To know Jason Chan is to understand him - not just a respected industry professional who has owned esteemed restaurants, discovered star talent and consulted dozens of leading chefs and hospitality groups - but as a fighter. A fighter who has survived stage four throat cancer, lost and found love, a life long student of martial arts and who continues to test the limits of his physical, mental and spiritual discipline daily. As he opens Gavroche, his 30-seat gem nestled in the heart of Chicago's historic Old Town, the quietly confident Chan, 60, has met his moment. He describes the restaurant as a "petite luxury Neo Bistro," a tagline symbolizing not only his forward-thinking approach to French cuisine - which has inspired and informed his work as a hospitality leader for more than thirty years - but also the joie de vivre of a restaurateur coming full circle on a lifetime of hard-won breakthroughs to reveal the passion project that has lived in his dreams for decades.

Gavroche is Parisian technique with tableside emotional warmth, that offers a playful and refined experience. The menu is Midwestern Terroir and hyper seasonality with the design that is transportive to a Gothic Parisian Garden from a Wes Anderson film!" says Chan.

"At the end of the day, dining here is intended to bring us back to what is truly important, and that is celebrating life.”

Called a “creator of magic” by esteemed ​Chicago Tribune dining critic Phil Vettel, Christine McCabe is a leading pastry chef whose versatility and experience have earned her the respect of countless chefs and restaurateurs over nearly three decades, many of whom today seek her expertise as a premier consultant.

McCabe’s impressive career includes stints at some of the world’s top restaurants, such as Joël Robuchon in Paris, Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago and Metropolitan in Salt Lake City. In 2005, b​on appétit magazine named her Pastry Chef of the Year, and her work has been featured in The New York Times,​ F​ood & Wine and Town & Country​, among others.

At Gavroche, McCabe reunites with longtime friend, Jason Chan. In 2019, the duo partnered to open the highly successful Sugar Cube, an Americana-style patisserie, in Chicago’s Time Out Market. While the pandemic had other plans for Sugar Cube’s expansion into the commercial space, the duo always vowed to work collaborate again. 

At Gavroche, guests explore a petite, but mighty, dessert selection that changes seasonally. Composed with all-natural ingredients and rich in decadence, desserts here call upon McCabe’s long history with and passion for the precise, flawless technique demanded by French pastry.