After growing up in Chicago, you traveled around the world and worked in kitchens in Germany, France, and Sweden. What brought you back to your hometown?
I was born and raised in Chicago, and have always loved the city. Through all my travels and work opportunities, I always imagined myself ending up back here to open up Feld.
Along with being in a city I love, Feld is a restaurant driven by seasonal produce, and one of the amazing things about being in the Midwest is that we have all the seasons. Drive three hours out of Chicago, and you find yourself in some of the best farmland in the United States, often still being cared for by small family operations. Growing up, we would drive to Michigan every summer to pick up sweet corn, blueberries, and peaches. I wanted to bring that joy I felt around Midwestern farming culture to a restaurant in the city I call home.
How did your experiences abroad shape your farm-to-table approach at Feld?
I was lucky to work for and learn from a series of chefs who were incredibly passionate about their sourcing. Living in Sweden and working for Chef Daniel Berlin, Daniel himself would hunt for all the game meat that we would serve at the restaurant. In France, working for Chef Alexandre Couillon, all of our fish came daily from the fishing port directly in front of the restaurant, and all of our vegetables came from a garden that Alex planted and the cooks helped till. In Berlin, working at Ernst, I saw that it was possible (with enough creative energy) to change and create a tasting menu every single day, based on what was arriving from the farmers. Each of these work experiences shaped a little part of the philosophy that has helped influence Feld and how we approach working directly with farms.
Highlighting the hard work of the growers, ranchers, fishermen, and dairy farmers drives your creativity behind each dish at Feld. When did you first realize your passion for local foodways?
What I’m most passionate about is relationships. We don’t call Feld a farm-to-table restaurant; we call it a relationship-to-table restaurant. I love getting to know the farmers and producers we work with. One of the beautiful things about local farms is that it’s easier to visit regularly, keep up those relationships, and constantly learn from those farmers.
Getting something from nearby not only allows us to get to know the grower, but also means that we have a fresher product, and that is obvious in the flavor of the final product we put on the plate. We’re really lucky in Chicago to have such amazing farmers’ markets (like the Green City Market), and like most chefs, I’ve always had a passion for cooking from what’s in season at the market.
Feld is a restaurant about people: the people who grow your vegetables, raise your meat, catch your fish, roast your cacao. All we are doing is telling those people’s stories. I don’t know when I first realized my passion for telling those stories, but I know that it’s become my life’s work.
“Feld is a restaurant about people.”
Your creative process is very open and transparent, from preparing and plating meals directly in front of guests in the Feld dining room to sharing “a day in your life” videos on TikTok with millions of views. How have your videos helped you connect to a broader audience?
I’ve spent my whole life wanting to open a restaurant. Yet, when I was working on opening Feld, I realized how few and far between the resources were for how to actually do that. Opening a business for the first time is something you have to figure out as you go along. There’s no one set path; every day is an adventure in decision-making. I realized that sharing that process might be useful to others in the future, or even for me to look back on if I do this again someday. So I started a series I called The Opening Diary—first as a Medium blog and later as TikTok videos—where I shared the highs and lows of opening Feld.
Once we opened, I realized it would be fun to take that same idea—sharing the day-to-day—and apply it to what it’s like running a restaurant. That led to the day-in-the-life videos where I share what a normal day looks like, from going to the market to prepping, serving, cleaning, and more. People have really connected with those videos. We have a lot of guests who come in and say they’ve been watching since the early days—guests who saw those videos over two years ago and started saving up to eat here when we opened. There are also a lot of guests who let us be their first entry into fine dining because they see in the videos that we’re building a space that’s fun and welcoming to dine in.
People are often nervous about fine dining because of stuffy traditions, like needing to know which fork to use. They see my videos and realize it’s not really like that, that there’s a genuine sense of hospitality behind the meal they’re going to have. Hopefully, after Feld, they are inspired to try other fine dining spots in Chicago and abroad! Plus, creatively, it’s been a really fun opportunity to share the real daily life of fine dining restaurants, and not just what you see on The Bear or The Menu.
Earlier this year, the James Beard Foundation recognized you as a semifinalist for the 2025 Emerging Chefs Award. How does it feel to be included among 20 of the country’s brightest rising stars?
It was truly a shock and a huge honor. Every great chef I know will tell you that they’re nothing without their team, and that’s never been truer than at Feld. I’ve got an incredible team of cooks and service professionals who show up every day eager to be better, to work on their craft, and to make Feld the best it can be. Being recognized by the James Beard Foundation is a true honor, as was being recognized by the MICHELIN Guide and the Chicago Tribune, but the credit really deserves to lie with the team that has helped me build Feld into the special restaurant that it is. We come to work every day with the sole goal of being better than the day before. Recognition like this is a thrill, but we’re never going to creatively slow down or rest on any laurels.
Can you tell us about the Cooks Will Play dinners you offer
Cooks Will Play is a chance for my team to creatively flex their culinary muscles. Currently, Feld does not open if I can’t be present. Cooks Will Play is the exception. The team creates the menu, designs the experience for the evening, picks the playlist, and just generally turns Feld into a chef-is-away party. I give no notes on the menu and let them do pretty much whatever they want; the only rule is they still have to source from Feld’s network of farmers and producers. Cooks Will Play dinners are an absolute blast. The team has a great time. The guests have a great time. I get a night off. It’s a win for everyone!
As a Chicago native, how do you enjoy a day off in your hometown?
I’m a big brunch guy, so days off generally start with brunch. Recent spots I’ve been loving include The Loyalist, Obélix, and Uncle Mike’s Place. On a nice day, I’ll take my dog to Humboldt Park or up to the Montrose Dog Beach. I might catch a movie or go play bocce with friends at Cleo’s. For a more casual dinner, I’ll go to Rootstock or Brasero. For a bit fancier, I’ll end up at Elske, Cellar Door Provisions, or Kyoten Next Door. I might pop into The Aviary or Three Dots and a Dash for drinks. In the summer, my partner and I like to catch the fireworks at Navy Pier. Finish the day with a giant ice cream sundae at Margie’s if we still have room.
