Ashlee Aubin

The Path

Chicago is a useful proving ground for cooks: the line moves fast, the room has opinions, and precision matters. At Wood in Chicago, Ashlee Aubin worked as chef in that pressure, where command of the kitchen had to translate into control of service. The next step at Salero in Chicago, where Aubin became executive chef, extended that same discipline into a larger scope of leadership. Taken together, those roles show a career built through service, structure, and the daily work of keeping standards intact under heat. Since 2023, Aubin has been general manager at Pompette, and the shift marks a change in responsibility rather than a break from the kitchen. The technical habits built on the line now inform how the room is managed: pacing, coordination, and the read on what a night needs before it starts to slip. In that role, Aubin’s work moves from producing dishes to shaping the conditions around them, with the same attention to timing and control.

The Work Today

What carries forward from the kitchen is a practical understanding of service as a system. Timing, staff energy, and the shape of the room are not separate concerns; they determine whether a night feels coherent or scattered. Aubin’s path suggests a front-of-house approach grounded in kitchen discipline, where the aim is not performance for its own sake, but a service that holds together from arrival to last table. That thinking is reflected in Aubin’s own words: “I think that comes through in the vibe — and it’s with the whole staff.” The point is direct. The guest experiences the room as a whole, not in isolated gestures, and that means the work depends on shared focus across the team. For Aubin, atmosphere is not accidental; it is assembled through staff alignment and repeatable execution. The earlier Spanish-cooking years add another layer to that approach. Built around local ingredients and Spanish traditions, that experience now reads as part of a broader hospitality discipline at Pompette (since 2023). The through-line is balance: kitchen rigor carried into room management, and composure used as a tool for making service feel even and deliberate.

Signature

Ashlee's signature dishes include Foie Gras Tart, Hamachi Crudo, Fried Sweetbreads, Stuffed Rabbit Saddle, and paella.

In Their Words “I think that comes through in the vibe — and it’s with the whole staff.”

Acclaim

Ashlee's honors include Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Award (2013), StarChefs Chicago Rising Stars Awards (2018), and Chicago magazine Best New Restaurants (2015).