Call us at 773.697.3735
By now, you might get the idea that Butcher & the Burger isn’t just another burger shop. While the love of burgers brought us together, our vision is to bring the neighborhood a truly special place where foodies and the uninitiated alike can stop in and always find outstandingly fresh product, unique and exciting retail items, and the country’s best burger menu!
Chef Allen began cooking with his mother as a young boy. Being of German immigrant parents, he was exposed to European cooking, as well as hunting and fishing, which played a key role in shaping his love for the outdoors and in forming the cooking style which he has developed over his lifetime.
As a young adult, Sternweiler was already immersing himself in the restaurant world. From 1980 to 1986, he began to work in local restaurants as a dishwasher and prep cook in his hometown of Fairview Park, near Cleveland, Ohio.
After graduating from Johnson & Whales, he moved to Chicago to take a position at the highly reputable restaurant, Printer’s Row. Under chef and owner Michael Foley and his father, Robert, Sternweiler began to make his mark as a young rising chef. Starting as a line cook, Sternweiler moved up the ranks quickly. In one year he rose from cook, to lead line cook, to sous chef and became head chef in 1989. He worked for the Foley clan until 1995.
During his tenure at Printer’s Row, Sternweiler took a one -year sabbatical to work in France. He was able to wiggle his way into three Michelin ranked kitchens; Hotel Larivoire in Lyon, Restaurant D’la Marine in Normandy and Poquelin in Paris. His experience in France further rounded out his culinary vision and increased both his confidence and competence.
Upon returning he joined Harvest on Huron. During the five year run of Harvest, Sternweiler continued to build his career and garner national accolades. In a Wine Spectator article he was mentioned as one of the countries “best game chefs”.
In 2002 Sternweiler took over Harvest on Huron and transformed it into Allen’s New American Cafe. With continuing acclaim and two decades working in Chicago, Sternweiler’s reputation amongst epicureans and his colleagues continued to grow. Now respected as world-class culinary talent, he established a dedicated following for his well-rounded repertoire of market-driven American cuisine with European influences.
Butcher & the Burger will soon be offering limited development opportunities for qualified chefs and operators with a passion for burgers, butcher shops, and responsible agriculture and farming. Please shoot us an email to further discuss. Email us at info@butcherandtheburger.com