Danny Grant
Chef/Managing Partner
A Long Island native, Chef Danny Grant began cooking at a young age with his family in New York. Currently, 41, he moved to Chicago in his early twenties and began cooking for 2003 food & wine best new chef, Bruce Sherman, at North Pond. After five years as the Chef de Cuisine at North Pond, Chef Grant left to cook abroad in Paris and Italy and to attend the French Pastry school to hone his skills. Chef Grant’s classic French training and forward-thinking vision work in concert to consistently turn out elegant dishes with sharply focused flavors.
Upon returning to Chicago, he served as sous chef for Nomi restaurant; but, his career took off in 2009, when he became executive chef for Ria and Balsan restaurants at the former Elysian Hotel. During his tenure there, his French bistro inspired menus earned him Food & Wine’s “2012 Best New Chef” award.
In 2011, and then again in 2012, Chef Grant earned two Michelin stars making him the youngest US chef (at the time) to be awarded this prestigious accolade. While at Ria, he also earned a perfect four-star review from the Chicago Tribune and Chicago magazine. After his tenure at Ria, Danny opened 1826 in Miami, earning the Best New Miami Restaurant in 2013.
Returning back to Chicago in 2015, Danny joined the predecessor to Maple Hospitality Group, as Chef and partner. His creative vision and operations expertise have created an award-winning portfolio of brands including Maple & Ash, Monarch, and Kessaku. In 2021, Monarch was hailed as Best New Restaurant by the Dallas Morning News. The growing hospitality company currently has the top performing restaurants in Chicago, Scottsdale, and Dallas.
Chef Grant always encourages a fun, lively atmosphere in both the kitchen and the dining room and is often found mingling with guests throughout dinner service.
Jim Lasky
Managing Partner
Jim’s vision and day-to-day operational expertise have led to the creation of a national restaurant company. For over 30 years, Jim has been a fixture in the Chicago restaurant and bar scene. Starting in 1985 with the original Hunt Club in Lincoln Park, Jim has created some of the hottest bars in the city. Jim’s well known ability to spot enduring, successful locations has been one of the keys to the growth of the company. The relocated The Hunt Club in the Gold Coast is the site of the Maple & Ash flagship restaurant in Chicago.
Since then, Jim has been one of the leaders of Maple Hospitality Group bringing operational savvy to define and implement the concepts he, Danny Grant and team have created.
Matt Winn
Chief Development Officer
Known for his abilities to take ideas from concept through operating execution, Matt has been a trusted partner in the growth, operations and development at Maple Hospitality Group. Prior to his work with the MHG team, he was the Chief Operating Officer of Olshan Properties and the Global Retail COO at Cushman & Wakefield, and a partner at Starwood Capital Group.
Throughout his distinguished career, Matt has dedicated his time to working with the foremost brands in retail, hospitality, residential and commercial property on four continents and in over 20 countries on strategy, operations, business development and recruiting.
