Bio
Acclaimed Chef Paul Virant embarks on a new culinary journey with the opening of Petite Vie, a French café and brasserie, located just around the corner from Virant’s celebrated restaurant Vie, which closed in October 2023 after an amazing 19- year run. A James Beard nominee, Food & Wine Best New Chef and most recently named Chef of the Year at the prestigious Jean Banchet Awards, Virant is eager to return to his roots and share his passion for French cuisine with the Chicagoland community and beyond. With successful ventures such as Vistro Prime, a neighborhood steakhouse in Hinsdale and Gaijin, the city’s first okonomiyaki restaurant located in Chicago's West Loop, Virant has firmly established himself as a respected luminary in the hospitality industry. The opening of Petite Vie represents more than just a new addition to his repertoire; it symbolizes a homecoming to the cuisine that first ignited his culinary imagination.