Nicolai Mlodinow is the executive chef and co-founder of Class Act, a 16-seat communal tasting menu restaurant in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. Born in Los Angeles and raised in Pasadena, he grew up around his parents’ cooking. At San Diego State University, a roommate’s request for dinner grew into apartment gatherings and, eventually, Shabbat dinners through the campus Hillel.
After college, Mlodinow moved to Chicago and staged at Alinea, Smyth, Oriole, Schwa, and Blackbird. His first professional kitchen role was at Sepia, where he worked the garde manger station under chef Andrew Zimmerman and learned to break down whole animals and fish. He later trained at Michelin-starred Temporis under chef Troy Jorge, whom he credits as a mentor.
For more than two years, Mlodinow hosted pop-up dinners that grew out of his Chicago apartment gatherings and regularly sold out. Those dinners became the model for Class Act, which he opened with co-founder Shreena Amin in July 2025.
In December 2025, Forbes named Mlodinow to its 2026 30 Under 30 Food & Drink list. The following month, he was named a semifinalist for the 2026 James Beard Award for Emerging Chef.
