine wine expert for Levy Restaurants, Hanauer’s career in wine truly came to fruition in 2008 when he was named sommelier of Tru Restaurant in Chicago’s Streeterville neighborhood at the age of 25—the youngest person to ever hold that title at Tru. After working there for three years and obtaining his Advanced Certificate from the Court of Master Sommeliers, Hanauer joined L2O restaurant as Wine Director. There, he began crafting one of the world’s finest white wine and champagne menus. In 2014, he joined the RPM Italian team, and soon after began planning the cellars of the forthcoming sister restaurant, RPM Steak, which opened in 2014. RPM Italian in Washington, DC soon followed in 2016.

In August 2018, along with his partners, Richard opened Bar Ramone – Lettuce’s first wine bar – in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. In July 2019, Richard and his RPM Restaurant partners opened Pizzeria Portofino, a casual restaurant reminiscent of the Italian Riviera. In September 2019, Hanauer and the team introduced private events and wedding space, RPM Events, and in January 2020, they opened RPM Seafood with RPM Italian Las Vegas following in May 2022.

During his time at Tru, the restaurant received a James Beard Foundation Award for best service in the country and a Grand Cru Award for its wine list, which is the highest attainable distinction from Wine Spectator magazine. While at L2O, the restaurant received its prestigious third Michelin star; simultaneously Zagat named Hanauer a “30 under 30”. After opening RPM Steak, Hanauer was named “Sommelier of the Year” by Food & Wine magazine in 2015. Since then, all three RPM restaurants have received Wine Spectator’s “Best of” Awards of Excellence as well as three out of three stars from the World of Fine Wine magazine’s awards. In 2019, he was named by Wine Enthusiast magazine as one of their 40 Under 40 Tastemakers. Most recently, Hanauer and team opened a California wine country-inspired restaurant in Fulton Market District, The Oakville Grill & Cellar.

Hanauer currently lives in Chicago (and has no plans of changing that) with his wife, Kristen, their children, Madison and Teddy, and pup, Porcini. His greatest pride is the sommeliers with whom he gets to work alongside at RPM Restaurants.

Rita Dever

Chef Partner & Corporate Chef

Rita Dever is a Chef Partner of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants and Chef Partner of Beatrix. A native to the Northwest, Rita grew up surrounded by an abundance of natural food and beauty. Her early years as a chef had her traveling all over the world.

Rita completed culinary school in Paris, trained with her mentor, Madeleine Kamman in New Hampshire and opened restaurants in Los Angeles, Maui, New York and Seattle as a Sous Chef at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.

In 2004, she came to Chicago and joined Lettuce as Corporate Chef. Working closely with Rich Melman in the test kitchen, the two collaborate daily on creating new dishes and innovating existing menus for all Lettuce restaurants. It was Rita’s creations in the “Lab” that sparked the fire for Beatrix.

Now, as Chef Partner, her culinary experience has come full circle. Her Pacific Northwest whole-foods mentality drives each dish at Beatrix, bringing a “taste over trend” philosophy and healthful twist to each dish.

Rosalyn Gibbs Dawson

Partner of Big Bowl Chinese Express

When Rosalyn Gibbs Dawson began considering a career, advice given to her when she was about 5 years old resurfaced and resonated when a friend of the family told her to find something you love to do and then find someone to pay you for it.

She loved learning about business and marketing but was not particularly intrigued by the kitchen. Always up for a challenge and wanting to challenge herself outside of her natural ability, Rosalyn surprised her family and friends and enrolled in culinary school at the Art Institutes International Minnesota.

Rosalyn learned about Rich Melman and the passion driving the success of his restaurants on the first day of classes. Before long, she fell hard for the energy, excitement, and creativity of the hospitality industry. It was an ideal fit for someone whose strong work ethic was instilled at 14 while working for an interior design company in her hometown of Rogers, Minnesota.

After graduation, Rosalyn worked as a kitchen manager before becoming a part of the original team behind Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants’ Shanghai Circus in 2004. She began as a Fast Casual General manager for Shanghai Circus in the original Edina location. She then played an integral role in the transition and re-branding of Shanghai Circus to Big Bowl Chinese Express. Rosalyn has been managing the growing group of Big Bowl Chinese Express locations in Minnesota since 2010. In early 2014 Rosalyn opened Tucci Italian, a quick service version of Lettuce’s Tucci Benucch opened in Minnesota serving fresh hand-stretched pizzas and pastas. These concept’s food and operation culture continue to evolve under Rosalyn’s leadership.

“The secret to my success has been hiring passionate people,” says Rosalyn about becoming a Partner at Lettuce. “I’m always looking for individuals who want to challenge themselves and reach beyond their natural ability. I love developing, teaching and coaching people as well as learning from them. Our team inspires me to foster an environment that creates new opportunities for everyone.”

When away from Big Bowl Chinese Express, Rosalyn can be found entertaining in her Chaska, Minnesota home with her husband, Justin, step-daughter Laila and her many pets. She enjoys music, cooking, watching the Minnesota Vikings and is an active member of her community.

Rosemary Waldmeier

Partner & General Manager

Rosemary is a Partner and General Manager of Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab - Chicago.

She was born and raised in downtown Chicago and her father, Leo Waldmeier was the Executive Chef at the Drake Hotel for 35 years. He instilled a love of cooking and eating in her starting from a very young age. Her first job in restaurants was as a hostess at Gibson’s Chicago in 2007. In 2008, she had a PR internship at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago and also continued to host at Gibson’s. It was during this time that she felt herself gravitating towards the action of being in the lively restaurant.

The following summer, she started her career with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants as an intern at Shaw’s Crab House in Chicago. After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Commerce in 2010 from Queen’s University in Ontario, Rosemary returned to Shaw’s as a host and carryout attendant. She grew from host to catering assistant to catering manager within her first year. She then moved into a floor manager role and learned the ins and outs of more formal service.

In 2015, Shaw’s Executive Partner Bill Nevruz offered Rosemary the opportunity to be a part of the opening team of Quality Crab & Oyster Bah in Lincoln Park. Since opening, Rosemary and her team opened Seaside’s To Go, Lettuce’s first virtual restaurant in 2017, as well as Crab Cellar, an unlimited Alaskan King Crab and Prime Burger dining experience, in 2018.

Today, Rosemary is the General Manager of Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab in Chicago. You can find Rosemary interacting with guests at the restaurant in addition to working on growing the team, training, menu development and more.

During her time with Lettuce, she has learned the value of surrounding yourself with people that have a different perspective and skill set than you do, in order to build a successful, and well rounded team.

When Rosemary is away from the restaurants, she enjoys spending time cooking or dining out with her husband Darryl and her two daughters Cecelia and Louisa. She and Darryl hope to pass on their appreciation and passion for food and dining to their daughters.

Samantha Henry

Partner and Director of Events

Samantha Henry is a Partner and Director of Events for The Oakville Grill & Cellar, 167 Events and RPM Restaurants, overseeing all on-premise and off-premise events and catering.

Samantha graduated from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in 2009. Throughout her college career, she worked for Patina Restaurant Group in Los Angeles and completed internships with Daniel Boulud’s Dinex Group in New York City and Orient Express Hotels in Peru. Upon graduating in 2009, she worked for Hillstone Restaurant Group working for restaurants in South Florida, Atlanta, and Chicago. She became a General Manager of Houston’s West Paces in Atlanta in early 2014 and then later that year relocated to Chicago to oversee Bandera Restaurant as the General Manager.

She started her career with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in 2016 as a Catering Manager at RPM Steak, overseeing all private parties at the restaurant and off-premise catering for both corporate and social events.

In 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, Samantha and her team quickly pivoted their business model as they saw an opportunity to create virtual events and experiences for social and corporate clients. These interactive virtual classes and events utilized both chef and beverage talents within the RPM Restaurants family, and due to the success of these virtual experiences, Samantha and her team were able to create a new revenue stream for the restaurants during this difficult time.

In Spring 2022, Samantha was named Director of Catering for RPM Restaurants and in this new role, she oversees catering and events for RPM Italian (Chicago, Las Vegas and D.C.), RPM Seafood, RPM Steak, Pizzeria Portofino, RPM Events, and RPM Italian in West Palm Beach coming soon. She now oversees an events and catering team of 18 nationwide working on small and large-scale private parties across all the restaurants and event spaces as well as in-home and off-premise catering opportunities. She then became the Director of Events for The Oakville Grill & Cellar the 167 Events in Spring 2023.

Samantha lives in Chicago with her husband and daughter. She loves to travel, learn different languages, explore art museums and stay active so she can enjoy all of the great food Chicago and other cities have to offer!

Sharon Boudreau

Partner with Eiffel Tower Restaurant

Sharon Boudreau is a Partner at Lettuce Entertain You’s Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Las Vegas, NV.

She grew up in Skokie, IL and started her career in the restaurant industry at her parents’ restaurant in Highland Park, IL. Upon graduating high school, Sharon went on to perform with Ice Capades and Disney on Ice, traveling all over the world before landing in Las Vegas. After being part of the opening food and beverage teams at a couple of casinos, including the opening of Aladdin now Planet Hollywood, she found herself wanting to get back into restaurants.

In 2001, Sharon joined Lettuce as a manager at Eiffel Tower Restaurant, a fine dining French restaurant in the Paris Hotel from acclaimed Chef and Partner Jean Joho. During her nearly two decades at Eiffel Tower, she worked her way up, even becoming the restaurant’s General Manager for 15 years before being named Partner. Today, Sharon oversees a team of 180 people as well as managing the restaurant’s food costs and labor. In 2008, Sharon collaborated with Chef Joho and the team on the development of the Eiffel Tower cookbook.

Sharon is most proud of the restaurant’s growth and creativity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eiffel Tower Restaurant serves more than 4,100 guests per week, who come from all over the world.

A Chicago native and now a Las Vegas transplant, Sharon lives with her husband Bradley whom she met after starting at Eiffel Tower. She enjoys the company of her two amazing daughters Josilyn and Nirvana, her step-sons Tristan and Dustin, and her grandchildren Jameson and Beau.

Stephen Munasinghe

Partner for Big Bowl, Twin City Grill and Wildfire Eden Prairie

Stephen Munasinghe is the Partner with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants overseeing operations in Minneapolis for Big Bowl, Twin City Grill and Wildfire Eden Prairie.

Stephen grew up in the hospitality industry. His family owned an Italian restaurant in Northeast Minneapolis called Totino’s Italian Kitchen, which started in 1951 when his Great Grandma made her “locally famous” pizza for a banker to taste before he signed off on a loan to start her pizza restaurant. This restaurant thrived for 60 years in the same location and eventually grew into a frozen pizza empire, Totino’s frozen pizzas. It was at his family’s restaurant that Stephen learned that cooking at its simplest form is an art and eating should be a pleasure.

He attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a double major of Political Science and Sociology, Stephen’s original career goal was to become an attorney. At this time he was also a host at Bellisio’s Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar in Duluth. While going to school, he worked his way up from the host stand to a management position. Stephen graduated in May 2007, and although he was accepted into law school at Hamline University, he decided he wanted to learn more about business and the restaurant industry.

Stephen began working at Lettuce at the age of 22 as a Manager at Twin City Grill and in 2010, he was promoted to General Manager of Tucci Benucch and Magic Pan at the age of 25. In 2015, he was promoted to Divisional Supervisor, overseeing Tucci Benucch, Twin City Grill, Magic Pan, and Wildfire – Eden Prairie.

Today, he and his partners are not only for growing Lettuce’s presence in Minneapolis but also for developing a talented team in Minneapolis.

Stephen and his wife Christy have two beautiful daughters named Leyla and Quinn. In his free time, they love cooking together playing outside and having kitchen dance parties.

Susan Weaver

Chef Partner of Mon Ami Gabi Division and Beatrix

Susan Weaver is the Chef Partner for Mon Ami Gabi, Café Ba-Ba-Reeba!, and Stripburger Division. Since joining Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in 2003, Weaver has contributed her outstanding talents to the development of the menus and the strength of the culinary teams at Mon Ami Gabi (with locations in Chicago, Oak Brook, Las Vegas, Bethesda, and Reston), Beatrix (Chicago’s Streeterville, River North & Fulton Market neighborhoods), Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! (Chicago & Las Vegas), Stripburger, and Community Canteen.

Her energy and enthusiasm have helped propel these restaurants to the financial success and culinary acclaim they enjoy today. She was instrumental in creating and opening Stripburger Las Vegas in 2007 and is a vital contributor to the creation of her division’s new café concept, Community Canteen, opening in Reston, VA September 2008.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Weaver’s passion for food and travel developed early in life. At the young age of 18, her appetite for travel led her on a two-month voyage through Europe. This turned into a two-year stay where she worked various jobs like picking grapes and oranges, peeling potatoes, and washing dishes at a quaint fish restaurant on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean. These experiences taught her that “working was not just something you did to allow yourself pleasure after work and credits this as the turning point for “setting her career on the right path.”

Weaver apprenticed with world-renowned chefs at the Le Lancaster Hotel in Paris. In addition to her cooking career in Europe, she has spent time in Boston, Houston, Chicago, Toronto, and New York. From 1983 to 2001, Weaver worked for the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. She experienced many highlights during her tenure with the Four Seasons, including the first woman named the Executive Chef, and successfully reopening two of the Four Seasons’ restaurants in Canada. In 1994 she moved to New York City and lived there for another 9 years leading Manhattan’s Four Seasons as Executive Chef, where she earned three stars in the New York Times.

With a wealth of experience under her belt and her continuous appetite for creativity, Weaver decided it was time to explore another challenge. In 2003 she met Rich Melman, founder of Lettuce and he asked her to cook for him. After her tasting with Rich, she was immediately hired as the Lettuce Culinary Director for the Mon Ami Gabi and Café Ba-Ba-Reeba! Division of Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants. Adding dimension to her skill set, Weaver was announced partner of Lettuce in July of 2008. She continues to work closely with Rich, CEO Kevin Brown, and Divisional President and Partner, Christopher Meers in expanding and growing restaurant concepts.

Weaver values most her relationship with Christopher Meers as they closely work together on the expansion and development of new Mon Ami Gabi & Beatrix stores and fresh culinary concepts. Weaver is committed to Rich Melman and the Lettuce Partners to deliver innovative, authentic dining experiences with a personal touch…and great food, too!

Terry Lawler

Partner of L.Woods, Antico Posto and Beatrix – Oak Brook

Terry Lawler grew up in the south side of Chicago and attended Purdue University with a Naval ROTC scholarship to pursue a degree in nursing. During summer break, Terry began working in restaurants as a busser, server and bartender and quickly learned of his passion for the industry. Upon returning to school in the Fall, he switched his education focus and graduated in 1999 with a degree in hospitality.

In 2000, Terry joined the Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants family as a Manager at L.Woods Tap & Pine Lodge in Lincolnwood, IL. Four years later, he became the General Manager at Tucci Benucch in downtown Chicago where he spent three years overseeing the operations, hiring, staff development and more. In 2008, Terry returned to L.Woods as the General Manager.

In 2019, Terry was part of the opening team to bring Beatrix to Oak Brook where he and his team helped bring the popular neighborhood restaurant and coffeehouse concept from the city to the Chicago suburbs. Today, Terry is the Partner of L.Woods, Antico Posto and Beatrix – Oak Brook.
Terry’s favorite part of the job is being a part of the growth of not only the restaurants, but also the staff he works with. He strongly values Lettuce’s culture of caring and enjoys applying it with his team as well as the guest experience on a daily basis.

When Terry is not in the restaurant, he enjoys spending time with his wife Geralyn and his five children; Maddie, Tommy, Brendan, Scarlett and Emmett as well as vacationing in Michigan.

Thai Dang

Chef/Partner, Ramen-san, Sushi-san & Crying Tiger

James Beard-nominated Chef Thai Dang is a Partner at Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants' Ramen-san and Sushi-san, and will open his first restaurant with the Chicago-based hospitality group in 2025, Crying Tiger, a Southeast Asian concept. Dang is a Lettuce alum who spent his early culinary career at the company’s fine dining restaurant L20. Even while achieving wide acclaim for his Pilsen restaurant HaiSous: Vietnamese Kitchen, which opened in 2017, Dang remained connected with the Lettuce team, periodically consulting on menu creation and appearing in Ramen-san’s Chef Collaboration Dinner Series in 2023.

At HaiSous, Dang, along with his wife and Director of Operations Danielle, showcases the flavors and depth of Vietnam. Born in Vietnam and raised in Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C., Dang grew up celebrating the flavors and recipes his mother and sisters brought from Vietnam. His passion for the culinary world and family values stem from the kitchen table in youth where he learned to build bonds and relationships by connecting through food and went on to attend L’Academie de Cuisine in Maryland, where he mastered French cuisine and techniques.

After years of honing his craft at highly-regarded establishments throughout D.C. and Michelin-starred restaurants in Chicago, Dang teamed with his wife and partners to open his first establishment, Embeya, in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood in 2013, which quickly garnered national recognition as Best New Restaurant by Esquire. At Embeya, Dang was able to define and reinvent flavors and textures found throughout Southeast Asia using French techniques to create an original approach to what he calls “Progressive Asian” cuisine. He was nominated two consecutive years in Food & Wine People’s Choice “Chef of the Year” 2013 and 2014 and recognized by Zagat on their “30 under 30” 2013 list, as well as Jean Banchet “Rising Chef of the Year” 2014. As their Embeya chapter closed, the husband and wife duo traveled back to his home country to taste and experience the new Vietnam, but also to find inspiration from the old.

Their time back in Vietnam launched the idea for “HaiSous Vietnamese Kitchen,” where Dang employs the masterful techniques gleaned from his early professional years with a menu that showcases flavors capturing the country’s essence and his childhood experience through the lens of his new vision for Vietnamese cuisine. HaiSous is translated from Vietnamese and means “two sous.” or “two pennies.” This namesake suggests equality in partnership and shared visions in hospitality, while also forever reminding the couple of their humble beginnings that started with a dream and two pennies. The Dangs are now considered world class travelers, bringing groups of 20 VIP guests on yearly Culinary Food Tours to Vietnam and traveling for Chicago Press Tours both domestically and internationally with Choose Chicago.

HaiSous’ notable recognitions include: Nomination for the James Beard Foundation – Best New Restaurant 2018; a Michelin Bib Gourmand for three consecutive years, 2018-2020; #3 on Chicago Magazine’s “Best New Restaurants 2018”; one of Eater’s “Most Beautiful Restaurants in 2018”; and one of Thrillist’s “Best Vietnamese Restaurants.”

Dang’s professional accolades include: Three-time semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation – Best Chef: Great Lakes; recipient of the James Beard Leadership & Resilience award 2021; Plate Magazine’s Chefs to Watch 2018; named National Chef Advisor for U.S. Food Asian Cuisine 2019; and contributor to Vogue Magazine’s “Best Books - A Place at the Table, New American Recipes from the Nation’s Top Foreign-Born Chefs” by G. Langholtz.

Thierry Tritsch

Chef Partner

Chef Thierry Tritsch has been with Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants for over 25 years, but his love of hospitality began decades earlier in his native France. Working alongside his father and grandmother in the family’s restaurant-hotel gave way to formal training at Lycée Technique D’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme in Strasbourg. He went on to hone his skills at an array of establishments throughout Europe.

Chef Tritsch began his Chicago culinary career with legendary restaurateur Jovan Trboyevic in the vaunted kitchens of Le Perroquet and Les Nomades. He joined Lettuce as a member of the opening team of Brasserie JO, named the James Beard Foundation’s Best New Restaurant in 1996, and continued his work with Chef J. Joho as executive chef at Everest Restaurant for 25 years. His innovative approach to classic French cuisine has earned a Michelin star and an array of accolades from Relais & Chateaux, Mobil 5-Star, and AAA Five Diamond.

Thierry believes a great meal is the result of thoughtful collaboration with both farmers, fishermen, purveyors and his culinary team. He prides himself on building relationships with suppliers, using only the finest ingredients and mentoring aspiring chefs. He enjoys working with event hosts to create distinctive menus that bring celebrations to life.

When not exploring new food and wine, Thierry enjoys gardening, bicycling and spending time with his wife Elaine and their daughter, Josephine.

Tim Hockett

Chef Partner of Wow Bao

Tim’s culinary adventures began 25 years ago when he took a summer job as a food runner at Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ Maggiano’s. Upon experiencing the delights of food preparation, serving thousands of people every night, and the fast pace of a professional kitchen, he knew that’s where he was meant to be. He then promptly enrolled and graduated from Chicago’s Washburne Culinary School.

From there, Tim worked his way up the culinary ladder, within and outside of Lettuce. Whether ice sculpting at Nadeau’s Ice House or opening Vong and Vong’s Thai Kitchen with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and working at Chef Rick Tramonto’s acclaimed TRU; his culinary bandwidth has encompassed a vast breadth of experiences. Throughout his career, Tim has also prioritized travel in an effort to experience and taste authentic cuisine from around the globe, further expanding his gastronomic knowledge.

After two years in Charlottesville, VA, as the Chef/Partner of Fuel Co. Bistro & Café and Kluge Estate Farm Shop, Tim returned to Chicago to join the Lettuce team as a corporate chef, working directly with Rich Melman to create new dishes and helping to open the newest Lettuce restaurants. He then partnered with Scott Barton and Randy Brand to create seven entirely new concepts and open 14 restaurants, including M Burger, Tallboy Taco, and Big City Chicken.

In 2014, Tim started cooking for and leading the growing Wow Bao team with CEO Geoff Alexander. As Vice President of Culinary Operations, Tim has been integral in scaling the Wow Bao brand from five Chicago stores to over 600 virtual restaurants throughout the U.S. and Canada, six airport locations, 1,500 take and heat grocery sushi counters, and 5,000+ grocery store freezer sections. Tim’s extensive focus on research and development has positioned Wow Bao as one of the only restaurant brands that provides a consistent recipe for its product within every channel it’s served, including CPG. Wow Bao is the first restaurant to top Fast Casual’s Top 100 Movers & Shakers list twice, winning the award in 2019 and 2022.

Tom Lamson

Associate Partner

As Associate Partner for Wildfire, Tom Lamson oversees the day-to-day management of Wildfire Glenview and Wildfire Oak Brook and plays a key role in the execution of divisional projects, marketing initiatives and events. Since joining Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in 2007, Tom has brought his operational expertise to every aspect of the business, succeeding particularly in building Wildfire Glenview into the division’s highest-grossing location.

Previously, as Director of Operations for Wildfire Glenview, Tom’s leadership was crucial to the restaurant and its team during the challenges of 2020. As dining rooms closed, he adapted the restaurant’s layout to include a popular 50-table outdoor patio and pivoted the focus to carryout, keeping business steady and maintaining strong community connections.

Tom’s passion for hospitality is rooted in his childhood in Falmouth, Massachusetts, where he cherished the communal joy of family dinners, holidays and gatherings. Inspired by these experiences, he pursued a career focused on creating meaningful moments for guests, blending food, ambiance and atmosphere.

At Cape Cod’s iconic Landfall Restaurant, where he started as a dishwasher and gradually rose through the kitchen ranks under one of his mentors, Executive Chef David Petrone, Tom gained invaluable exposure to back-of-house operations. While attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studying Hospitality and Restaurant Management, Tom completed the prestigious Walt Disney World College Program, where he learned the art of guest service. Upon graduation, he went on to gain hands-on expertise in fine dining at New York’s famed Italian establishment, Il Mulino, where he was involved in opening new locations in Chicago, Miami and Puerto Rico, before joining Lettuce.

Tom now resides in Lake Forest, Illinois, and though surrounded by great Chicago pizza, Paul’s Pizza and Seafood in Falmouth, Massachusetts, holds a special place in the Cape Cod native’s heart. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children and can often be found on the golf course.

Vincent Pouessel

Partner and Executive Chef of Mon Ami Gabi

Vincent Pouessel joined the Lettuce Entertain You family in the summer of 2016. Mon Ami Gabi holds particular significance for him: it was one of the first restaurants he visited when he first moved to the United States from France in 2001, and it has been a favorite for him and his wife to celebrate special occasions ever since. Chef Pouessel brings to the table a wealth of knowledge in both French techniques and American methods, looking to seasonal ingredients to define his sense of style in the kitchen. His passion for those fresh, simple ingredients combined with his upbringing and training in France have developed Pouessel into the highly experienced, cultured chef he is today.

Raised in a family of butchers in a small town in France known for seafood, Chef Pouessel was brought up valuing fresh, quality food. After pursuing culinary training at a young age, he began his career as a seasonal cook at Chez la Mère Pourcel in Brittany before working in both Bordeaux and Paris, where he was honored to be named Executive Sous Chef at Le Jules Verne, the Michelin-starred restaurant located inside the Eiffel Tower. In 2001, he landed in Las Vegas, where he began as Sous Chef at The Mansion at MGM Grand. From there, Chef Pouessel continued to hone his skills and soon left to work as Executive Chef at the Michelin-starred Aureole in Mandalay Bay, followed by db Brasserie – the award-winning restaurant by celebrated Chef Daniel Boulud – located inside the Venetian.

With this experience under his belt, Chef Pouessel brings not only his expertise to Mon Ami Gabi, but also a true passion for the cuisine, the restaurant and its staff, and hospitality as a whole.

Willie Neal

Partner

Willie Neal is a Partner of Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda and Reston. He became a Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants partner in the spring of 2008. Traveling the country earning his hotel and restaurant management degree and working with hospitality companies, Willie was ready to find a company that was passionate about hospitality paired with strong family values.

Willie began his journey in Northfield, Vermont where he was raised. Then it was off to James Madison University in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. After graduation, he returned to his native Vermont before setting in Charlotte, North Carolina to begin an eleven-year career with Levy Restaurants. From North Carolina, Willie moved to Chicago to be with his future wife, Kelly, while continuing his career with Levy. Upon moving to Chicago, he realized the overwhelming presence of Lettuce. Lettuce presented Willie with the opportunity to not only to grow personally but to help others to grow as well. He was given the chance to represent Lettuce outside of Chicago and re-locate to enhance his career.

Today, Willie oversees the operations of Mon Ami Gabi in Bethesda, Maryland and Reston, Virginia. Willie strives to strengthen the reputation of Mon Ami Gabi and enjoys working in their unique locations.

With his strong family values, when Willie is away from the restaurants he is spending time with his wife Kelly and two beautiful daughters Hannah Jane and Harper Rose. He also enjoys golfing, gardening and the Boston Red Sox. Willie and his wife especially love eating out and trying new restaurants together.

Yasmin Gutierrez

Partner

Yasmin studied Culinary Arts at the Illinois Institute of Art, and quickly realized her passion was in pastry. Looking to gain more experience, she became an intern at the Bittersweet Bakery on the north side of Chicago where she perfected her cookie decorating techniques and learned about traditional, American pastries.

In 2005, Yasmin joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants as a pastry cook at Foodlife in Water Tower Place while also finishing school. Just two years later, Yasmin was promoted to pastry chef, where she also oversaw the pastry programs at both Mity Nice Bar & Grill and Foodease. In 2010, Yasmin furthered her education and pastry knowledge by attending The French Pastry School.

Three years later, Yasmin led the pastry team in the opening of Beatrix River North. She was instrumental in developing the bakery program and menu. In 2015, she was promoted to Executive Pastry Chef and three years later was named Partner. Yasmin now oversees the pastry program at all four Beatrix locations, Beatrix Market and is instrumental with the dessert program at Aba and Ema.

Her specialties include cupcake and cookie creation and design, coffee cakes and birthday cakes. Outside of the bakery, Yasmin enjoys spending time with her family and traveling.

In Memoriam

Alan Garfin

Vice President of Lettuce Consulting

IN LOVING MEMORY: 1960-2019

Alan Garfin was a Senior Vice President and a founding partner of the Lettuce Consulting Group. His responsibilities included restaurant and other hospitality venue services such as back of house operations improvements and implementation, concept development and refreshes, facility build-outs and staff and management training. He also conducted operations assessments, analyzes F&B operations and creates standardization plans for growth.

Alan was instrumental in defining the Consulting Group’s own operating best practices by developing the project methodologies and managing many of the projects. He went on to work with restaurant groups, hotels, theaters, residential dining services, grocery chains and multiple sports venues. Alan led initiative rollouts to chains of more than 100 units.

Alan was in the industry for over 35 years. He began working with LEYE in 1988, working his way up to General Manager and Area Supervisor, periodically joining the opening team for several Lettuce concepts.

Alan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management at Indiana University with a concentration in Food and Beverage Management.

John Chiakulas

Chef/ Partner of Aba, Antico Posto, Beatrix, Beatrix Market, Ēma, Rotisserie Ema, Foodease Market, L. Woods and The Dalcy

IN LOVING MEMORY: 1963-2021

John Chiakulas is Corporate Chef of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises and Chef/ Partner of Aba, Antico Posto, Beatrix, Beatrix Market, Ēma, Rotisserie Ema, Foodease Market, L. Woods and The Dalcy.

His journey with LEYE began at Ambria in 1981, rising through the ranks from fish butcher to becoming Executive Chef of Scoozi! when it opened a decade later. His experiences traveling through Italy awakened his imagination and enthusiasm for Italian cooking; these skills translated well to his extensive experience at more than three dozen LEYE restaurants, including Tru, L. Woods and Wildfire.

John was instrumental in the redesign of Foodlife in Water Tower Place and pushed the envelope in developing Foodease into what he now considers a “chef’s playground” because of its diverse offerings. In 2011, he teamed up with the Lettuce Consulting Group to bring his creativity to clients nationwide.

As Chef Partner, John is constantly testing new dishes, updating and perfecting existing items and using his creativity and skill to push the envelope with healthful, yet tasty ingredients. He is always “hungry for more” in his leadership role, and is always thinking how he can bring his current concepts and other projects to the next level.

Michel Briand

Partner of Tru

IN LOVING MEMORY 1960 – 2012

Sara Rowe

Senior Vice President of the Shaw’s Crab House Division

IN LOVING MEMORY 1971 – 2010