Andrew Zimmerman

The Path

French Culinary Institute trained Andrew Zimmerman before he entered professional kitchens as a cook at 2Senza in Red Bank, New Jersey. That first role established a pattern that would continue across his career: technique learned in service of repetition, timing, and the discipline of line work. In Chicago, the sequence moved through Park Hyatt Chicago, MOD, Del Toro Cafe, and NoMI, each post adding another layer to a style that held structure and invention together without forcing either one to dominate. Sepia in Chicago became the long center of that work, with Andrew Zimmerman serving as Executive Chef from 2009 through 2025. Across those years, the craft stayed legible—modern American ideas shaped by progressive technique and traditional European influence, with no need to announce itself louder than the plate.

The Work Today

"Be kind, be generous, and be genuine — that usually works." In Andrew Zimmerman’s own words, the operating code is plainspoken, and in a kitchen that kind of plainness can be structural. It points to a management style where behavior is part of the craft, not separate from it, and where precision has to hold up alongside steadiness under pressure. After his executive-chef tenure in Chicago concluded, Andrew Zimmerman’s work continued to read as inventive American cooking with technical discipline and a European frame. The point is not novelty for its own sake. The point is how the familiar and the modern are held in balance—how older forms can remain useful, and how new ideas can be placed without breaking the underlying grammar of the cuisine.

Signature

Andrew's signature dishes include shrimp étouffée, crawfish étouffée, Wood-Grilled Pork Tenderloin, and Roasted Figs. Taken together, they point to a cook working with richness, smoke, and sweetness while keeping the final register controlled. The set suggests range, but not sprawl; each dish sits within a broader practice of using technique to sharpen flavor rather than cover it.

In Their Words “Be kind, be generous, and be genuine — that usually works.”

Acclaim

Andrew's honors include James Beard Award finalist, Chicago Mentor Award, Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Humanitarian of the Year, and Rising Star Chef.