The Living Room, a new small plates restaurant and lounge in Hyatt Regency Chicago, welcomed the mixology talent of Brian Kim. In this role, he is responsible for customer satisfaction and creating the cocktail menu in tandem with BIG Bar’s Zach Proutsos.
“Brian’s passion and overall talent is a great fit for what we’re trying to do at The Living Room,” says food and beverage director Roberto Alicea. “Bringing someone with his experience onto the team in the beginning days of The Living Room is crucial to the reputation we hope to build.”
Originally from Champaign, Illinois, Kim studied math and government at Claremont McKenna College in California. After graduating, he worked at Chimera Securities as an equity daytrader. Through his career in daytrading, Kim has lived in Los Angeles and Montreal. After a decade of trading, he decided he wanted a change of pace and a career more socially-inclined, so he moved to Chicago to become a bartender. Kim aimed high, and staged at the acclaimed cocktail lounge The Aviary during 2013, before bartending at American Junkie, Rockit, Headquarters, The Kitchen, and other Chicago establishments.
“Ultimately, my goal is to make people happy through speed of service and general hospitality,” Kim says. Kim continues to trade in the morning, but finds that bartending offers him the flexibility and creative outlet he craved.
