Chef Nat, with his AAS in Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu and a BS in Biochemistry from Beloit College, has over 13 years of experience in Chicago's service industry, notably at The Duck Inn and Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf. Currently, he's the COO & Cofounder of EPC, where he applies his extensive experience to lead and innovate. Nat is also launching Mashke Midwest, a worker-owned beverage venture focused on local ingredients, highlighting his commitment to community in the industry. In both ventures, he aims to meaningfully impact the food and beverage world by focusing on sustainability and workers' rights. Contact Chef Nat at chefnat@elitepersonalchefs.com or call 773-504-0214
All prices are an estimation and vary based on guest count, event location, and menu. You will get a better estimate during the booking process.
I was born and raised in Chicago, city proper. I did spend 3 years getting a degree in biochemistry from Beloit College in Wisconsin between the ages of 22 and 25 before returning to my hometown.
It's hard to choose. I'm a creature of habit but there's so many cool independent spots opening in Chicago as well as hidden gems and classics that have been fighting the good fight for years. I do my best to go to a place I've never tried at least once a month. If pressed to pick, I think The Duck Inn in Bridgeport is it. I'm a little biased having been the lead bartender there, but it's hard to argue with the way the staff works so hard to put out thoughtful, seasonal food and one of the best beverage programs in the city while also serving up classics in a way that embodies what a neighborhood spot should be. The level of hospitality is off the charts. Beyond that, Kevin and Brandon are amazing mentors and I have some wonderful friends who are still rocking there. I find myself grabbing dinner or a quick drink there pretty often, especially on industry Sundays. For somewhere I haven't worked, I'd have to say Kasama. There's something incredibly special with what Tim and Genie and their team are doing there. They feel like an integral part of the city and embody the collaborative spirit that makes Chicago arguably the best food city. I teared up the first time I had breakfast there. Don't forget to slide the side hashbrown between the longanisa and egg layer on the breakfast sandwich.
I really enjoy making doughs. Dumplings, bread, noodles, etc. Lots of science involved and I tend to like the recipes that result in a chewier texture. I also like anything involved in preservation: pickling, curing, smoking, fermenting, distilling, dehydrating, canning, jarring, tinning, etc - my fridge and pantry are filled with containers of stuff. Practices born from necessity that play with flavor and texture, extend shelf life, utilize scraps, stretch the dollar, and often are the result of symbiotic relationships with microbes like yeast - a microscopic fungus arguably responsible for shaping civilization.
I like to tell people that I have had to work very hard at being a great chef but I'm a natural when it comes to bartending and really anything beverage. Even though I started later, I think the culinary background coupled with my biochemistry degree and built on my experience working in the trades and in healthcare make it the perfect focus for me. Not to say it doesn't take work but there's this Italian concept of sprezzatura, “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.” I try to embody this as a bartender as well as in other aspects of my life, but you have to be practiced and capable enough with that craft to allow yourself to also take care of other aspects of a guest experience at the same time.
I never wanted to be a chef. Sure, I enjoyed food growing up but I really wanted to be a doctor. But, after a rough highschool experience, I made the decision not to go to college and just try to find work. After 5 months of being aimless, I was tricked into culinary school by some for-profit recruiters. I lucked out because I ended up in Chef Austin Yancey's class for my first session. He ran a demanding extracurricular called the Competition Club where we would compete in all sorts of events culminating in an intense ACF competition each year. We used to do private dinners to fundraise for the club which is where the idea of EPC was born and then was started around the start of my second year. Look at us now!
I love playing board games with my friends. I also enjoy long rides on either my bicycle or motorcycle, reading books on a variety of subjects from far-left philosophy, to how-tos, and sci-fi/fantasy. I also try to give back to my community and others through direct action. For better or worse, I'm trying to turn my biggest hobby into a business: During lock down in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, I started making amaro-style and other alcoholic beverages in the style of international products but made exclusively with ingredients native to the Midwest. I had friends try them out by dropping off contactless care packages. Slowly, they became really good to the point where more and more people told me to start selling them. I worked with Cal, an amazing artist who happens to be my brother, to design the label. My big goal is to get the licenses to go legit and see it in stores. The name of the company is Mashke Midwest.
It's hard to find companies in our industry that allow you to build equity as you work. Not only does EPC offer this, but it also allows you to choose your own adventure. Once you establish yourself, there's immense freedom to carve out your own culinary niche, allowing you not just to have equity but also to have ownership over your creative direction and personal brand.
The best thing about the private side of our industry is the flexibility. Work when you want, where you want, and how you want. On top of that, you'll make more than you ever could in just about any restaurant job.