The Story

HB Home Bistro is a charming storefront BYOB restaurant, or for Executive Chef/Owner Joncarl Lachman, who embraces his Dutch heritage, an "eetcafe" in Holland, which he describes as, "an unpretentious, cozy and comfortable cafe." No matter how you classify it, HB Home Bistro is the quintessential neighborhood restaurant.

HB Home Bistro's first incarnation was a restaurant owned by The Hearty Boys. Lachman ran the stoves then, along with now chef-de-cuisine David Cooper, serving up his unique takes on cuisine from the very beginning. He purchased the restaurant from the former owners in January 2007 and opened his own operation straight away.

Lachman says, "It has always been a dream to own my own restaurant, but it had to be the kind where I could cook all the food and greet guests and have some fun. After all, many people say this is a hard business, but I think it doesn't have to be if you are in it for the right reasons." Now Lachman concentrates on running the front of the house, jumping back into the kitchen to help out on occasion.

While a number of Lachman’s Dutch mainstays remain, Cooper’s heritage - British born/southern US raised - is seen throughout the menu. The two cultures do not clash, as both cooks approach classic bistro food with similar respect - honest, fresh flavors and locally-sourced products – described as food your grandmother would have made if she went to culinary school. .

David Cooper was born in Fowlmere, England and raised in Tennessee and Kentucky. He graduated from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington where he studied creative writing and literature and began his culinary career in the entry level position of "dish dog". Several moves and a few years later Cooper worked as "kitchen manager" at a small cafe in Savannah, Georgia called Good Eats. It was here that Cooper began to explore his connection to the food and culture of the southern U.S. Cooper was also raised on some of the traditional English recipes that his parents cooked in their family home. It is the crossroads of these two food cultures that define his current culinary palette.

After moving to Chicago in 2004 and briefly working as a bbq "pitmaster", good fortune landed Cooper at a storefront byob on Halsted named HB...a hearty boys spot, where he began working as a "garde manger" and "line cook". After the restaurant name and ownership change, Cooper's culinary skill and vision took shape under the free spirited and knowing guidance of Chef Joncarl Lachman. Cooper also had the benefit of working again with his close friend Dennis Bernard. Cooper is a published author, bring him beer and sandwiches.

A graduate of New York's acclaimed Institute of Culinary Education, Lachman came to the restaurant with over eighteen years of food and wine experience throughout the world. Prior to HB, Chef Joncarl served as Executive Chef of the Andersonville gourmet bistro and grocery Urban Epicure. When in New York, he worked at Inside Restaurant in Greenwich Village, alongside Anne Rosenzweig, the influential chef credited with marrying haute cuisine with traditional American home cooking. In Washington D.C., Joncarl worked with Nora Pouillon at Restaurant Nora, one of the country's most influential organic restaurants.

Chef Lachman draws his inspiration from his extensive travels throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and North America. Additionally, his Dutch heritage finds its way into most every menu he produces, a bi-product of his annual trip to Amsterdam and its delicious "eetcafes." He has also lived in Spain and the United Kingdom. In 2002, Chef Joncarl won the San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef contest at Charlie Palmer's Aureole in Las Vegas. He has previously won the Tool Jam Competition at the Calphalon Center in Chicago. His recipes have been featured in Food and Wine, Food Arts, and Plate.