This article reports on the death of Hans Aeschbacher, a renowned Chicago chef known for his roles at Lawry's The Prime Rib, the United Center, and Smith & Wollensky. It details his career trajectory, his contributions to the Chicago culinary scene, and his lasting impact on the city.
CHICAGO (CBS/AP) -- Some of the people memorialized in this story were lifelong Chicagoans, while others spent only a short time in the city. Some would be considered A-list celebrities, others may be names you're hearing for the first time. But all left a mark on Chicago that warrants honors. Here is a detailed look at 33 notable Chicagoans who passed away this year.
Hans Aeschbacher, 80, executive chef Hans Aeschbacher, a Chicago culinary icon who served as executive chef at Lawry's The Prime Rib, the United Center, and Smith & Wollensky steakhouse, died April 4. Aeschbacher—known to many Chicagoans simply as 'Chef Hans'—was born in 1944 in Tüscherz-Alfermée, Switzerland. He rose through the ranks as a chef in fine hotel restaurants across Europe, and cooked at the Century Plaza and the Forum sports arena in Los Angeles before arriving in Chicago—where he first worked as Chef de Cuisine at La Cheminee, a famous French restaurant formerly located at 1161 N. Dearborn St. in the Gold Coast. A Chicago Tribune report noted that Aeschbacher took a detour to a Miami Beach restaurant that later failed—and then returned without a job in 1974 to Chicago, where he applied to Lawry's The Prime Rib. In about a decade as executive chef at Lawry's—which operated at 100 E. Ontario St. until closing at the end of 2020—Aeschbacher became a local celebrity, making numerous appearances on Chicago radio and TV. In 1984, Aeschbacher opened Chef Hans Restaurant and Lounge, at 7011 N. Western Ave. in the West Rogers Park neighborhood, according to published reports. He supervised a kitchen staff of 15 there, according to his bio. Aeschbacher returned to Los Angeles and ran Lawry's California Center, before returning once more to Chicago—where the Wirtz family hired him to serve as executive chef at the Chicago Stadium and its successor, the United Center. He cooked for the Bulls and Blackhawks, and won numerous awards in the positio
OBITUARY CHICAGO NEWS CHEF HANS Aeschbacher CHICAGO CULINARY OBITUARY LAWRY's THE PRIME RIB UNITED CENTER SMITH & WOLLENSKY
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