Have you been to Esmé? The mission-driven Michelin-starred fine-dining restaurant in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago offers a tasting menu experience that transforms each quarter to reveal inspiration from the vibrant, creative culture downtown.
With each collaboration, Chef Jenner Tomaska and his wife, Katrina Bravo, partner with local artists, creatives, and luminaries to create an entirely new experience every 12 weeks. They strive to tell a cohesive story about the partner’s work through thoughtfully composed dishes, music, and hand-crafted service pieces.
The newest partnership is with acclaimed, Chicago born contemporary artist, Hebru Brantley. Favorite dishes from throughout Esmé’s history have been reimagined through the singularity of Brantley’s narrative-driven work, and are utilized as a canvas to further spotlight his multifaceted ideas and powerful cultural commentaries.
As always, the restaurant has been transformed into an immersive, pop-up gallery space, showcasing a curated selection of Brantley’s paintings and sculptures peppered throughout the dining room. A focal point includes multiple sculptures and pieces of visual art depicting Flyboy – arguably Brantley’s most well-known character, who was inspired by the immense impact of the Tuskegee Airmen, World War II’s groundbreaking group of the first-ever Black, American military pilots.
This past weekend I attended a “Meet the Artist” event at Esmé with acclaimed, Chicago-born contemporary artist Hebru Brantley The event was Presented alongside the teams at Arte Haus Studios and Frame Chicago, We got to also mingle with chef Jenner Tomaska and the Esmé team, while enjoying drinks and passed canapés!
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