Kimberly Galban
Chief Operating Officer,  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 that part-time hostess gig became a career. Two years after first manning the door of Blackbird, Galban was its manager, and one year later, she was on the opening team of the acclaimed avec. By then, Galban’s gift for creating a culture of service that consistently delights guests was well-known, and high profile roles followed: the Park Hyatt Chicago; the esteemed NoMI Restaurant; General Manager of Publican during its first three years.

In 2011, Galban was one of the founding members of One Off Hospitality, where she served as Vice President of Operations/Partner for almost a decade before being lured away to become Senior Executive Service and Operations Director for Hogsalt. Less than a year into her time there, Galban’s skills were severely tested by the onslaught of Covid-19. Overseeing relief efforts ranging from fundraising to physically delivering meal kits to furloughed employees, while also reinventing service models on the fly, Galban helped shepherd Hogsalt through the pandemic to emerge as a fully functional enterprise, poised for further growth. In 2023, Galban become Hogsalt's Chief Operating Officer which is a position she holds today. Galban lives in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood with her partner Erling and their two sons; Maxwell and Miles.