Jenner Tomaska and Katrina Bravo, husband and wife co-owners of Esmé, met when they were both starting out in the industry at MK, a groundbreaking Chicago restaurant that has since closed. The pair eventually married and ventured out on their own, opening Esmé in 2021.
The Chicago fine-dining restaurant embodies their vision to marry Bravo’s passion for art and Tomaska’s passion for culinary artistry with the shared goal of providing first-rate hospitality.
Esmé offers an evolving tasting menu inspired by Chicago’s rich cultural scene. The couple collaborate with local artists and creatives, and each quarter, Esme’s menu, servingware, décor and music reflect the current artistic collaboration.
Listen as Bravo and Tomaska describe their one-of-a-kind Michelin-starred dining destination and share how they tell their story through a culinary and artistic lens.
Checking in on mid-year menu trends with Technomic’s Lizzy Freier
How DIG on 4th merges fast casual and full service into a welcoming all-day cafe
Menu maven Nancy Kruse shares her take on emerging and evergreen trends
How Graze Craze is spreading charcuterie across the country
How La Palapa is still going strong after 20 years, with Barbara Sibley at the helm
How All Day Kitchens marries culinary and tech to create a successful union
How Chicago’s Revival Food Hall is revving up for its next chapter
How Mawa’s Kitchen is making its mark on Aspen’s restaurant scene
How restaurateur Rohini Dey is empowering women to break through the gastro ceiling
How Vitality Bowls sets itself apart in a crowded fast-casual field
How celebrated chef David Burke keeps creativity flowing after decades in the business
How to innovate the menu by amplifying and enhancing 2021 trends in 2022
How Lettuce Entertain You’s Thomas Mizuno-Moore is taking the ‘mock’ out of zero-alcohol cocktails
Why Technomic is calling 2022 ‘the year of the climb’
How a bubble tea fan became a master franchisee who is ‘brewing happiness’ across the U.S.
How Modern Market’s chef brings a farm-to-table ethos to a growing fast casual
How KFC's head chef taps his food science, nutrition and culinary expertise
How Modernist Cuisine’s Francisco Migoya is changing the pizza world
How Playa Bowls turned a blender and a dream into a growing fast-casual concept
How food futurist Liz Moskow sees the year shaping up
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
50 Tastes Of Gray
Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio
Walk-In Talk Podcast
The War of the Worlds
The Turn of the Screw
The Recipe with Kenji and Deb
Solicited Advice with Alison Roman