The Emily Hotel in Chicago has brought on Chef Sergio Correa to serve as the executive chef to the hotel’s two restaurants, Fora and Selva. Chef Correa brings with him a hands-on and team-oriented approach to develop new culinary adventures for guests at the restaurants. Latin American cuisine is one of Correa’s specialties, and he often finds himself exploring pre-Hispanic recipes and techniques that date back 2,000 years.
“Most people go out to a restaurant to have a unique experience, and I think the biggest responsibility of a chef and their teams is deliver the best experience possible day in and night out,” says Chef Correa, “on top of our menus, part of my role is imparting the importance of the guest experience for my chefs and servers. Once they understand and believe that we’re in the business of hospitality, we can begin to provide these moments for our guests.”
In Correa’s more than 25 years of culinary experience, he has served as executive chef with groups like Radisson Hotel Group in Chicago and Ravinia Green Country Club, as well as a banquet chef for the Art Institute of Chicago. Guests can expect Chef Correa to lean into Fora’s globally inspired cuisine as he builds out new menus for the fall and winter seasons. Correa has added dishes to the menu like a Charred Tuna Loin topped with a ginger-miso vinaigrette, Crispy Pork Belly with an ancho chili glaze and even a classic Steak Frites with chimichurri butter, caramelized shallots and fries.
When it comes to Selva, Correa will lean into the rooftop cocktail bar’s Mexico City theme. One of the dishes that excites him most is Selva’s new Chicken Pibil, which Correa cooks for six hours at a low temperature. Cooking at a low temp allows the dish to combine all the flavors and bring everything together while keeping the protein in-tact before preparation. Diners will also find new dishes like Chili Rubbed Shrimp with cotija and charred jalapeno aioli, Mushroom Tinga and even Hurracarrana with telera, chipotle chicken, chihuahua and a salsa verde aioli.
Dan the Baker is another addition joining Chef Correa, primarily overseeing the pastry and bread programs of The Coffee Bar at The Emily. A graduate of the French Pastry School in Chicago, his first baking job was under James Beard nominee Meg Galus at Swift and Sons. He soon followed up that experience to become the first-ever head bread baker at Soho House before joining The Emily.
Dan specializes in a traditional French technique, but amplifying it with a Midwestern appeal. Diners can see this with his take on the Chicago Hot Dog — instead of a bun, he wraps the dog in a beautiful pastry that looks as good as it tastes. His best selling pastry at The Coffee Bar is his Cruffin, which is a combination of a muffin and a croissant. His Cruffins are seasonally driven and make the most of a harvest. Diners can find a corn and blueberry Cruffin at The Coffee Bar now, and maybe a shishido pepper with masa cream Cruffin in the near winter future.
Diners can taste both Chef Correa’s and Dan the Baker’s new menu items now by visiting Fora, Selva and The Coffee Bar at The Emily Hotel. The Emily Hotel is located at 311 N Morgan Street in Chicago’s Fulton Market neighborhood. Fora is located on the ground floor of the hotel and Selva is on the seventh floor rooftop.
