Kyle Cottle

Recently appointed executive chef at Sepia, Kyle Cottle has spent more than six years leading the restaurant’s kitchen as chef de cuisine. During that time, he has helped shape Sepia’s culinary identity with a style that is both personal and technically precise. Cottle’s formative cooking years were spent at Chicago’s acclaimed Blackbird, where he developed the discipline, curiosity, and precision that continue to guide his work today. Those experiences inform his approach to seasonality and ingredient-driven cooking. Rooted in his Midwestern upbringing, Cottle’s cuisine blends classic techniques with contemporary interpretations while drawing inspiration from global traditions and childhood comfort foods. One example is a caramelle pasta filled with Comté cheese and layered with bacon, maple, and parmesan butter, finished with crisp potato chip tuiles inspired by the flavors of a loaded baked potato. A Jivara milk chocolate dessert featuring caramelized potato ice cream, malted milk chocolate mousse, and cacao nib crunch is a fine-dining riff on one of Cottle’s favorite dessert combinations: Wendy’s Frosty and fries.

“Over the last six years I have really refined my approach of balancing a unique flavor profile for a MICHELIN-rated restaurant and respecting solid foundations of good cookery,” he says. Classical French technique forms the backbone of his menu, from consommés and housemade sausages to mousselines, refined sauce work, and technically demanding butchery, including deboning and stuffing chicken wings.

As executive chef, Kyle continues to lead Sepia with quiet confidence, a deep respect for craft, and a commitment to growth. “I want our food to be easy for the palate to understand,” he says. “From a creative standpoint, we are trying to surprise guests with the way we put the flavors together, surprise them with texture and temperatures they may not be expecting and we want to jog memories if we can, or give guests an experience they haven't had before.” His menus reflect Sepia’s refined but welcoming spirit, and his food remains inventive while grounded in Midwestern flavors.