Chef Graham Elliot is a “Navy brat” who has traveled the world and all 50 states. He’s a creative culinary wizard with an innate ability to successfully juxtapose four-star cuisine with humor, wit and out-of-the-box artistry. At age 27, he became the youngest “Four Star Chef ” in any major U.S. city and was named a Food & Wine magazine “Best New Chef ” in 2004. In recent years, he has accrued several prestigious accolades, including multiple James Beard Foundation nominations as well as being named one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ list of “40 Under Forty”.
In 2008, Graham opened the aptly named Graham Elliot, a restaurant that would not only bear his name but become an extension of his passionate personality, embodying his core belief that cooking is an artistic, creative outlet. Since opening its doors, the restaurant has hypnotized the city of Chicago, garnering one Michelin star in 2011 and a second in 2012. In addition to major celebrities who regularly frequent Graham Elliot, the restaurant recently hosted President Obama’s birthday dinner with such guests as Oprah Winfrey in attendance.
In 2012, Chef Graham Elliot opened his third Chicago restaurant, Graham Elliot Bistro, offering a seasonally-focused menu, using Old World techniques with three ingredients or less per dish. Located in the “West Loop” of Chicago’s fabled Randolph Street, the bistro relies on local farmers and markets and does as little to the product as possible. Dinner and brunch are served, and an outdoor patio provides additional seating in the summertime.
Graham is currently exploring future restaurant opportunities in LA and Vegas, allowing him to expand his creative concepts to the West Coast. He is also working on his first solo cookbook, expected to hit shelves in 2014.
In addition to appearing on “Iron Chef ” and two seasons of the popular show “Top Chef Masters,” Graham co-stars alongside Gordon Ramsay and Joe Bastianich in FOX series “MasterChef,” now in its fourth season, and “Junior Master Chef ”. He will also host Spike TV’s new reality show “Covert Kitchens”. Graham, a singer and guitarist in his own right, is the Culinary Director of Lollaplooza where he helps set up ChowTown with the best chefs and restaurants Chicago has to offer.
Graham has been a regular on such programs as “Access Hollywood”, “Nightline”, “Bizarre Foods” and “The Today Show” among others. When he’s not traveling the globe in search of gastronomic inspiration, he resides in Chicago with his wife and business partner, Allie, and his three children, Mylo, Conrad and Jedediah.
