Aaron Cuschieri

Coming Up

Formal training at Art Institute of Michigan gave structure to Aaron Cuschieri’s early interest and opened the way into Chicago kitchens where standards are tight and the pass moves fast. The sequence of roles that followed—Executive Chef at Takashi in Chicago, Executive Chef at Slurping Turtle in Chicago, and running the kitchen at Kinmont in Chicago—shows a career shaped by repetition, pressure, and the need to keep a team steady while service is in motion. Since 2016, Aaron Cuschieri has been Executive Chef and Chef Partner of The Dearborn. The title pairs oversight with shared responsibility, and the work behind it calls for the kind of control that comes from long hours on the line. At The Dearborn, that experience shows in a kitchen style built for pace, precision, and constant adjustment.

Where They Are Now

At The Dearborn in Chicago, Aaron Cuschieri works as Executive Chef and Chef Partner, a position that keeps him close to both the menu and the room. The role is as much about presence as management: shaping the details, holding standards, and keeping service responsive. His approach stays grounded in movement and precision, with enough flexibility to keep the work active rather than fixed.

Signature

Fish and Chips and a fish-focused charcuterie board sit at the center of Aaron's signature dishes. The interest here is in making familiar formats feel intentional, with restraint doing as much work as execution. The plates point to a cook focused on texture, clarity, and the clean finish that comes from keeping the idea direct and the technique disciplined.

In Their Words “I began working in kitchens, and I fell in love with the fast-paced environment and thrill of the dinner rush.” The quote gets to the pace that has shaped Aaron Cuschieri’s work: fast service, tight timing, and the need to turn pressure into something usable. The dinner rush became a setting for building muscle memory and sharpening instinct into habit. That line describes The Dearborn in practical terms: polished, seasonal, and built with a wider frame than one region or one tradition. Nuance here means attention to detail, while worldly inspiration suggests a kitchen that looks beyond itself without losing control of the core idea.

Honors

Beat Bobby Flay winner (2019), Zagat 30 Under 30 (2013), and Eater Young Guns (2012) map a career that drew notice early and kept building. The three honors mark different points in the same arc, from early promise to later recognition, each one tied to the consistency and pace that have defined Aaron Cuschieri’s work in Chicago.