Luke Feltz
Chef de Cuisine, Smyth and The Loyalist | Chicago
September 2021
As a kid, Luke Feltz could often be found binging the Food Network in his Michigan living room. Inspired by the chefs he watched on television, he helped his parents around the kitchen and cooked his own meals at the age of 12. In high school, he cooked part-time at local restaurants then worked his culinary side hustle while earning his degree in globalization studies at Gettysburg College. Even after he graduated and became a White House intern, Feltz continued to cook at a D.C. neighborhood bistro, Boundary Road. It was only when he started a full-time position in nuclear security policy that he left the kitchen.
Feltz’s love for food drew him away from drafting federal policy in 2012, and he returned to Boundary Road as sous chef. In 2015, he took over as executive chef, getting free range of the New American kitchen. Feltz joined José Andrés’ minibar as chef de partie in 2016 and worked his way up to writing menus and directing the chef’s counter as a sous. Feltz briefly left minibar for a six-month stage at Amass Restaurant in Copenhagen, where he reaffirmed his love for hyper-local, sustainable ingredients. After returning to minibar, Feltz met Chef John Shields at an event in 2018. So when he saw a job posting for head chef of Shields’ two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Smyth, Feltz had to apply. Now, he serves as executive chef for Smyth and its more casual, French-inspired sister restaurant, The Loyalist. At both concepts, Feltz creates elaborate, purposeful dishes that often utilize fermentation-forward techniques.
