Paul Virant is the chef and owner of Vie in Western Springs, Illinois, and Vistro in Hinsdale, Illinois. His contributions to cooking include introducing inventive canning and preservation recipes to the restaurant industry, which culminated into the release of his cookbook, The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-doux.
Early life
Paul Virant’s philosophy of year-round, seasonal eating stems from his childhood growing up outside of St. Louis, Missouri, on a farm. Family trips to the farmers markets, gardening, cooking and preserving were a significant part of his family’s activities. These experiences helped him develop his reverence for local ingredients, an appreciation towards gastronomy and the time-honored practice of canning and preserving.
Career
After graduating with a degree in nutrition from West Virginia Wesleyan College, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Following culinary school, he went on to further refine his skills at March in New York City where he worked with chefs Wayne Nish and Hilary Gregg. After two years, chef Virant moved to Chicago where he worked at such restaurants as Charlie Trotter’s, Ambria, Everest and Blackbird. In 2004, he opened Vie in a suburb of Chicago. With a focus on house-made pickles and preserves, chef Virant's contemporary American cuisine at Vie has garnered regional and national attention, including a three-star review by Phil Vettel of the Chicago Tribune and a Michelin Star. In 2011, he became partner and executive chef of Boka Restaurant Group's Perennial Virant and helped open The J. Parker, the rooftop lounge and bar located at Hotel Lincoln in Chicago, the following year. Virant opened Vistro in Hinsdale, Illinois, in 2014. Vistro focuses on approachable, seasonal food and drinks, and serves as a staple in the community for friends and families. Most recently, in 2017, Virant launched Jar Sessions, a locally produced, small-batch line of pickled and preserved products. He collaborated with Midwest farmers to create the Jar Sessions collection of farm-to-fork products. Virant is an avid supporter of local, family farms and frequents the Green City Market, Chicago’s outdoor farmers market providing local, sustainably grown food with a mission to connect farmers and local producers directly with chefs and the community. He also serves on SAVEUR's chef advisory board as a SAVEUR Tastemaker™.
Paul Virant competed in season seven of Iron Chef America against Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Virant lost to Morimoto with a final score of 51-50. The secret ingredient was pheasant.
Books
The Preservation Kitchen: The Craft of Making and Cooking with Pickles, Preserves, and Aigre-doux by Paul Virant with Kate Leahy. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
