Jeff Williams

Growing up on Cape Cod, Jeff’s formative years were spent exploring hidden coves and tidepools and fishing from his kayak behind his grandmother’s cottage in Chatham.The son of a fisherman, the importance of freshly caught, farmed and raised foods was imprinted on him from an early age. His culinary journey began humbly, working on an oyster farm and smokehouse during summers throughout high school and eventually honing his skills as a line cook at a local country club. Fate intertwined his path with that of culinary luminaries, when he embarked on a stage across the country at The Willows Inn on Lummi Island.

What was meant to be a fleeting experience extended into a year-long immersive education. He soon was able to add more layers of expertise when he packed up his life to apprentice with the team at Faviken in Sweden. He credits his real understanding of balancing flavor, texture and seasonality to his time in New York working at Luksus in Green Point. All these experiences
now guide every plate he puts out at his own restaurant in Chicago, The Press Room.

More recently, Jeff has dedicated his time to training and running his German Shorthaired Pointer, Fitz. His tendency towards following hobbies to quasi obsession led him from dabbling
in fly fishing and bow hunting to training up Fitz to tag along on his upland hunting adventures.The pair of hunting buddies love nothing more than packing up the camper and
exploring the outdoors; it’s always a plus if they manage to bag something along the way!