Jason Hammel

Executive Chef & Owner at James Beard Award-Winner Lula Cafe; Cookbook Author

Travels From Travels From:
Chicago, IL, USA
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Jason Hammel Biography

Jason Hammel is the executive chef and owner of Chicago's Lula Cafe, the Logan Square community institution known for its creative, seasonal, all-day cuisine. In 2024, Lula Cafe received the Outstanding Hospitality Award from the James Beard Foundation.

Since 1999, Lula has been at the forefront of the farm-to-table movement in the Midwest, but growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, Hammel aspired to be a writer, not a chef. After graduating in 1994 with a degree in English, he traveled to Italy, where an accidental stay across the street from Florence’s central market foretold his career as a chef dedicated to seasonality.

Hammel has developed a reputation as a conscientious leader and a progressive voice in the restaurant community. As a member of the Independent Restaurant Association, he lobbied for federal assistance for the restaurant industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2017, the Museum of Contemporary Art named Hammel as executive chef/culinary curator for the museum’s new restaurant, Marisol, in the heart of downtown Chicago. At Marisol, Hammel continues to prioritize seasonality and freshness, along with an enlivened aesthetic vision.

Lula and Marisol have both been featured in the press, including on NPR’s “This American Life” and in The New York Times, where Lula was named one of Chicago's 25 Best Restaurants in April 2024. Lula has also been awarded the prestigious Bib Gourmand honor by the Michelin Guide. Hammel himself has been named a StarChefs Rising Star, the Jean Banchet 2019 Chef of the Year, and was a three time finalist for the James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Great Lakes. His debut cookbook, "The Lula Cafe Cookbook: Collected Recipes and Stories," was published in 2023.

Today, Hammel splits his time between Lula, Marisol, and the non-profit food education group Pilot Light, which he co-founded in 2010. Pilot Light develops classroom lessons that weave food and nutrition into everyday subjects like English, math, social studies and science, reaching more than 10,000 students. Through his work in education and in the kitchen at Lula, Hammel seeks to bring community, creativity, and nourishment back to the table.

Jason Hammel Videos

  • Jason Hammel - En Process Podcast
    Chef Jason Hammel of Lula Cafe on non-profit Pilot Light.
  • Jason Hammel - The Welcome Conference
    Showing Up First for Yourself

Jason Hammel Books

  • The Lula Cafe Cookbook: Collected Recipes and Stories
    The Lula Cafe Cookbook: Collected Recipes and Stories

FAQs on booking Jason Hammel

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  • What topics does Jason Hammel speak about?

    Jason Hammel is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Authors, Food & Beverage, Hospitality, Non-Profit.
  • Where does Jason Hammel travel from?

    Jason Hammel generally travels from Chicago, IL, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.
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Jason Hammel is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Jason Hammel for your event is available upon request. Jason Hammel generally travels from Chicago, IL, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are David Standridge, Gregory Gourdet, Dominique Crenn, Alice Waters and Art Smith. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Jason Hammel for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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