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Executive chef Stephanie Izard is definitely not afraid to take a risk. At the age 27 and with no business partners, she bought a building and opened her first restaurant, the highly acclaimed Scylla. In 2007, Izard earned a spot on Bravo's 'Top Chef' season four, sold her restaurant on the fly, and headed out to film the show nearly the next day.
After winning the show, Izard spent two years traveling, speaking, cooking and promoting her next project, GIRL & THE GOAT, by hosting a series of underground "Wandering Goat" dinners at unsuspected venues around Chicago.
With a sociology degree from the University of Michigan, Izard's unassuming culinary career began at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, and then, working as a line cook at Christopher's Fermier Brasserie in Phoenix. A native of Evanston, Izard moved to Chicago in 2001 and worked her way through some of the most respected kitchens in Chicago - La Tache, Spring, and Vong.
Now, it's come full circle in her personal and culinary life with opening of GIRL & THE GOAT. Inspired from the Izard surname, which is French for the Pyrenean Chamois, a goat antelope found in several mountain ranges, the restaurant has been in the offing for the last couple years and floating through Izard's head throughout her career. "In décor, cuisine and overall spirit, GIRL & THE GOAT is rustic with a bit of badass," says Izard.
In her spare time, Izard is heavily involved with Common Threads, the charity co-founded by Oprah toque and Table Fifty-Two honcho Art Smith that teaches kids about nutrition and healthy cooking, as well as is a big proponent of local farmers and products. Launching her first cookbook in fall 2011, Izard's cooking at her newest venture, GIRL & THE GOAT, has been praised by high-profile publications such as Chicago Tribune, Timout Chicago, Chicago magazine and Chicago Reader.
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