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L20 Restaurant to Become Intro, Will Feature Rotating Roster of Chefs

By Paul Biasco | December 16, 2014 5:35am
 Rich Melman, left, founder of Lettuce Entertain You and C.J. Jacobson, the first chef-in-residence at Intro.
Rich Melman, left, founder of Lettuce Entertain You and C.J. Jacobson, the first chef-in-residence at Intro.
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Lettuce Entertain You

LINCOLN PARK — A revolving restaurant that will serve as a training ground for chefs from around the country is preparing to open in the former L20 in Lincoln Park.

Intro, the latest restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, will feature rising star chefs who will run the kitchen for two-to-three months at a time.

The "chef-in-residence" program will allow chefs to work with Rich Melman, founder of the restaurant group, to create a concept that reflects their personal style.

"With Intro, I wanted to not only introduce up-and-coming chefs to Chicago, but to also introduce these chefs to some of the things that have made Lettuce a successful business," Melman said.

Paul Biasco explains how the restaurant will work:

The first chef to take the helm at Intro in February will be C.J. Jacobson, who appeared on Bravo's "Top Chef."

Jacobson most recently won "Top Chef Duels" this year and is the executive chef at Girasol restaurant in Studio City, Calif.

Melman is calling the restaurant a "school for entrepreneurs," which seeks to introduce Chicago to new talent, introduce new chefs to a balanced way of running a business, introduce the restaurant group's kitchen and staff to chefs, and introduce Lettuce Entertain You to new talent.

"They will work with us every step of the way, have a financial partnership stake in the concept they create, and if they go on to open a restaurant of their own, they will have Lettuce senior partners as mentors," Melman said.

Intro, 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, will also be the first Lettuce Entertain You restaurant to utilize a new ticketing system for reservations where diners pay up front.

Tickets will range from $65 to $95 a person and will be sold at introchicago.com. 

L20, the former Michelin-starred restaurant, will close at the end of the year. The restaurant will then undergo renovations to its interior to give it a flexible ambience and change depending on the chef-in-residence.

“Lettuce is a school for entrepreneurs,” Melman said. “We are a restaurant group that cultivates creative talent and empowers them to follow their entrepreneurial passions."

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