James Beard Award-winning chefs Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark will soon be bringing their talents to a project in downtown Evanston, expanding their reach from Chicago into the north suburbs.
Chefs Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark of Parachute Hifi and Anelya Credit: Cory Dewald Photography
The husband and wife duo are working with local landlords to find a suitable spot for their new project. The two already share two restaurants — and three kids.
While they’re only in the planning stages of this endeavor, the pair will have more information in the coming months.
The currently unnamed Evanston restaurant will be the duo’s first foray into their shared American upbringing, and will offer food service from breakfast through dinner.
“It will be our version of an American restaurant, inspired by a Midwest sensibility of hospitality,” Kim said.
Kim and Clark accolades
In 2014, Kim and Clark opened their first restaurant, Parachute, in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood. The spot features dishes inspired by Kim’s Korean heritage.
The restaurant came out strong, and made Bon Appétit’s “Best New Restaurants” list in 2015. Just a year later, they were awarded their first Michelin star. Now, the restaurant is known as Parachute HiFi, and operates as both a dining location and listening bar.
Three years later, the duo won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes.
They didn’t stop there. In 2023, Clark and Kim opened Aneyla, this time focused on modern takes on dishes from Clark’s Ukrainian heritage.
A year later, the restaurant received a recommendation in the 2024 Michelin guide — the first Ukrainian restaurant to receive the honor.
“We love Evanston because it has the energy of a big city with the heart of a small town,” Kim said. “The vibe of the city is engaged, creative and deeply connected to its local businesses and community.”
Editor’s note: RoundTable Food Editor Julie Chernoff and Publisher Tracy Quattrocki are among a group of community members invested in the planned restaurant. Neither were involved in the editing of this story and both will recuse themselves from any future coverage of the restaurant.
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