Temporis, the 20-seat, Michelin-starred restaurant in West Town, welcomes Troy Jorge as executive chef. Jorge, who has worked alongside such celebrated chefs as Curtis Duffy at Grace and Ryan McCaskey at Acadia, joins Temporis proprietor Sam Plotnick in this next stage of the restaurant’s journey of excellence.
Temporis earned its first Michelin star last year—the only new star in the Michelin Guide Chicago 2019—as well as the 2019 Jean Banchet Award for best service.
“Temporis is a special place. There’s an incredible level of talent and passion here, and I’m excited to be part of it,” says Jorge, who has spent most of his nearly 15-year career in the fine-dining realm.
Jorge mines the seasons and micro-seasons for inspiration, driven by colors, contrasts and layers of flavor. His vivid style comes together with playful, beautiful precision in an 11-course tasting menu. “I want every dish to be as visually engaging as it is delicious,” he says.
A home economics class during junior high school in Jorge’s hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts set him on the path to a culinary career. After graduating from culinary school in 2001, he spent two years in the kitchen of the venerable Ritz-Carlton Boston, then joined Clio, Ken Oringer’s legendary Boston restaurant.
Over the next five years, Jorge worked his way up at The Federalist and Ostra within Boston’s Columbus Hospitality Group, led by another award-winning chef, Jamie Mammano. When Mammano remade The Federalist into the modern steakhouse Mooo, Jorge became its chef de cuisine.
In 2015, Jorge left Boston for Chicago with one goal: to work at Grace, Duffy’s Michelin three-star restaurant in the West Loop. He did just that for two years before joining Acadia, McCaskey’s Michelin two-star, as Sous Chef. Jorge comes to Temporis after consulting for a restaurant and art gallery in the West Loop.
Jorge leads a small kitchen at Temporis that includes sous chef Wyl Lima, who worked with him at both Grace and Acadia. Together, the team creates a dining experience where the passage of time (“temporis” in Latin) flows seamlessly and playfully from course to course.
Guests can expect a tasting menu from Jorge that will change several times throughout the year, which speaks to Temporis’ celebration of time: through seasons shifting and the restaurant evolving.
