As a native Chicagoan, I grew up surrounded by some of the best food, chefs and restaurants in the country. As kids we used to ride our bikes to Superdawg hot dogs and Lou Malnati’s deep-dish pizza. Those were simply some of our neighborhood favorites. In college I ventured out to lesser known restaurants in the city’s 77 immigrant-built neighborhoods, taking a trip around the world with Chicago’s global melting pot cuisines. After spending my 20’s in New York City (Ok they have pretty good food there, too), I returned to Chicago to figure out a way to combine my advertising and strategy experience with my insane love of food and passion for top level talent. Yes, I am a bit of a chef stargazer, I admit. But it has served me well in my quest to bring the best thinking and inspiration to the next level of food.
MARY HADERLEIN
