S.K.Y.

The story

S.K.Y. Chicago: Contemporary American Cuisine by Chef Stephen Gillanders | Michelin Recommended

S.K.Y.

In Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, S.K.Y. serves contemporary American cuisine shaped by Chef Stephen Gillanders’s most inspiring experiences from around the world. The restaurant’s name is deeply personal: the initials belong to Chef Gillanders’s wife, Seon Kyung Yuk, for whom the restaurant is named.

The story of S.K.Y. began in 2017, when Gillanders—after a decade working under Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and a chef-in-residence program at Intro in Chicago—opened his first independent restaurant in the city’s Pilsen neighborhood. In March of 2025, the restaurant had its last service in its original location, reopening in August 2025 inside the historic Belden-Stratford building in Lincoln Park. This move marked a new chapter for the team, who found the perfect new home in the Belden-Stratford community.

The restaurant’s philosophy is captured in its logo: a shattered antique spoon. Chef Gillanders, who has a growing collection and appreciation for antique silver spoons, wanted to present familiar ingredients in a modern, innovative way—reimagining classic dishes from his travels. The logo, designed by his brother-in-law, represents this approach: a classic spoon shattered to depict a modern, innovative perspective. The restaurant’s design, guided by Seon Kyung Yuk’s vision, blends contemporary elements with existing materials from the 1891 building.

Chef Gillanders’s path to opening S.K.Y. was shaped by his early passion for food, sparked in the kitchen with his Filipino grandmother. After completing the Culinary Arts Management program at Los Angeles Mission College and earning a B.S. in Hospitality Management from UNLV, he won the prestigious San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition. His decade with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, from Sous Chef to Corporate Chef, included opening restaurants both domestic and international before he left to refine his international culinary experience.

The restaurant has earned widespread acclaim, including Jean Banchet Awards for Best Service and Best New Restaurant, and a Michelin Recommended status. The team includes Executive Pastry Chef Tatum Sinclair, who was honored with the Jean Banchet Pastry Chef of the Year award in 2024, and Partner and Director of Restaurants & Beverage Jelena Prodan, who received the Jean Banchet Award for Sommelier of the Year in 2025. Prodan curates a global wine list highlighting classic and emerging regions, offering over 20 wines by the glass alongside sakes, boutique spirits, and inventive cocktails.

S.K.Y. offers dinner nightly, weekend brunch, and a daily Belden Hour with bar and lounge service. The contemporary American menu reflects Gillanders’s commitment to innovation with a sense of familiarity—a place where a classic spoon is shattered to make way for something new.