Chef/Partner Danny Grant, the two MICHELIN star force behind Chicago-based Maple Hospitality Group, has earned a reputation for redefining experiential hospitality with his chef-driven concepts across the country. From the country’s highest grossing steakhouse brand Maple & Ash to Dallas’ refined sake-cocktail lounge Kessaku and wood-fired Italian hotspot Monarch, Grant is a master curator of modern, one-of-a-kind dining experiences. A classically trained French chef who has manned kitchens across the globe, Grant rose to the spotlight while working at Chicago’s North Pond and NoMI before becoming executive chef of the city’s RIA and Balsan Restaurants at the former Elysian Hotel, where he earned two MICHELIN stars in back to back years (2011-2012) – the youngest chef to do so, as well as Food and Wine’s 2012 Best New Chef. In 2015, Grant set out to build his own restaurant empire with the birth of Chicago’s Maple & Ash, helping propel the concept to one of the most well-regarded brands in the country and cementing his position as both a culinary savant and a savvy businessman. It is under his leadership that MHG’s concepts have become pillars within their markets across Chicago, Scottsdale, and Dallas – and with growth into new regions like Miami and beyond, Grant is full steam ahead on continuing to shape the group’s sought-after culinary experiences and in turn, revolutionizing the world of hospitality.