Yes it's true. The chef everyone knows and loves, Cleetus Friedman (Fountainhead, Fountainhead Market, The Northman) will be leaving the Fountainhead Group's restaurants at the beginning of March. The exciting news is that Friedman is working on a new project, but we still haven't determined exactly what that is (or if it will even be located in Chicago).
Chef Sean Sanders (Browntrout) will be taking over the kitchen at Fountainhead, Fountainhead Market and the Northman for him, continuing his tradition of producing seasonal menus that highlight local foods. We were pretty big fans of Browntrout, so we know that the Fountainhead Group's restaurants are in good hands. The Northman, Chicago's first cider bar, will open with dinner and bar service on March 8th—and lunch service is scheduled to begin on March 15.
We've been looking forward to the opening of the Northman for quite a while (going on two years!), but we expect that the menu will still reflect some of Friedman's influence. Here's hoping that we find out what his next project will be soon—in the meantime, take a moment to stop by Fountainhead and toast the outgoing executive chef.
