i. Biography
Phillip Foss, chef and owner of EL Ideas in Chicago, United States, is shaped by a line that runs from the Culinary Institute of America in 1991 to a room built on precision, proximity, and controlled informality. The work is defined by disciplined technique put to use without polish for its own sake: cooking that stays exacting, but does not keep its distance.
The Path
Training at Culinary Institute of America in 1991 gave Phillip Foss the base for a career organized around precision and imagination. Since 2011, that base has been put to use at EL Ideas, where chef and owner are the same role and the same responsibility: to keep the cooking exact while allowing the room to remain open and unguarded. The years mark a steady tightening of skill and expression, not a move away from rigor but a way of making it legible to the diner.
The Work Today
At EL Ideas, the dining room is built around being fun, interactive, approachable, and precise. Those terms define a service model that does not insist on formal distance. Guests are encouraged to visit the kitchen, and that small shift changes the shape of the meal by softening the usual boundary between those cooking and those being served. Phillip Foss states the position plainly: "While I have no interest in selling our cooking short, our greatest niche is the level of intimacy and interaction we share with our guests by allowing them to get up at their leisure and visit with us in the kitchen." The point is clear in the wording itself: serious cooking can still be close-range, and hospitality can be measured in access as much as in service. Classical cooking techniques combined with innovative ideas give the work its specific edge. The technique remains grounded even as the room stays approachable, which is why EL Ideas reads as careful without stiffness and inventive without losing control. Phillip Foss reduces the ethos to a single rule: "Do it for the love, not the money."
Signature
Phillip's signature dishes include French fries and a frosty, seared foie gras with summer tomato jam, and duck à l’orange with lavender and fines herbs. The list shows a chef working between familiarity and precision, using recognizable forms to express control and intent.
In Their Words “While I have no interest in selling our cooking short, our greatest niche is the level of intimacy and interaction we share with our guests by allowing them to get up at their leisure and visit with us in the kitchen.” “Do it for the love, not the money.”
Acclaim
Phillip's honors include Michelin star.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Phillip
What is Phillip Foss's current role?
As of 2026, Phillip Foss is Chef and Owner.
Where did Phillip Foss train or study?
Phillip Foss trained at Culinary Institute of America.
What recognition has Phillip Foss received?
Michelin star (2013).
