The Art Institute of Chicago

About Bon Appétit Management Company is an on-site restaurant company offering full-service food management while abiding by socially responsible practices and partners. As the exclusive food and beverage provider for the Art Institution of Chicago, Bon Appetit provided management of all retail outlets and the execution of 1,200 events annually.

Position Executive Sous Chef

Timeline November 2015 - July 2018

Highlights and Accomplishments Surrounded by some of the greatest artwork in all the world, you couldn't help but discover inspiration and glean knowledge. The museum welcomes 2M visitors annually. Partnering with Marketing & PR, Tourism, Development, and the Education departments, we provided inspired menu offerings and pop-ups to create a holistic museum experience which also parlayed to galas and events. Exhibitions such as Ireland: Crossroads of Art & Design, 1690-1840, Van Gogh's Bedroom, Gauguin: Artist as Alchemist, and my favorite, Mirroring China's Past: Emperors and Their Bronzes. The museum annually celebrates Chinese New Year, which we always participate, however with the opening of the exhibition, our culinary team created a live-action Pan-Asian station. We featured made-to-order poke bowl with tuna, five-spiced chicken, and smoked tofu with Chinese bbq and satay sauces. We also incorporated decor, retail items, and authentic teas and desserts to complete the experience.

Memorable Menu My goal has always been to exceed expectations, and we had the opportunity to do so for the annual Misericordia fundraiser. Instead of the traditional stations, we provided a live-action pasta station for 300 guests. Guests were captivated as we rolled out the freshly-made pasta, stuffed them with ricotta and spinach, cut, simmered and delivering their fresh ravioli topped with pesto and shaved pecorino.