CHEF AND OWNER
Paul Virant

Paul Virant is the chef and owner of two restaurants, the celebrated Vie restaurant outside Chicago in Western Springs, Illinois, and new restaurant Perennial Virant  in partnership with the Boka Restaurant Group.  Chef Virant founded his restaurants on the principle that food is a symbol of the good life and conviviality including all of the joys that are experienced around the table – a sense of community, relationships and the connection that we feel with our land, all laying the foundation for a full and abundant life.  "I wanted to create an extension of my home, where people come together and enjoy high quality food and drink in the company of others. My goal is to be a small part of my guests' enjoyment of every morsel and drop of life."
 
Opening Vie in 2004, Chef Virant was quickly recognized and lauded by local and national media alike. Winning three stars from Phil Vettel at the Chicago Tribune, Food & Wine Magazine's 2007 Best New Chef and Best New Chef by Chicago Magazine was just the beginning. 2010 and 2011 brought Vie a Michelin star, an appearance on the Food Network's Iron Chef America as well as the James Beard Best Chef Great Lakes Nomination.
 
No other chef working in America today utilizes preservation as robustly as Chef Virant. He captures the peak flavors of each season and allows his guests to enjoy them year-round. Marrying old and new world sensibilities, he creates dishes with a beautiful blend of foreign techniques with domestic products reflecting the seasons and local harvests all with a touch of his vast knowledge about preservation. The result is national acclaim for his properties as well as respect and admiration for this amiable chef who brings humility, passion, natural-born talent and genuine excitement to all that he does.

INTERIOR DESIGNER
Karen Herold

A  native of Ellecom, Holland, Karen Herold graduated from the Institute of Fashion and Design in Amsterdam and holds a degree in interior fabric design.  She moved to Chicago and was working at a local architecture firm when a colleague introduced her to James Geier of 555 International. Herold shared her portfolio with Geier and in May 2000 she was hired as Creative Director at 555—a title she held until being promoted to her current position of Vice President of Design in 2007. Herold’s creative talents can now be experienced in such visually striking yet functional environments as the Playboy Club at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, and the super-sleek retail areas and VIP lounges at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. Her most recent restaurant design is for River North’s new seafood-centric eatery, GT Fish & Oyster.