Today on our episode #395 of All in the Industry®, Shari Bayer’s guest is Erick Williams, Chef and Founder of Virtue Hospitality Group based in Chicago, which includes Virtue Restaurant & Bar, Mustard Seed Kitchen, Daisy’s Po-Boy & Tavern, and Top This Mac & Cheese. Erick has carved a special niche in the restaurant industry with inimitable persistence, passion and drive. In November 2018, Erick opened Virtue as his first solo concept, nestled in the heart of the historic Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago’s south side. The restaurant combines his love of Southern cuisine and his insatiable study of history and art as they relate to food culture. Erick and Virtue have been featured in a host of local and national media, and in 2022, Erick was named Best Chef: Great Lakes by the James Beard Foundation, making history as the first Black chef to win in this category. In November 2021, inspired by his experience providing takeout only during the pandemic, Erick opened Mustard Seed Kitchen in Chicago, a takeout and delivery-only concept featuring a menu of high-quality approachable meals. And less than a year later in August 2022, he launched a third concept, Daisy’s Po-Boy and Tavern which evokes the vibrancy of New Orleans through its most celebrated sandwich, located a few steps away from Virtue. Months after Daisy’s opened, Erick collaborated with Virtue’s Chef de Cuisine Damarr Brown to open Top This, a delivery and takeout concept offering a variety of delectable mac and cheeses with delicious toppings. Erick’s Virtue team is now getting ready to open a new Mexican cocktail bar, Cantina Rosa, celebrating Mexican culture the same way Virtue has done celebrating Black culture in Hyde Park. Shari sat down with Erick for this conversation at Virtue in Chicago in June over the James Beard Awards weekend.
Today’s show also features Shari’s PR tip to focus on mental health; and Solo Dining experience at Asador Bastian, a Basque-inspired steakhouse from Chef and Owner Doug Psaltis, and Christian Eckmann; part of Eat Well Hospitality, a Chicago-based restaurant group from Doug and Chef Hsing Chen, located in the iconic Flair House in River North, Chicago, IL.
**Check out Shari’s book, Chefwise: Life Lessons from Leading Chefs Around the World (Phaidon) #chefwisebook
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