Chef Brad Kilgore was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, where his interest in the culinary arts began. At a young age, he attended the renowned Broadmoor Technical Center and continued his education at Johnson & Wales University. He credits his early curiosity about cooking to afternoons spent alone while his parents were at work (his father was an engineer, his mother worked in the medical field). Wanting something better to eat, he began cooking for himself.
His career took off after moving to Chicago, where he worked at three-star Michelin-rated Alinea under Chef Grant Achatz, as well as three-star Michelin-rated L2O under Chef Laurent Gras. As Executive Sous Chef, Kilgore opened EPIC in Chicago, which was named one of Esquire magazine food critic John Mariani’s Best New Restaurants of 2010.
Kilgore then moved to Miami in 2011, joining Azul at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Under his guidance, Azul earned five stars from Forbes Travel Guide in 2013—the first restaurant in Florida’s history to achieve this distinction. His success continued at the St. Regis Bal Harbour as Executive Chef under Jean-Georges Vongerichten at J&G Grill, where the restaurant received four stars from the Miami Herald, the first in years to do so.
In 2015, Kilgore opened his first restaurant, Alter, in Miami’s art-focused Wynwood district. There, he created a progressive American menu that garnered national and international recognition, highlighting Floridian ingredients and offering a 15-course tasting menu. The wine program was listed among the Top 100 in America by Wine Enthusiast several years in a row. The Miami Herald awarded Alter four stars, making Kilgore the only chef in the publication’s history to receive that rating twice. Alter was named Restaurant of the Year by Eater Miami and featured twice in S.Pellegrino’s World’s 50 Best “Diners Discovery.” Kilgore was named a Best New Chef in America by Food & Wine magazine and nominated for multiple James Beard Foundation Awards, including Rising Star Chef of the Year and Best Chef: South. That year, Alter was also named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants by Jeff Gordinier, as well as Eater National.
He went on to open Brava by Brad Kilgore, a contemporary Italian restaurant inside Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center, followed by two Design District concepts with Craig Robins: Kaido, a Japanese-inspired cocktail lounge with award-winning mixologist Nico de Soto, and Ember, a wood-fired American bistro.
Post-pandemic, in 2022, Kilgore launched his own company, Kilgore Culinary Group, with national and international expansion plans.
As Culinary Director and Partner, he currently oversees the restaurant and catering operations at The Concours Club, a private members-only racetrack and resort. Its modern American restaurant, Verge, serves the world’s elite through world-class dining experiences, wine dinners, and events.
On Miami Beach, Kilgore Culinary leads the food and beverage operations for The Raleigh (SHVO) in partnership with Rosewood Hotels. The group is also the food and beverage partner for the first-ever Rosewood Residences in the United States, in Hillsboro Beach, Florida, slated to open in 2027.
In 2024, Kilgore Culinary Group began its international expansion with the opening of CIMA in San Pedro Sula, Honduras—a wood-fire, Josper oven-driven steakhouse known for its design, rooftop location, and culinary excellence. Next, in 2025, the group will debut multiple restaurant concepts at OCN Resort in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, including an open-fire concept using local Oaxacan ingredients and an omakase-style seafood restaurant.
Kilgore Culinary Group’s current projects include developing three concepts at San Francisco’s iconic Transamerica Pyramid, in partnership with SHVO, launching in Summer/Fall 2024.
