PATRICK CONCANNON
Ottimo chef-owner, Patrick Concannon started his culinary journey in 1984, working in the kitchen of the ground-breaking Gordon restaurant in the River North neighborhood of Chicago, under the direction of Chef Mikeal Kornik. It was there he decided to make culinary arts his career.
Concannon packed his bags and moved to the island of Maui to work as part of the opening team of the Westin Hotel on Kaanapali Beach. There he worked under the direction of Chef Hans Loschl where he perfected his classical cooking techniques.
After three years, it was time for a culinary odyssey to Europe. In France, Concannon worked in the acclaimed Provence La Bon Etape. After a year, he returned stateside to continue exploring his culinary skills; first, at the acclaimed St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco and then the Four Seasons Hotel in Newport Beach, California as Chef de Cuisine of the Pavilion restaurant.
In 1990, Concannon moved back to Chicago to help good friend and world-renowned chef, Charlie Trotter, with his newly opened restaurant as sous chef. Concannon then took over the kitchen of Don Juan restaurant and gained national recognition as an innovator of Modern Mexican Cuisine.
Eight years later, Concannon opened Chicago’s Fahrenheit restaurant to rave reviews, and was recognized as one of Chicago’s leaders in Modern American cooking. Highly sought-after for his exceptional culinary and business acumen, Concannon was approached by Francesca’s Scott Harris, to help him expand his Italian restaurants, train the kitchens, and develop new menu items for his growing company.
In 2008, Concannon opened a small Italian eatery named Osteria Ottimo in Orland Park, Ill. Ottimo specializes in simple rustic food prepared with the highest quality, fresh ingredients raised and grown by local farms specifically for the restaurant.
LACO SEEBER
Laco Seeber earned his culinary pedigree at restaurants around the world. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Seeber cut his teeth on the art of Italian cooking in restaurants throughout Argentina; well known for its large Italian population. He then decided to move to Chicago and continue to hone his culinary skills at several top-notch eateries, including CocoPazzo.
In 2002, Seeber was hired by the Francesca’s Restaurant Group to help in the development and launch of new restaurants, recipes, and cooks. Chef Seeber opened Francesca’s Forno in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago to high acclaim, having earned a three-star rating by the Chicago Tribune. It wasn’t long after he was invited to join the Corporate Chef Team of the Francesca’s Group.
Chef Seeber moved to San Diego, Calif. in 2011, to head the opening of Davanti Enoteca, which was recognized by Bon Appétit magazine as one the 50 best restaurants in the Nation.
After some much needed time off, Seeber joined forces with Chef Patrick Concannon to open Osteria Ottimo in Orland Park, Illinois, a Chicago southwestern suburb, where he oversees the kitchen.
Chef Laco’s culinary expertise and straightforward approach to food using high-quality, fresh ingredients has earned him spots on every “foodie” show in the market. “The better the ingredients, the better your dish is going to taste.”