Breakout Chef of the Year | Eat Out Awards 2013

Lee Wolen at the Lobby at the Peninsula Chicago

Following Graham Elliot and Curtis Duffy is no small task, but Lee Wolen got a leg up when the Peninsula shuttered Elliot and Duffy’s launchpad Avenues and put Wolen at the helm of the Lobby. With this clean slate and the freedom to create food as sophisticated and accessible as the lobby itself, the former sous chef of NYC’s Eleven Madison Park has given locals a reason to return. Less molecular than that of the past, the food is nonetheless beautifully presented, a feat for creature comforts such as roasted chicken, mushroom pasta and slow-roasted lamb. Dining at the Peninsula no longer feels like a spectacle—it simply feels special. 108 E Superior St (312-337-2888).

Other nominees Abraham Conlon (Fat Rice), Iliana Regan (Elizabeth), Zoe Schor (Ada St), Jonathan Zaragoza (Masa Azul)