Today we’d like to introduce you to James Lasky.
James, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve been in this business for over 30 years. I opened the original Hunt Club in Lincoln Park in 1984. In 1987, I bought Gamekeepers, which honestly was one of the first true sports bars in the city. In 1991, I opened Hi-Tops next to Wrigley Field – It blended a new era of sports and dining. In 1994, I ventured out and re-opened The Hunt Club in a perfectly located corner of State and Maple in the Gold Coast. Two years later, The Southern in Bucktown opened for a 10-year run and is now being transformed into a new concept to be opened in Spring of 2018.
After nearly 20 years, The Hunt Club became a staple to the neighborhood. In the end of 2012, I closed down for good with a new development in mind. Over the next three years, we re-built the corner to what is now Maple & Ash. Nearly two years after opening, we have been voted one of the best steakhouses in the country by Thrillist among a handful of other awards.
Has it been a smooth road?
Nothing is a smooth road. There were plenty of up’s and down’s, concepts that we brought back to the drawing board and re-figured. If I could do it all over again, I would change everything so there wouldn’t be a struggle!
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Maple & Ash – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
What we are is what sets us apart and what I’m most proud of – We have taken more than a step out of the box. Maple & Ash is a modern version of a traditional steakhouse with an innovative menu created by Danny Grant, our two-Michelin star executive chef and one of my business partners. Our menu ranges from Classic steak cuts to our signature wood-fired seafood towers.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
We hope that our concepts help guide the industry – We are focused on customer service and very chef-driven.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8 West Maple St. Chicago, IL 60610
- Website: MapleAndAsh.com
- Phone: 312-944-8888
- Email: Reservations@mapleandash.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapleandash/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mapleandash/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/mapleandash
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/maple-and-ash-chicago
Image Credit:
Fig Media
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