Cesar Murillo (he/him)
Executive Chef, North Pond Restaurant
Bio
I’ve always loved nature and working with my hands. Becoming a Chef was very natural to me. When I decided to pursue it professionally I knew I had to work for the best. I moved to Chicago for that reason. Growing up in Texas we don’t experience the seasons like we do here in Chicago. We could get tomatoes in February there but here you have to wait until June! It taught me to work with the food and not take it for granted. When I became the Chef of North Pond that became more important than ever. Though I had all these ideas I wanted to make, I had to be patient with the what the season and our farmers had to offer. Going to GCM every Saturday and Wednesday mornings has been such a blessing. Now I just go and stroll through the market, speaking with the farmers, and once I leave I have the weeks menu already hatched in my head. I am very lucky to have access to the best ingredients in the Midwest, and now feel it’s my responsibility to ensure the farmers can continue to thrive.
When I’m not thinking about food, I am traveling, for food and for nature, running along the lake front training for the marathon, wood working or foraging in a forest somewhere.
