Food

How Esmé marries art and food for a Michelin-starred dining experience

The husband-wife team behind the Chicago restaurant infuse it with their dual passions.

Jenner Tomaska and Katrina Bravo, husband and wife co-owners of Esmé, met when they were both starting out in the industry at MK, a groundbreaking Chicago restaurant that has since closed. The pair eventually married and ventured out on their own, opening Esmé in 2021.

Jenner and Katrina

Jenner Tomaska and Katrina Bravo

The Chicago fine-dining restaurant embodies their vision to marry Bravo’s passion for art and Tomaska’s passion for culinary artistry with the shared goal of providing first-rate hospitality.

Esmé offers an evolving tasting menu inspired by Chicago’s rich cultural scene. The couple collaborate with local artists and creatives, and each quarter, Esme’s menu, servingware, décor and music reflect the current artistic collaboration.

Listen as Bravo and Tomaska describe their one-of-a-kind Michelin-starred dining destination and share how they tell their story through a culinary and artistic lens.

Subscribe to Menu Feed on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Workforce

Why the Texas Restaurant Association is leading the conversation on immigration reform

Immigration declines are hurting a lot of restaurants. The Texas Restaurant Association has brought together different groups to find a long-term solution.

Emerging Brands

Roll Em Up Taquitos disputes damaging accusations from franchisees

The 10-unit fast-casual chain clapped back at a lawsuit filed by five franchisees, saying that they were not good operators.

Technology

Ex-Starbucks staffers launch an AI analyst you can email

Tech Check: Quantiiv’s first product is ROGER, a bot designed to help restaurants make data-driven decisions. For one customer, “he’s literally replaced having a data analyst.”

Trending

More from our partners