Sepia chef Andrew Zimmerman's Best Day Ever in Chicago
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Chef Andrew Zimmerman. Photo courtesy of Proxi
The James Beard Foundation Awards have returned for another year, presenting events all weekend, including the main event tomorrow night at the Civic Opera House.
What's happening: Several local chefs and restaurants are nominated for the prestigious culinary awards, including chef Andrew Zimmerman's restaurant Sepia in the West Loop.
Zoom in: Sepia is up for Outstanding Hospitality, a unique category that honors a restaurant's front of house service.
What they're saying: "We want to delight our guests, and the best way we know how to achieve that is to do our best to anticipate their desires and then try to exceed them," Zimmerman tells Axios.
- "Be kind, be generous, and be genuine — that usually works."
State of play: Service and hospitality became much more difficult during the pandemic, trying to balance safety for the staff and the customer while meeting high expectations. But Zimmerman says the customers' needs are changing at his fine dining establishment.
- "There does seem to be an increased desire for streamlined menus that make for fewer decisions on the part of the guest."
Chicago hopes Zimmerman and his restaurant win tomorrow night. But before the chef steps back into his kitchen, we asked him to tell us about his perfect day in the city.
🍳 Breakfast: "I would get the breakfast sandwich at Spinning J bakery: a perfect griddled home-made English muffin with white cheddar, Slagel Farms Bacon and an egg.
- "That, with a blueberry scone and a latte is a great start to the day."
🪑 Morning activity: "After breakfast I would go hunting for that certain something you didn't even know you wanted or needed at various antique stores around town. It's like a treasure hunt: Sometimes you win big, sometimes you don't, but it's always interesting."
🍲 Lunch: "For lunch I would hit Devon Avenue and get a Mysore masala dosa and a khasta kachori chaat at Annapurna. Simple food with tons of flavor to keep the day on track."
🛶 Afternoon activity: "For a couple hours in the afternoon, I'd want to go kayaking on the city's Far North Side at the Skokie Lagoons. Calm, quiet water and the occasional great blue heron make for a relaxing post-lunch diversion."
🍕 Dinner: "For dinner I would want to get together with my family and a couple friends and hang out making pizzas in my backyard, or, if I was very lucky and was able to score a reservation, we would eat the family dinner at Hermosa restaurant."
- "The food and the vibe that Ethan Lim has created at his tiny restaurant is just fantastic."
🍦 Evening activity: "After a very full day, I love taking a leisurely walk with my wife and kids, through a neighborhood with interesting houses to look at, that ends up with a bit of frozen custard from Lickity Split up in Edgewater."