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Leadership: Executive chef and partner Paul Kahan, Partners Donnie Madia, Terry Alexander, Eduard Seitan and Peter Garfield
HQ: Chicago
Sales: not provided
Concepts: Avec, Big Star (2 units), Blackbird, Cafe Cancale, Dove’s Luncheonette, The Laurel Room, Pacific Standard Time, The Publican, Publican Quality Bread, Publican Quality Meats, Publican Tavern, The Violet Hour
For more than 20 years, the team led by chef Paul Kahan and partner Donnie Madia has been a leading influence on the Chicago dining scene, from the fine-dining Blackbird to the warm and boisterous Publican concepts to the sprawling Big Star taquerías and beyond.
The group’s name comes from the fact that, despite the two Big Star locations and the multiple concepts under the Publican moniker, they see each restaurant as a unique restaurant unto itself.
“One Off Hospitality was built just one restaurant at a time,” Madia said in an email, starting with Blackbird, and then followed by Avec next door, “which was an important factor as it allowed us to be available to our staff, our guests and be present during service.”
Madia and Kahan were born and raised in Chicago and worked their way up the ranks in that city’s restaurant community. Partner Terry Alexander came to Chicago to study at Northwestern University and opened his first restaurant, Mia Francesca, with a Chicago native.
“With Terry’s expertise we decided to branch out into the cocktail world before anyone else in our beautiful city, and with that, The Violet Hour was born in 2007,” Madia said, paving the way for the vibrant mixology scene that Chicago has today.
After The Publican and Big Star opened, the partners saw a need for corporate infrastructure and formed One Off Hospitality.
The group has continued to focus on the neighborhoods they know best, Wicker Park and the West Loop.
“We are now branching out into other neighborhoods, such as Wrigleyville and River North,” Madia said, “but it’s important to know our demographic/clientele and what moves them in the world of food/beverage/service and genuine hospitality.”
As the group continues to grow, Madia said it’s important for the leaders to continue to make themselves available to staff and customers.
“Any one of the business partners can be at any of our restaurants in 10 minutes to lend an extra hand, say hello to a guest or otherwise,” he said. “We believe that this has created great advantages for our organization.”
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