The Reluctant Empire Builder: Lee Wolen’s Unexpected Path

15 Minute read

28 Oct 2025

Writer

The Michelin-starred Chicago chef reflects on growth, mentorship, and finding balance between fine dining and fried chicken.

Every few months, chef Lee Wolen reviews the printed menus from his growing restaurant empire. The ritual happens quarterly: a stack of papers representing five concepts spanning Chicago, Florida, and soon Nashville. He flips through them with a mix of pride and disbelief.

“Never did I dream I would have this dynamic of a business,” Wolen says. “I always thought I'd move back to Cleveland and have one great restaurant there one day.”

Instead, Wolen has become a veteran presence within one of Chicago’s most prominent restaurant groups. His journey reveals the unexpected path of a chef who once imagined a more relaxed way of life.

“I always wanted the simple life, and I chose the complete opposite,” Wolen admits. “I thought I'd be a chef in a smaller market and I would fish a lot.”

Yes, he still goes fishing (a lifelong passion) and plays basketball (though not as much as he used to). But in place of that simple life, Wolen now leads a small empire that continues to grow within the Boka Restaurant Group (BRG), all the while influencing, training, and mentoring younger cooks to become leaders.

The Veteran’s Advantage

As one of BRG’s longest-tenured chefs, Wolen has watched the organization expand from a handful of concepts to nearly 30 restaurants across Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, with other acclaimed chef-partners ranging from Stephanie Izard to Michael Solomonov. That growth, Wolen argues, benefits more than just the bottom line.

“It’s cool to be part of a group that maybe had 10 restaurants and now there are 20-plus in different cities,” he says. “It shows how longevity in a group pays off and how a team of people working together can have growth.”

While independent restaurants remain essential to the culinary landscape, Wolen defends the group model against its critics.

“What BRG has done for stability and quality of life is important,” Wolen says. “A small portion of the world looks at the ‘big bad group,’ but there's room for everyone. It’s not just for financial growth but also for people in the company to grow. It doesn't mean we're not independent minds.”

The true value, he insists, lies in creating pathways for staff advancement. Growing his culinary footprint, exploring new cuisines, and entering new markets doesn’t just benefit Wolen. The chefs who have trained under him have moved into higher roles and now expand with the company as it grows. Line cooks have become chefs de cuisine and will soon lead kitchens in new cities as restaurants open.

Boka’s Balancing Act

At its core, Boka remains Wolen’s fine dining flagship, though he is careful not to define it too narrowly. “To me, the vision of Boka has always been a neighborhood-feeling restaurant that really is made for all occasions,” he explains. “I never wanted it to be only a tasting menu.”

That means having a restaurant with a boisterous bar where you can enjoy a glass of wine and a pasta appetizer, settle into the dining room for a tasting menu for two, or celebrate a 50th anniversary and spend $3,000.

“We've always been the approachable, non-approachable restaurant in the city,” he says. “It’s always been meant to be a neighborhood restaurant that makes you feel a little fancier.”

That positioning comes with its own pressures. Maintaining a Michelin star for more than a decade creates certain expectations, though Wolen seems unfazed. “We cook at such a high level for a semi-casual restaurant I would be blown away if Michelin took away the star,” he says. “But do I think about whether losing it would be a disaster? Yes.”

Yet he acknowledges the greater demands of fine dining and admits that maintaining a restaurant of this caliber comes with its stresses. New places open constantly, and awards committees are always seeking the next big thing. That means balancing consistency with keeping things fresh.

“Boka is stressful,” Wolen admits. “You’re constantly looking at things you can change in the dining room—new flowers, china, silverware, making the bar program cooler.”

Yet across his restaurants, Wolen’s culinary approach remains consistent: elevating humble ingredients with technical precision. “To me, it’s about very clean, simple flavors,” he says. “We take humble ingredients and make them interesting.”

Evolving Beyond Fine Dining

After years of focusing on Boka’s refined cuisine, Wolen has embraced more casual concepts with enthusiasm. The shift reflects a common trajectory among chefs at his level. “After 12 years of making the same style of food as a chef, you do yearn for more,” he admits. “I have cooked a lot of fancy food for a long time, and fine dining chefs want to cook casual food.”

This creative restlessness led to the casual yet refined Italian spot Alla Vita; GG’s Chicken Shop (named after his mother), known for some of Chicago’s best fried and rotisserie chicken—the ranch fried chicken sandwich is a standout—and now Zarella, a pizzeria that opened in March 2025 with chef Chris Pandel, featuring tavern-style and artisan pizzas.

“I eat a lot of pizza, and I think it's fun to branch out and do things that you enjoy and are good at,” Wolen says. “People didn’t see me opening a pizzeria, but I like having different concepts and being more dynamic than serving fancy food. And it’s less stressful.”

Whether overhearing guests enjoying a meal or receiving a compliment directly, this culinary diversity energizes Wolen. “It’s very rewarding walking into different restaurants and hearing guests say it was the best meal,” he says. “I get texts from people that it’s the best chicken sandwich, and that’s a great feeling.”

An Unexpected Venture in Florida

Wolen’s newest venture takes him beyond Chicago to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he recently opened Elliott Aster in partnership with the Glazer family, owners of the Manchester United soccer club and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Not too shabby.

The connection came somewhat unexpectedly. The Glazers live in Chicago a few months of the year, yet Wolen had never met them. They weren’t regulars at Boka or old friends from his days at the Peninsula or Eleven Madison Park in New York. One day, they approached him at GG’s, said they had bought the Vinoy Hotel, and asked if he would consider doing a restaurant there. It was an opportunity that simply felt right—a bit of kismet.

“I go down there every year for spring break with the kids,” he says. “It’s a beautiful hotel on the water, and I fish out of there.”

Even though Elliott Aster features wood-fired steaks, handmade pasta, and a signature antipasti bar, it all comes back to fish. It always comes back to fish with Wolen.

The Mentor’s Mindset

Despite expanding, opening new restaurants, and overseeing roughly 25 managers across his properties, Wolen remains deeply involved in culinary development while focusing on mentorship.

“I think being a mentor and coach is my biggest role,” he says, referring to the younger staff he has trained. “They were all cooks for me, and now they run everything.”

His approach emphasizes continuous improvement and attention to detail. He trains his team to share his vision of simplicity and balance, and to develop a keen eye for noticing the little things—qualities Wolen himself possesses and strives to pass along. He also pushes his team to embrace challenges and constantly ask whether they can do something better. Resting on laurels is not part of Wolen’s philosophy.

“You see things most people don’t see when you walk into a kitchen or a cooler,” he says. “It’s a skill you can teach. That’s what makes people great at their job—not just doing it, but questioning everything. I tell people not to become complacent and to question everything they’re doing.”

Boka Caviar Egg Dish.

Staying Focused Amid the Growth

Managing multiple restaurants across different cities would overwhelm many chefs, but Wolen maintains a remarkable balance.

“I think I have a pretty solid mind,” he says. “It takes a certain person, and it’s not for everybody. I’m pretty level-headed and normal. I don’t drink alcohol or do drugs. I’m very focused on my career, my family, and myself. That’s what I make time for.”

Despite his expanding responsibilities, he remains hands-on. He lives near Boka, visits daily, and generally stays through the start of service before heading to his other restaurants. His routines keep him grounded.

“I play a lot of basketball; that keeps my mind fresh,” Wolen says.

As for what’s next, Wolen says he would love to move into an entirely different culinary arena but doesn’t feel equipped for it, even though it represents some of his favorite food.

“I’d like to open a Chinese restaurant, but I don’t know how to cook that food,” he admits with a laugh. “I would never do that, though. But a noodle house would be cool.”

Never say never.

The Chef

Michelin-starred chef Lee Wolen helms Chicago’s acclaimed Boka and a growing restaurant portfolio, blending fine dining expertise with approachable creativity while mentoring the next generation of American culinary talent.

28 Oct 2025

1 Michelin Star Restaurants

Food Awards

Michelin Guides