Chef Tim W

Meet Tim, the small-town Illinois kid who made it to two Michelin stars — and still just wants to make you a really great bowl of gumbo.

"You betcha buckaroo!"

For Chef Tim, food is a universal language. It doesn't matter where you come from — a great plate of food and the story behind it has a way of bringing people together that nothing else quite can.

It started simply enough: a mom, a pan, and scrambled eggs. Growing up in Elburn, Illinois — a small rural town just west of Chicago — Tim's love for cooking grew quietly at first, then loudly, through years of cooking for friends and family in college. When he graduated during the pandemic, instead of putting the apron away, he doubled down.

What began at a local BBQ brewery became a career defined by relentless learning — and eventually, a Sous Chef position at a two-Michelin-starred restaurant.

That chapter shaped everything. He learned to lead and motivate a team, hold an exacting standard, travel across the country and internationally to represent the restaurant, and stay composed when the unexpected happens. He came out the other side a different — and better — chef.

His food runs rich, hearty, and spicy. Seafood gumbo. Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Pho. Midwestern chili with cornbread. Birria with homemade salsa. A warm beef stew on a cold winter day. The kind of food that makes you close your eyes for a second after the first bite.

In the kitchen, he stays inspired by the small things — the sound of a knife on a cutting board, food sizzling in a pan, the smell of a live-fire grill, and the wordless rhythm of working alongside someone who already knows what you're thinking. For Tim, the kitchen offers something rare: structure, purpose, and real connection all at once.

Outside the kitchen, Tim is at the gym, reading, cooking for the people he loves, or relaxing over video games with friends. He fell hard for Italy on a past trip and is already planning a return. East Asia is high on the list for what comes next.

And if you hear him say "You betcha buckaroo!" instead of "Yes, Chef" — that's just Tim being Tim.