Brian Ahern
Boeufhaus | Chicago
October 2019
Brian Ahern has always followed his intuition, like when he left College of Charleston to cook professionally. Following advice from his father to avoid hefty culinary school loans and to work for the best in the business, Ahern went straight to David Burke’s kitchens, cooking his way up to sous chef and executive sous positions at several restaurants within the David Burke Group.
In 2010, Ahern moved on to work at Chef Scott Conant’s Scarpetta in South Beach, and after a year of pasta immersion, he helped open DB Bistro Moderne in Miami as sous chef. It was at Daniel Boulud’s southernmost outpost that he met his future business partner, Jamie Finnegan. The two (and their wives) had tired of Miami and chose Finnegan’s hometown of Chicago to strike out on their own.
They found a 100-year-old butcher shop and restaurant on the border of Ukrainian Village. The space and neighborhood dictated to Ahern and Finnegan what their concept would become: a brasserie and German beer garden with killer beef sandwiches to round out a full and fine dinner service. Relatively quietly, Boeufhaus opened in spring 2015 and received two stars in The Chicago Tribune by the fall. In a 2016 review, The New York Times called Boeufhaus “inspired,” “exceptional,” “high-spirited,” and “delicious.” As Boeufhaus comes into its own, Ahern sees the restaurant as a platform for his team to grow, and he plans on opening more concepts to support their dreams in the years to come.
2019 StarChefs Chefs Congress Presenter
2018 Chicago Rising Stars Award Winner
