Stephanie Izard

Today

Cabra in Chicago carries Stephanie Izard’s Peru references through format as much as flavor: bright, bold, family-style plates built for sharing, with a cocktail list and wine program that keep the room moving. The influence is drawn from Lima, Arequipa, and Cusco, but the work on the plate stays practical—warm, direct, and tuned to a table that wants to keep eating. The result is a dining room rhythm that lands polished without losing energy. Before the Chicago restaurants, the craft was built in stages. At University of Michigan, Stephanie Izard entered the field with a formal education, then moved into professional kitchens at Camelback Inn Resort & Spa in the Phoenix, Arizona area and Christopher Gross's Fermier Brasserie in the Phoenix, Arizona area. In Chicago, Illinois area kitchens, the sequence continued from garde manger at Vong in Chicago, Illinois area (from 2001) to tournant at Spring, then sous chef at La Tache. That progression led to chef-owner at Scylla in Chicago, Illinois (2004–2007) and later contestant at Bravo's Top Chef in Chicago-based fourth season. The current portfolio shows range without abandoning a clear point of view. Stephanie is co-owner and executive chef of Girl & the Goat (since 2010), co-owner and executive chef of Little Goat (since 2011), co-owner and executive chef of Duck Duck Goat (since 2015), executive chef and owner and co-owner and executive chef of Cabra (since 2019), and co-owner and executive chef of Valley Goat (since 2025). Across those rooms, the line is consistency: playful, but controlled; generous, but structured; built for sharing without flattening the details.

Signature

Grilled broccoli and sweet onion brioche meatballs sit at the center of Stephanie Izard’s signature set. The first leans on char and vegetal depth; the second brings softness and richness through the brioche format. Together they show a kitchen style that treats familiar ingredients as working material, then pushes them into a sharper register without overcomplicating the plate.

In Their Words The line reads like shorthand for a practical palate: seasonal habit, team fundraising, and a flavor memory that stayed useful. It is not sentimental so much as specific. That kind of specificity tracks with a cooking style that notices the ordinary details and uses them as structure, not decoration.