Local chef Bailey Sullivan is a contestant on season 22 of Bravo’s hit reality TV cooking show Top Chef. The first episode aired on Thursday, March 13, with the winner to be crowned, or should we say toqued, in June.
Sullivan practically grew up in a restaurant. Her dad Mike and his brother Terry Sullivan bought Forest Park favorite Goldyburgers in 1981, before she was born.
“I attribute a lot of where I am right now because of the time I spent growing up with my dad at Goldy’s,” said Sullivan, who was recently promoted to executive chef at Chicago’s Monteverde. “I got to see the relationship that my dad had with so many people, the staff, the regulars. That strong sense of community, at an early age, was something that I realized I wanted for myself.”
The cooking bug bit early too.
“When she was very young, she was always interested in cooking,” said her dad, Mike Sullivan. “There used to be a cooking school on Madison Street called Flavor. They had classes for kids. Every birthday, Christmas, anything, that’s all she ever wanted was another cooking class.”
“I went to the first class, and I think I was like 10,” Bailey Sullivan said. “At that point they don’t let you hold a knife yet and I remember going home a little disappointed. And my dad was like, maybe we could talk to them about it.”
“Because she was so serious about it, they made an exception in her case,” said Mike Sullivan.
“He’s just always had my back and always supported the dream, mom as well,” said Bailey Sullivan.
After high school in LaGrange, Sullivan enrolled at Kendall College to study for a career in the business. She landed an internship at Acadia, then a job at Yusho Logan Square. After graduation she joined Michelin-starred Parachute, before settling in at Monteverde, (1020 W. Madison St., Chicago) in 2016.
Monteverde owner, chef and Top Chef season 9 finalist Susan Grueneberg could tell that Sullivan had the right instincts and drive.
“She has proven to be the type of chef who not only has a great influence on our menu, but she’s cultivated lasting relationships with everyone in her midst, from our network of farmers and purveyors to fellow teammates to our guests,” said Grueneberg. “It’s been an honor to watch her evolve and grow.”
That belief in Sullivan’s abilities led Grueneberg and her partners to promote Bailey to executive chef at the restaurant earlier this month.
For now, the action is on TV. Sullivan moved through episode one without elimination. Her risk-taking risotto was rated by the judges as not the worst they’d eaten during the competitions.
“Going on any reality TV, I think it’s always a little bit of a risk, right?” said Sullivan.
But Top Chef is special. It has been on her radar for a long time.
“When I was young my mom told me about this new show on Bravo all about cooking,” Sullivan said. “And when I watched it made me realize that cooking could be something done at a higher level than I had ever seen before.”
The show’s pressure cooker atmosphere is a crucible.
“You get to learn a lot about yourself and not just who you are at the shop, but who you are as a person,” Sullivan said. “Of course it’s risky, but sometimes you have to put yourself out there and take that risk. And you hope it pays off.”
Locally, Goldyburgers (7316 Circle Ave., Forest Park) plans to tune their TVs to the Bravo show each Thursday night. Sullivan’s brother Mick is at the helm of the restaurant now.
“We kind of ended up being a restaurant family,” Mike Sullivan said. “I am very proud of my kids. They’re just the nicest, kindest people you want to meet.”
Now that Bailey Sullivan has made it to Top Chef, she wants to represent herself, her family and her home well.
“I’m just incredibly grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given,” she said. “I’m incredibly proud to represent Chicago. You know, growing up in the suburbs, moving into the city, I just could not be more proud to have the opportunity to represent Chicago. I love it so much.”
Tune in:
Top Chef – Thursday nights, 8 p.m. – Bravo cable channel
