Todd Stein
MK | Chicago

Biography
Todd Stein sealed his fate in fifth grade (circa 1979), after a day-long internship at a restaurant kitchen. Right then, he knew he was hungry for more. Years later and three weeks into his culinary studies at Kendall College, he accepted an apprenticeship under legendary chef Keith Korn at Chicago’s Gordon Restaurant. It was also during this time that he had an opportunity to complete a stage at Le Bernardin working under Chef Eric Ripert He followed his schooling with a stint in France, learning to bake bread at Moulin de la Vierge and then came home to open some of Chicago’s hottest restaurants including mk, Spruce, and Hudson Club.

Stein then moved to Cleveland to open and develop three of its most successful restaurants: Piccolo Mondo, Sans Souci and Vivo. His work and the resulting buzz earned him “Rising Star” honors in Restaurant Hospitality magazine and collectively garnered the highest in Zagat ratings and the AAA 4-Diamond award.
Stein’s shared philosophy with mentor Michael Kornick brought him back to Chicago in his current position as Executive Chef at mk, where he was most recently awarded a 2005 Rising Star Award from StarChefs. His cooking at mk is marked by a mix of sophistication and approachability. Together with mk’s great team of chefs, Stein is crafting his most ambitious cuisine to date.