Bronzeville Winery taps South Side’s Lamar Moore as new chef

Bronzeville Winery’s owners gave Chicago chef Lamar Moore an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Knowing their shared vision for the community-centered space, Moore said he “couldn’t say no” to Cecilia Cuff and Eric Williams when they asked him to be the restaurant’s next executive chef. He joined Bronzeville Winery in early April.

“Their mission is also my mission, as a chef and as a person,” Moore said. “It was the right fit for the right time and the right situation.”

After the restaurant opened in April 2022, Tribune food critics named Bronzeville Winery the Best Restaurant Making Waves in the 2023 Food Awards, noting its unique capacity to bring people together and its wildly popular Sunday brunches.

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Whitney McMorris, the winery’s first executive chef, impressed South Side residents before leaving four months into the winery’s operations. Sous chef Dondee Robinson served as executive chef in the interim.

Moore was previously the executive chef at Eleven Eleven in the West Loop, but he spent the past 18 months away from cooking. During this time, he consulted restaurants and traveled to events across the country while contemplating his next move.

He said he felt drawn to Bronzeville Winery because of the work Williams had been doing in the surrounding South Side neighborhoods as the owner of The Silver Room. He said Williams understands the needs of the area’s residents and visitors.

“I have a sense of pride knowing that Bronzeville Winery has something to offer not just to the people of Bronzeville, but others that come and visit,” Moore said.

Moore, a South Side native and a current resident of Bronzeville, also said that in his 23 years of culinary experience, this is just the second restaurant he’s worked in which the majority of the staff members are of African American descent.

While training at Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago, he said, there weren’t any other Black chefs.

“That was a challenge,” Moore said. “I didn’t see that there was even an opportunity for me to succeed.”

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After moving to San Jose, California, to work at McCormick & Schmick’s early in his career, Moore said a chef took him under his wing. Moore recalled the chef saying, “Whatever you want learn how to do, write that down for me, and we’ll go from there.”

Now, motivating and training the younger cooks and chefs at the winery is a high priority for Moore.

Moore said Cuff and Williams didn’t ask to taste his food before offering him the position. He said they knew he could cook, and they were much more interested in learning how Moore could help mentor their team “to the next level” and get the staff excited about great food.

There’s an even greater need for that mentorship in the Chicago food industry, Moore said. The city “doesn’t have much of a culinary school base anymore,” he said, so as executive chef, he’s stepping into a teaching position, too.

Moore said he’s currently “going back to the basics” with the restaurant’s cooks and chefs. Last week, he gave the staff pointers on searing a piece of salmon to showcase its natural flavors. Describing his style as “simplistic but eclectic,” Moore said he was trained to cook from the bottom up — to season his food before adding salt to better enhance the flavors.

There’s a greater demand for vegan and vegetarian food these days than ever before, Moore said. At the winery, he said he is exploring the nuances of plant-based dining, and he’s also excited to accentuate paired food and wine in the restaurant.

Moore said guests can expect a new menu in upcoming weeks, but not one that has changed dramatically. With his steak and seafood background, Moore said he’ll pay close attention to the preparation of both. He plans for produce to be largely grown in Chicago and partially grown by the restaurant itself.

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Moore said he’s already moved the restaurant from king salmon to sustainably fished Skuna Bay salmon. Guests can also expect to see his signature burger on the menu.

Moore said customers have been very welcoming to him, and he viewed Mother’s Day as an opportunity to set a fixed menu and learn what dishes the guests enjoyed most.

Moore said he “absolutely” sees the winery being a longtime home for him. Although he’s excited to bring sustainable, fresh food to Bronzeville Winery, his main priority is to cultivate the growth of the cooks, chefs and staff members around him.

“The goal for myself is to be here as long as possible, and we’re definitely on the right track to do that,” Moore said. “I enjoy seeing the fruits of labor.”

oalexander@chicagotribune.com

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