Jason Vaughan

Coming Up

Career range is the main story in Jason Vaughan’s path: Michael Mina in San Francisco set an early standard for pace and polish, followed by George Morrone in San Francisco. Chicago came next through Laurent Gras and Hogsalt Hospitality, then London with Soho House group, before Vaughan returned to Chicago at Heisler Hospitality from 2015. The sequence maps a working education across major kitchens and cities, each post adding another measure of discipline and adaptability to the way he cooks. Today, Jason Vaughan is chef / owner and Executive Chef of Nancy's Hustle and co-owner of Tiny Champions.

Where They Are Now

At Nancy's Hustle, the signatures work through contrast rather than display. Nancy Cakes come as flapjacks, with whipped butter and smoked trout roe giving the plate its familiar center and saline edge. Lamb dumplings with spicy tomato vinaigrette, and lamb tartare on sesame seed flatbread with green olives, show a kitchen comfortable with forceful flavors handled cleanly. The throughline is control: each dish lands through texture, balance, and a clear read on what the plate is meant to do. The same register carries into the sourdough fettuccini with burrata cheese, honeyed pistachios, and crispy brussel sprout leaves, where richness, sweetness, and crunch are set against one another without excess. Turkish dumplings with spicy tomato vinaigrette keep that tension in play, and rosemary lime tart with pine nuts and meringue closes with brightness and lift. Vaughan’s menu moves across savory and sweet without losing structure; the dishes shift, but the method stays focused on how flavors meet and how they finish. That sense of range is part of the draw for Vaughan. As he puts it, “It's what excited me about it — it was a chance to dive into something totally different, especially in the way they approach spices.” The food reflects that appetite for contrast: grounded in recognizable forms, but open to combinations that change the pace from plate to plate.

Signature

Jason's signature dishes include Nancy Cakes, lamb dumplings with spicy tomato vinaigrette, lamb tartare with green olives on sesame seed flatbread, Turkish dumplings with spicy tomato vinaigrette, and rosemary lime tart with pine nuts and meringue.

In Their Words “It's what excited me about it — it was a chance to dive into something totally different, especially in the way they approach spices.” “I enjoy the discipline in fine-dining restaurants but would much rather feed a lot of people than just a few very rich people.”