Other
Colby Garrelts
James Beard Award winner
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Colby Garrelts has built his work around the Midwest as a field of technique, not backdrop. At Bluestem and Rye Restaurants, he has given the region two different registers: one room for more expansive expression, another for the kind of everyday cooking that has to hold up on a weeknight. In both, the through-line is the same—regional flavors handled with precision, restraint, and enough confidence to let place read clearly on the plate.
The Climb
Training at TRU gave Garrelts a starting point inside a disciplined professional system, and the kitchen at TRU in Chicago, Illinois turned that training into service as sous chef from 2000. From there, the work moved west to Charlie Palmer in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he became chef. The progression matters as craft history: training, then production, then leadership, each step widening the range of what he could control in the kitchen. Bluestem and Rye mark the long arc of that practice. Garrelts has been chef-owner of Bluestem since 2004 and chef-owner of Rye since 2012, dates that show not only tenure but the sustained labor required to keep two restaurants distinct over time. The longer view here is less about scale than discipline—maintaining a point of view while giving each dining room its own working purpose.
Today
At Bluestem, Garrelts has said, "Bluestem is where I can really express my ideas in food." That framing puts the restaurant in the category of a working studio: a place where technique and point of view can be pushed with more room to move. The language is direct, and so is the implication—this is a kitchen built to carry his ideas without softening them. Rye is the counterweight. Garrelts has said, "Rye is everything I want when I go out to eat on an average week night." That makes the room legible as a study in utility and comfort, but not by way of ease alone. The value is in making an ordinary meal feel considered, with the sort of cooking that has to be practical, repeatable, and worth returning to. The pair works because the underlying discipline is the same. His cooking honors and showcases the flavors of the Midwest, and that commitment holds both restaurants together. One side gives the ideas space; the other tests them against the needs of a weeknight table. In both cases, the region is treated as a craft vocabulary—familiar, but requiring exactness.
In Their Words “Rye is everything I want when I go out to eat on an average week night.” “Bluestem is where I can really express my ideas in food.”
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Colby
What is Colby Garrelts's current role?
As of 2026, Colby Garrelts is chef-owner.
Where did Colby Garrelts train or study?
Colby Garrelts trained at TRU.
What recognition has Colby Garrelts received?
James Beard Foundation Best Chef Midwest (2013).
