Philadelphia-born Jamie Gilmore knows what it takes to gain a restaurant following in Chicago.
Her brainchild, Lizzy J Cafe, is a brunch-centric concept on the second floor of Time Out Market Chicago, shining the spotlight on classic Southern brunch items with an upscale twang. With experiments-turned-fan favorites like white cheddar sweet potato waffles known as “Freddy’s Favorite," the restaurant has captured the heart of the Windy City’s bustling brunch crowd.
“Chicago as a whole has been uber welcoming as far as the guests coming to see me and spreading it through word of mouth,” Gilmore said. “But it’s still definitely a ‘let-me-prove-it’ town.”
The first brick and mortar Lizzy J Cafe opened in November 2019, just a few months before lockdowns and quarantines from the COVID-19 pandemic. A whirlwind of changes and unprecedented obstacles for the restaurant industry brought Gilmore’s concept to Time Out Market Chicago in late 2023.
Growing up, Gilmore would watch her grandmother’s masterful skills in the kitchen—turning normal Sunday morning breakfast into extravagant displays of flavor or creating dazzling holiday feasts through her reinventions of candied yams and macaroni and cheese. Garnering these techniques from the many women in her family, Gilmore worked to perfect the cultural inheritance of food that was passed onto her.
What resulted in a full catering service and restaurant concept only started as a hobby. Working as a project manager in dentistry for nearly 25 years, cooking was really a way for Gilmore to relax outside of her hectic work life and a way for her to connect back to her familial roots.
“I realized once I became an adult, there were so many things that were deposited into me by accident,” Gilmore said.
Lizzy J Cafe’s focus on brunch is a way to foster an unrushed and intentional eating environment. Spending time on the savory meals and brewing a pot of tea slows down the communal meal, letting guests enjoy both the flavors and the company, according to Gilmore.
And there sure are plenty of flavors to dissect in Lizzy J Cafe’s menu. Lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes, a crab benedict and mustard catfish and grits bring an undeniable Southern zest to Time Out Market Chicago. Each item has been carefully selected and refined in order to make it a unique, signature offering, Gilmore explains.
For every dish they cook, the kitchen runs on the idea that “love is the difference you can taste.” The act of preparing a meal and cultivating a sensory experience in Lizzy J Cafe is not a responsibility Gilmore and her chefs take lightly. Whether asking for support in the kitchen or opening up with others, Lizzy J Cafe does its best to make sure love and care are in every bite.
“I'm a firm believer in whatever you're feeling, you can taste it,” Gilmore said. “You can taste the love in everything we do.”