John Vermiglio
Sous Chef at the recently opened G.E.B.
Some Favorite Places to Dine in Chicago: Yusho, GT Fish & Oyster, Publican
Food Philosophy: Keep it simple

Hailing from the Midwest, land of hearty meat and potatoes, at first guess one would not think market fresh vegetables and fish are a frequent go-to dish in John Vermiglio’s free time. But given a closer look into who Vermiglio is and where he comes from, a certain understanding for his food of choice becomes clear. Vermiglio is the product of a large household where nightly dinners were a gravitating force for close family connections and bonding. Furthermore, frequent visits to his grandparents’ home in Detroit while growing up also gave life to his emotional relationship to food with loved ones. In essence, family and food became one for the sous chef, whose interest in a gastronomical career began at the age of 14 whilst washing dishes in a bagel shop, and to this day have instilled in him an appreciation of not only sharing food with others, but also fusing personal ties with the food, making it succulent with soul and flavor.

“My earliest memories of food come from trips to my grandma’s house. Without fail, there was a pot of tomato sauce simmering away on the stove when I arrived. Amongst family, I gorged on mostaccioli with sauce, meatballs, fresh ricotta, and warm bread my grandfather insisted be utilized to wipe my plate clean. When I left, it was never without a cool whip container of the leftover sauce,” Vermiglio says, describing the atmosphere at the table of his Italian heritage.

Vermiglio decided early on during his senior year in high school that he wanted to become a chef after he saw the television cooking show on Food Network, Cooking School Stories. He was attracted to the judging nature that the show involved, where culinary students were critiqued based on performance in the kitchen. Ironically, that would be somewhat of a crystal ball image for what was yet to come.

Fast forward to Chicago, he studied under esteemed food masters and local restaurateurs, Art Smith (personal chef of Oprah Winfrey till 2007 and the owner of several restaurants across the U.S., among which are Table Fifty-Two in Chicago and Art and Soul in Washington D.C.) and Matthias Merges (former chef of Charlie Trotter’s, now the owner of his own restaurant business, Yusho, a yakitori inspired restaurant in Chicago). Vermiglio regards Merges as highly influential during his time working at Charlie Trotter’s and values his mentorship and skill immensely.

“Chef Matthias’ approach in the kitchen is the picture of calm and humble. [And] he cooks with a certain grace that is contagious. No matter how busy or stressed, he handles each day with the same poise and professionalism as the last,” he says.

Vermiglio appends that Merges’ approach to cuisine, hospitality, and life are things he strives for every day, citing it as a “privilege to watch him work in the kitchen, and even more so, to have worked for him.”

About to embark on his latest venture, Vermiglio has much to look forward to on top of being a part of Bravo’s exciting new television series. This month, another top Chicago chef, Graham Elliott Bowles, opened his third restaurant, G.E.B. (Graham Elliott Bistro), a music inspired bistro located in the West Loop area of Chicago nestled in what is, unofficially, restaurant row on Randolph Street.

Vermiglio recently left Art Smith’s Table Fifty-Two to become sous chef at G.E.B. Only giving a sneak peak, Vermiglio describes his new cooking playground.

“G.E.B., which [opened] June 5, is a 60-seat spot with a menu focusing on the foundation of fundamental techniques and simple ingredients in a church meets rock ‘n’ roll bistro. The restaurant offers a middle ground between the degustation menus of Graham Elliot and the tasty sandwiches of Grahamwich, all while maintaining Chef Graham’s impeccable standards of food and service,” he states.

Known for his philosophy that there is nothing that cannot be pickled, Vermiglio values the simplicity in his style of cooking as a way to show people that food does not need anything to take away from its true essence. He says that he does not like to over-complicate food and that ingredients should speak for themselves. “Clean flavors will provide the best results,” he says.

He also appreciates the importance of thinking on ones toes, which should be a major asset while in competition mode for Around the World. Knowing that adaptation to different cultures as well as different personalities is inevitable, expecting the unexpected is an understatement.

“The show is filled with amazing adventures and riveting battles in countries we were unfamiliar with, cooking in kitchens we were not used to, so you can imagine the ensuing journey was quite the roller coaster ride,” Vermiglio says, adding that despite his loss during the first challenge, he knows that the best is yet to come.

“While I was not overly excited to have been on the losing team for the first challenge, I believe that the first episode set a great precedent for what’s to come,” he says. “Anytime you have 12 strong personalities together in unknown settings and scenarios, you are bound for quality television. Stay tuned, it only gets better from here.”

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