Love's Labor's Lost : The Cuisine
Shakespeare’s effervescent comedy about the unbridled joy of young love, serves as inspiration for Chef Cardel Reid to present Freshly Shucked Oysters on the Half Shell served with horseradish cocktail sauce, signature mignonette and Meyer lemon aioli. The contrast of flavors in this refreshing dish serve to mirror the romance and wit of the play.
Chef Cardel Reid
With thirteen years of kitchen experience under his belt at The Signature Room on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Center, Executive Chef Cardel Reid continues to prove his dedication to upholding the culinary legacy of the iconic Chicago restaurant. The Signature Room veteran designs his menus around sustainable ingredients sourced from local purveyors and markets such as the Green City Market. Reid credits the innovative nature of his contemporary American dishes to the autonomy encouraged at the Signature Room. “It’s exciting to work somewhere that gives me free range to explore my cooking creativity,” he says. “It’s one of the many reasons why I have loved working at the Signature Room for so long. They really take care of me.” Since taking on the role of executive chef in January, 2014, Reid manages the entire back of the house, overseeing menu planning, food distribution and supervising the kitchen and pastry departments.
Growing up cooking alongside his mother in Jamaica, Reid brings aspects of his upbringing to The Signature Room’s menu, notably his affinity for sustainable seafood. The self-taught chef mastered the skills of working in a fine-dining kitchen early on in his time at the restaurant, as he quickly ascended through the ranks after beginning work on the line in 2001. He dedicated seven years in the catering department as assistant banquet chef and banquet sous chef, playing an instrumental role in planning and executing multiple-course wine dinners and cocktail receptions for up to 1,500 people. Reid participated in the restaurant’s chef exchange program, traveling to Osaka in 2005 as an ambassador of the Signature Room. During that time, he also had the opportunity to cook for Chicago Chefs de Cuisine Society’s “Les Amis Escoffier” Dinner 2006, and at the James Beard House in 2013, both under the direction of Executive Chef Patrick Sheerin. Prior to becoming The Signature Room’s executive chef, Reid worked for two years as Chef de Cuisine.
Outside of the restaurant, Reid enjoys spending time with his two children exploring Chicago’s many parks and museums. He currently resides on the South Side of Chicago.
About The Signature Room
Upscale dining and a menu of contemporary American cuisine lifted the popularity of the restaurant with Chicagoans and visitors alike. In 1996 The Signature Room was named Restaurant of the Year by the Food and Beverage Equipment Executives. It has been voted one of “America’s Top Tables” by Gourmet Magazine readers consecutively since 1997, and won the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence every year since 1999. That same year Rick Roman received the Restaurateur of the Year award from the Illinois Restaurant Association.
More recently, The Signature Room was awarded the “Business Impact of the Year Award” by The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association, an award presented to the business with the most innovative ideas and contribution as a corporate citizen. With consistent accolades such as “Most Romantic Restaurant” and “Best View,” The Signature Room and Signature Lounge have become part of the quintessential Chicago experience.
In 2013, The Signature Room at the 95th celebrated its 20th birthday. As they looked back on the years past, owners Roman and Pyknis marveled in their successes—being a part of the Chicago restaurant community, running a successful fine dining restaurant, and establishing their business as both a “tourist must” and a local favorite.
