Ryan Poli
Chef/Partner Tavernita
Chef Poli first made his mark on Chicago’s culinary scene at the acclaimed restaurant, Butter, where he gained recognition both locally and nationally. Esquire magazine named Butter one of the country’s twenty best new restaurants in 2005, and Travel + Leisure recognized it as one of the city’s leading restaurants. Food & Wine also featured Chef Poli’s recipes, Restaurant Hospitality named him a “Rising Star Chef” and the Chicago Sun-Times cited Poli a “Chef to Watch” in 2005. In 2007, he decided to leave his post and return to Spain to sharpen his culinary skills.
With an all-star line of chefs showing him the way of the Spanish style, Chef Poli did it all from working in three-star kitchens to traditional tapas restaurants, learning from chef Martin Berasategui at Restaurant Martin Berasategui to spending time perfection pasties at El Celler de Can Roca with Joan and Jordi Roca. Chef Poli returned to the U.S. in 2008 to open Perennial, one of Chicago’s most anticipated openings of the year, to offer seasonal American fare. Now, Chef Poli is ready to follow his passion for the Spanish dining culture as executive chef/partner of Tavernita, a Latin-inspired restaurant opening this summer in Chicago’s River North.
Combining some of his previous work in such demanding kitchens like the renowned Le Francais in Wheeling, Illinois under Chef Jean Banchet; The French Laundry in Yountville, California under Chef Thomas Keller; and at La Broche in Madrid, Spain under Chef Sergi Arola, Chef Poli has created a menu at Tavernita with playful interpretations of authentic dishes with influences of Italy, France, Spain and South American flavors. Chef Poli and the Mercadito Hospitality team plan to travel this spring to Spain, France, Uruguay and other locales abroad to further develop the menu.
“Chef Poli’s passion for and creative interpretation of Spanish cuisine, coupled with his classic French-American training, is not only intriguing, but unique,” says partner Alfredo Sandoval. “We can’t wait to see what he has up his sleeve.”
