Jenner Tomaska

Coming Up

A disciplined run at Next in Chicago, Illinois (2016–2021) put Jenner Tomaska into the center of the city’s fine-dining circuit, where the work was measured under pressure and the standard was exacting. That period defined him as a chef working with ambition and a clear point of view, comfortable in a room where precision is expected, not praised. In 2021, the role shifted to Executive Chef and owner of Esmé, where that same pressure now sits inside a restaurant built with a more personal remit.

Where They Are Now

Since 2021, Esmé in Chicago has been the setting for Jenner Tomaska’s modern American cooking, with the restaurant structured around an intentional dining format rather than a fixed sequence of familiar plates. The quarterly tasting menu is central to that approach, giving the kitchen a set rhythm of change and preventing the work from calcifying into routine. Change here is part of the method. At Esmé, the format extends beyond the plate and into the restaurant’s wider framing, where fine dining is treated as a vehicle for art and philanthropy as much as for service. The quarterly cadence lets Tomaska compose in larger movements, so the experience can shift in warmth, surprise, and anticipation with each new menu. Clay pot poussin has become closely associated with this period, and has been described as one of Chicago’s most creative and impressive dishes.

Signature

Jenner's signature dishes include stone soup and clay pot poussin. In combination, they point to a style that balances structure with invention, and that uses narrative and technique to shape how a meal unfolds.

In Their Words “Our idea was to start the meal with something warm and comforting since guests were coming in from the cold.” “The section opened with our version of “stone soup,” inspired by the classic folktale.”

Honors

Jenner's honors include James Beard Award Finalist, Best Chef: Great Lakes (2024) and James Beard Rising Star Chef nomination (2016). Read together, those distinctions mark the span from early notice to later recognition, with 2016 and 2024 framing the progression.