In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Curtis Duffy, the James Beard award-winning chef and owner at the Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant Ever — a restaurant that features prominently in the FX show “The Bear.” Curtis has consulted with and cooked for the show, which is starting its fourth season this week. But long before “The Bear,” he was a renowned chef who trained under Charlie Trotter and Grant Achatz before opening the restaurant Grace in Chicago’s West Loop in 2012. Grace closed in 2017 and Curtis opened Ever in 2020, followed by the next-door cocktail lounge After. Curtis recently won NRN’s MenuMasters Innovator Award, and ahead of the ceremony, he joined the podcast to talk about his approach to culinary innovation and what he believes consumers are looking for in their restaurant experiences. 

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Restaurants don’t need to be boxed in by cuisine or category 
• Restaurants are art, so why not draw inspiration from other mediums
• Consumers are getting pickier, and are looking for memorable experiences
• As more full-service restaurants jump into off-premises business, we must solve for quality 

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at [email protected].