On May 11, the IRA hosted our Meet the Experts power networking and speed coaching event at Untitled Supper Club. This event was made possible thanks to the partnership of the Cook County Small Business Assistance Program and Title Sponsors CliftonLarsonAllen, Gordon Food Service, Taft Law, and Untitled Supper Club. Special thanks to our keynote speaker, IRA Board member Erick Williams of Virtue Restaurant & Bar and Mustard Seed Kitchen, for sharing his insights and experience with attendees.

More than 200 people from all over Illinois attended and participated in 15 minute speed coaching sessions with some of the most prominent restauranteurs in the business; plus experts in licensing, PR, law, accounting, event planning, and more.

For more information about upcoming IRA membership events and sponsorship opportunities, contact IRA Director of Sales & Marketing Christine DeSousa.

Sponsors

 

 

 

 

 

Participating Experts

Mary Aregoni
Founder, Saigon Sisters

Mary Nguyen Aregoni founded Saigon Sisters in 2009 with her sister out of a desire to become an entrepreneur just like her mother and grandmother did in Vietnam. Her background...more.

Kevin Brown
CEO, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants

Kevin Brown brings more than 40 years of experience and leadership in the restaurant industry to his position as Chief Executive Officer of Lettuce Entertain You® Enterprises, Inc. (LEYE). Lettuce Entertain You is one of the most highly regarded multi-concept restaurant companies with more than 130 restaurants and over 60 concepts nationwide...more.

Chip Bouchard
Principal, Kinship

Chip's passion for fostering genuine connections is the foundation for Kinship's uniquely integrated approach to marketing. His genuine kindness is infectious. Before launching Kinship, he was managing director of a national hospitality-focused agency...more.

Andres Clavero
General Manager & Partner, Galit

Born and raised in Miami, Andrés attributes his passion for food & beverage to his Palestinian, Cuban and Spanish background and parents being the ultimate hosts. Prior to forming New Wave Hospitality and opening Galit, Andrés was the Senior Accountant for acclaimed restaurant group One Off Hospitality. Before bringing his expertise to restaurants, Andrés spent over 5 years working for Deloitte...more.

Michelle Durpetti
Managing Partner, Turnkey Hospitality Group

Michelle is a wedding & event planner based in Chicago, who plans & produces events throughout the country and several international locations as well. She is the third generation in her family’s Gene & Georgetti steakhouse brand, and the creator of The Estate wedding venue in Rosemont, IL. She is an avid traveler, bilingual, competitive amateur equestrian...more.

Bruce Finkelman
Managing Partner, 16" on Center

A Chicagoland native, Bruce Finkelman’s celebrated path in hospitality began as a graduate of the University of Missouri’s inaugural Food and Beverage curriculum. Working his way through school at Columbia’s storied Blue Note music club, Finkelman found a home for his love of music and...more.

Mike Fishman
Partner, Kumiko, Oriole, Jeong

Mike Fishman is a managing partner at Kumiko and Jeong in Chicago, two of the city's most beloved dining destinations. Fishman began his career in the restaurant industry in 2009, first at OpenTable and later at Toast and Grubhub. He is currently on staff at Instawork, which seeks to help restaurants and bars find temporary staffing...more.

Kimberly Galban
Senior Executive Service and Operations Director, Hogsalt

Chicago native Kimberly Galban grew up hearing tales told by her maître d’ grandfather, so when it came time to finance her studies in college, she decided to take a job in the food industry.  It was a fortuitous move, because...more.

Cedric Harden
Executive Chef, River Roast

Chef Cedric Harden leads the culinary program at River Roast in Chicago, Ill. Growing up in a family with deep Southern roots, Harden’s passion for food sparked at a very early age. He moved to Chicago at 22 to study culinary arts at the Le Cordon Bleu...more.

Kenny Johnson
Owner, Bureau Bar & Restaurant

Kenny Johnson is a no stranger to the Chicago restaurant and bar scene. After graduating from University of Virginia, he moved to Chicago to pursue a career in politics and later started his own marketing firm Lifebrand Inc. It wasn’t long before Kenny took his party and event expertise to enter the nightlife scene...more.

Liz Lombardo Stark
Director of Marketing & Public Relations, Gibsons Restaurant Group

Liz Lombardo Stark is the Director of Marketing & Public Relations at Gibsons Restaurant Group (GRG) as well as a member of the family that owns and operates the group. GRG is the founder of Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse, Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House, LUXBAR, Quartino Ristorante & Wine Bar, and Gibsons Italia... more.

Donnie Madia
Managing Partner/Owner, One Off Hospitality Group

Among the nation’s most acclaimed restaurateurs, Chicago-born Donnie Madia has mastered the art of collaboration in executing his instincts for style, atmosphere, and hospitality. His unique blend of visionary inspiration, attention to detail and sense of unlimited possibilities informs all he touches, as evidenced in...more.

Dusanka Marijan
Licensing Administrator, Illinois Liquor Control Commission

Dusanka Marijan has served as the Licensing Administrator for the Illinois Liquor Control Commission (ILCC) since 1999. She oversees the ILCC Licensing Divisions in both the Chicago and Springfield offices and provides assistance to licensees to facilitate the license application process...more.

Matt Menna
Managing Principal and Chief Design Officer, Four Corners/Sterling Bay

Matt Menna serves as a Managing Principal and Chief Design Officer at Sterling Bay, an innovative Chicago-based real estate investment and development company with a breadth of expertise spanning all aspects of real estate ownership...more.

Rob Mosher
Managing Partner, Monteverde

Originally from Milwaukee, Rob graduated from Columbia University in New York City, and then decided to follow his passion for the culinary world, attending The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He moved to Chicago in 2005 to work at Spiaggia...more.

Rachael O'Leary
Principal, CliftonLarsonAllen

For over 15 years, Rachael has been building her understanding of the intricacies of federal, state, and local tax. Her knowledge enables her to provide sound tax advice while weighing the pros and cons of particular decisions and impact the decision will have on her client’s tax responsibilities. This experience is especially valuable when working with pass-through entities as she...more.

 

Mario Ponce
Owner, Takito Brands

Mario has over 25 years of proven restaurant experience, as well as the author of the acclaimed book Waiting on America (4 editions). Mario spearheads the Takito Brands concept with Takito Kitchen (2012), Bar Takito (2014) & Takito Street (2020). He also co-founded two concepts...more.

 

Abigail Scanlon
Director of Access to Capital, Women's Business Development Center

Abigail Scanlan serves as the Director of Access to Capital for the Women's Business Development Center (WBDC). She assists her clients in navigating the complexities of obtaining appropriate funding for their businesses as well as in escalating and growing their businesses through additional capital and financing...more.

 

Audarshia Townsend
Food and Beverage Journalist, Townsend Media Magic

A life-long Chicagoan, Audarshia Townsend is a veteran food and beverage journalist, who serves as President/CEO of Townsend Media Magic, LLC. Her bylines have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Crain’s Chicago, Eater Chicago, Essence, Esquire, Huffington Post, Michigan Avenue...more.

Leslie Truelove
Chief Marketing Officer & Operating Partner, Cleveland Avenue

An expert in brand, consumer marketing and menu innovation, Leslie is responsible for leading the Marketing function for Cleveland Avenue.  She also serves as an Operating Partner with several of the firm’s portfolio companies.  Cleveland Avenue (CA), based in Chicago, is a Venture Capital & Consulting firm, founded... more.

Shannon Trotter
Local Liquor Control Commissioner, City of Chicago

Shannon Trotter serves as the City of Chicago Local Liquor Control Commissioner, having been appointed in March 2017. Commissioner Trotter has spent her entire professional career working for the City of Chicago where she brings a wealth of legal expertise and a reputation for creative problem-solving...more.

Scott Weiner
Co-founder & President, The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group

Weiner — a Northbrook, IL, native — traces his love and passion for the restaurant business back to taking his first job waiting tables at Johnny Rockets as a teenager. Working at a variety of other restaurants in the area, Scott focused and prepared for a career in the hospitality industry...more.              

Patrick Wartan
Attorney, Chair of Food and Beverage Team, Taft Law

Patrick Wartan is chair of Taft’s Food and Beverage team. He counsels multi-unit restaurant, hotel developers, and food and beverage consumer brand companies on day-to-day legal needs. Patrick brings extensive experience to matters relating to financing arrangements, food and liquor licensing, mergers and acquisitions, real estate...more.      

Erick Williams
Owner & Chef, Virtue Restaurant & Bar/Mustard Seed Kitchen

In Chicago’s Hyde Park, Virtue Restaurant unites Erick Williams’ fine dining expertise, his love of Southern cuisine and his insatiable study of history and art as they relate to food culture.

Virtue has been lauded nationwide, and Williams has received recognition for his first solo concept including an Award nomination by the James Beard Foundation in the Best Chef Great Lakes category. In late 2021, inspired by serving takeout and delivery out of Virtue...more.