OUR CHEF + BEVERAGE PARTNERS S.K.Y.

Bio

The restaurant is named after Chef Stephen Gillanders' wife, Seon Kyung Yuk, whose initials inspired the name S.K.Y. Although Chef Gillanders originally envisioned opening his first restaurant in his hometown of Los Angeles, his time as Chef and Partner at INTRO changed that vision. During INTRO's residency, which became the testing ground for his own restaurant concept, he and Seon Kyung fell in love with Chicago and decided it would become both their home and the home of S.K.Y.

After a year and a half at INTRO, Chef Gillanders and Seon Kyung searched throughout the city, touring more than twenty restaurant spaces before opening the original S.K.Y. in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. The restaurant quickly became known for its globally inspired cuisine and thoughtful hospitality.

In March 2025, S.K.Y. served its final guests in Pilsen before beginning its next chapter. In August 2025, the restaurant reopened here in the Belden-Stratford building, bringing its story full circle by returning to the very space where the concept was first imagined and developed.

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