César Murillo
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Current city of residence: Chicago, IL
Occupation/profession: Executive Chef at North Pond
Born in Chihuahua, Mexico and raised in Dallas, Texas, César Murillo was drawn to the hands-on, creative nature of the kitchen from an early age. After graduating from the Texas Culinary Academy, César secured a job in Chicago working under chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless at Frontera Grill and Xoco. Interested in learning more about farming, foraging and using hyper-local ingredients, César went to San Francisco to expand his knowledge of Mexican cuisine at Nopalito and Cocina Latina. After two years, César returned to Chicago, joining the staff of the fine-dining restaurant Grace as a sous chef as they earned three Michelin stars during his tenure.Read More
Hometown: Dallas, Texas
Current city of residence: Chicago, IL
Occupation/profession: Executive Chef at North Pond
Born in Chihuahua, Mexico and raised in Dallas, Texas, César Murillo was drawn to the hands-on, creative nature of the kitchen from an early age. After graduating from the Texas Culinary Academy, César secured a job in Chicago working under chef and restaurateur Rick Bayless at Frontera Grill and Xoco. Interested in learning more about farming, foraging and using hyper-local ingredients, César went to San Francisco to expand his knowledge of Mexican cuisine at Nopalito and Cocina Latina. After two years, César returned to Chicago, joining the staff of the fine-dining restaurant Grace as a sous chef as they earned three Michelin stars during his tenure. After three years, he climbed the culinary ladder and moved to Sepia, where he found his culinary voice. He later became the executive chef at North Pond in 2020. His dishes blend his heritage with the restaurant’s farm-to-table philosophy, using ingredients from his rooftop garden and surrounding nature. When not hiking through nature, you can also catch Chef César running along Lake Michigan, training for the next marathon.