Jeff Vucko

Chef Jeff Vucko has been a part of the Travelle team since The Langham, Chicago’s opening in June 2013. He has been deeply involved with Chicago’s Green City Market and in collaborating with the organization to offer a Wednesday summer dinner series for the past three years, building relationships with farmers and local producers while creating menus featuring market-fresh ingredients.

“The farm-to-table ideology has always been a driving force for me as a chef,” Vucko explains. “Getting to know our local farmers continues to inspire me and our team. I look forward to introducing a new menu utilizing fresh, locally-sourced ingredients and simplicity.”

Upon graduating from Culinary Arts at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago, Vucko started as a line cook at theWit Hotel’s Cibo Matto under Chef Ken Carter, then moved on to The Pump Room in the former Public Hotel. A few years later, Vucko joined the opening team of The Langham, Chicago, working first under Chef Tim Graham and then Chef Ricardo Jarquin.

Vucko’s menus are influenced by classic recipes, modern techniques, and authentic ingredients. Chef Vucko's favorite dinner menu items:

• 16 oz. Prime-Aged Bone-in Rib Eye with black truffle butter and confit garlic
• Uni Cacio e Pepe with uni butter, Locatelli Pecorino, and chives
• Blue Cheese Wedge Salad with fried egg, tomato, avocado, green goddess
• Fried Chicken Roulade with farro, zucchini, pickled apples, and roasted apple jus
• Icelandic Cod with summer beans, legumes, and capers, served in a lemon dill herb broth
• Beet Stacks with hickory-smoked goat cheese
• Loaded Crispy Potato with clothbound cheddar, chives, and bacon

“This menu grants us the opportunity to celebrate sustainable, locally-sourced American cuisine by making it our own,” says Vucko. “One example of this is our 32-ounce Prime Bone-In Tomahawk Steak and Maine Lobster. This steak is herb- and salt-crusted and the lobster is butter poached to perfection. The dish is served with our proprietary Travelle steak sauce, bordelaise, truffle hollandaise, and shishito peppers.”