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.
