Patch Picks: Top Chefs

Patch's readers already know about the many exciting dining options in our area. Take a look at the chefs behind your favorite restaurants:

1. Executive Chef Juan Perez at , 18 E. 1st. St., Hinsdale

One of Hinsdale's newest restaurants, Nabuki has gathered quite a following in its first seven months. Much of the restaurant's success can be attributed to the talents of executive chef and Mexico native Perez. Perez learned the art of sushi soon after he moved to California at age 16, and he has been honing his sushi-making skills in Chicago for the past 12 years. Nabuki regulars can dine on traditional sushi and Japanese fare, but Perez and his staff have also created inventive dishes like the Chef's Special Rolls. These rolls include the spicy Stop, Drop, and Roll and the Piccadilly, a lobster tempura roll named for the favorite Hinsdale restaurant that was housed at 18 E. 1st St. several years ago. 

2. Chef/Owner Roger Herring of Redd Herring, 31 S. Prospect Ave., Clarendon Hills

Another new restaurant, Redd Herring opened in Clarendon Hills just before Christmas 2010. Herring, a Chicagoan who became the chef/owner of Socca in Lakeview in 2004, got his degree from the Culinary Institute of America in New York. After working as a sous chef in various restaurants, he spent time in Limoges, France, and expanded his knowledge of French cooking. Once he returned to the U.S., he began catering for music groups, including the band Phish on their 2003 summer tour. With the opening of his newest restaurant, Herring has combined classic American fare with French and Italian twists.

3. Executive Chef Marc Stein at , 112 S. Washington St., Hinsdale

Zak's Place has been a Hinsdale staple since 2007, growing a following of regulars who can't get enough of Stein's classic but inventive staples (like chocolate-braised short ribs) and Zak's extensive wine list. Stein opened the restaurant with Yamandu Perez and Matthew VanValkenburgh; he met the former while both were working at Gabriel's, where Perez was sommelier and then general manager. Zak's has been featured in publications such as Chicago Magazine and West Suburban Living Magazine.

4. Executive Chef Ryan Wombacher at , 780 Village Center Dr., Burr Ridge

Fans of the three-year-old Burr Ridge restaurant may be surprised to know that Wombache ()a veteran of Boka Restaurant and Rhapsody in Chicago, is not even 30 years old. He started cooking on a whim at a friend's restaurant in high school, then attended culinary school at Kendall College in Chicago. He worked at 610 Magnolia in Louisville in 2007, where he learned how to cook using organic foods and use produce from local markets. His menu at Topaz Cafe will continue to reflect his passion for organic foods and the enhanced flavor they bring to his dishes.  

5. Chef/Owner Nadia Tilkian at

The French-inspired comfort food on the menu at Maijean is the perfect fare for a restaurant named after the owner's grandmother. Tilkian, another Kendall College alum, is a native Chicagoan who worked at Bistro 110 in Chicago and L'anne Restaurant in Wheaton. The French cuisine skills she learned in her prior positions influenced the menu she created at Maijean, as well as the restaurant's 1920s French-bistro atmosphere.