Meet The Team

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Stephen became fascinated with food at a young age. He spent much of his childhood in the kitchen alongside his Filipino grandmother and enjoyed observing and helping prepare authentic home dishes like lumpia. As a teen, he attended a summer program at the Culinary Arts Institute of Los Angeles that his mother insisted he try...and after his first culinary class, Stephen discovered his love for cooking. After completing the Culinary Arts Management program at Los Angeles Mission College, he went on to earn his B.S. from the University of Las Vegas, Nevada (UNLV). As a student at UNLV, Stephen won the title of the San Pellegrino's Almost Famous Chef competition. 

 

He then worked under Chef Jean Georges Vongerichten for 10 years and opened several restaurants domestically and abroad as Corporate Chef for the group. To pursue his dream of opening his own restaurant, Chef Stephen joined Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises’ INTRO, for a chef-in-residence position, preparing him for his first solo venture. Chef Stephen set off on his own, with the debut of S.K.Y. .

 Jelena grew up in Serbia, and holds dear the lessons that she learned from her family and from the rich Serbian culture. Her first industry job was bartending and serving in a small bistro, during her psychology studies in Belgrade, Serbia. When she was 24 years old, Jelena made the decision to move to the United States to continue her psychology studies.

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During her studies, after working in neighborhood restaurants, Jelena thought it was best to reinvest in her pursuit of knowledge in the service industry. This led her to taking a kitchen position at Roister, Grant Achatz’s 1 Michelin Star restaurant in Fulton Market. This time spent in a highly technical and fundamentally driven environment cemented Jelena’s unwavering commitment to refinement and guest experience. 

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Jelena learned that her favorite restaurant, S.K.Y. was hiring a server. She applied, and after meeting the team, Jelena recognized that this was going to provide her an opportunity to, not only expand upon her own knowledge and creativity, but learn how to tailor beverage experiences to a well-rounded meal. Almost a year later,  Jelena’s hard work and dedication was recognized. She became S.K.Y.’s sommelier and General Manager. She left SKY in 2021 to open Stephen’s second restaurant, Apolonia as the Wine and Service Director. Today, she is the Director of Restaurants for SMG Restaurant Group. 

Jeremiah was born and raised in the Philippines with a family that has a natural talent for cooking. In highschool and college, he started competing in cooking competitions. He won every single one of them. This inspired him to immigrate to the United States to pursue his hopes and dreams of being a Chef.  In 2013, he got  his first job as a Commis at WolfGang Puck’s Spago in Colorado. His passion for cooking was fueled by this experience, so without hesitation, he decided to travel from state to state seeking different staging opportunities. 

 

In 2019, he planted his roots in Chicago to work for the Alinea Group where he was able to hone his technical skills. When Chef Stephen Gillanders opened Valhalla in 2022, Jeremiah knew he had found his next home.  He worked his way from Chef de Partie to Executive Sous Chef. After 2 years, he has taken the reins as Chef de Cuisine at Stephen’s flagship restaurant, S.K.Y.

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio Tatum got her start in the culinary world at a very young age, as her first job was at a bakery at the age of 14. She pursued a culinary career by getting her degree in Culinary Arts and Food Science. Once she graduated, she moved to New York City to work in world renowned restaurants, including Jean-Georges, Gabriel Kruether Chocolate, Nunu chocolate, Cacao Prieto Chocolate. Truly dedicated to her craft, Tatum took over 40 stages to learn and further educate herself. 

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After a few years she moved to Chicago to open S.K.Y. with Chef/Owner being Stephen Gillanders. She took on the role of Executive Pastry Chef despite being very young. Tatum took this challenge on confident in the success that would ultimately arise. Three  months into S.K.Y. opening, they won numerous accolades in the city including Best New Restaurant, Best Service, Rising Pastry Chef of the Year. 

Vicente was born and raised in Mexico. He proudly started working at a very early age in nightclubs, where he discovered his natural skill of easily connecting with a diverse array of individuals. Vicente studied Business Administration during his college years, but with hospitality still being his strong suit, he continued to work in the lively night scene he knew and loved. Once he graduated, he worked a corporate office job for many years, but was unsatisfied. He realized that his real passion was in the restaurant industry, so he decided to make a big, bold move.

 

At the age of 32, Vicente immigrated to the United States and landed in Chicago. With the future unknown, he started working in a small Mexican restaurant in Lakeview as a busser. After a few years, he decided to learn how to bartend. It wasn’t long before he became a leader in some of the best restaurants and bars in the city of Chicago. Vicente was able to overcome his adversities and challenges in life by pushing himself to the best in his field, thus growing his career. In 2022, he took a full time bartending position at Apolonia.  He calls this formative moment “his redemption in the industry”. Vicente became the General Manager at Apolonia, and found his footing within the SMG Restaurant Group. In the spring of 2024, Vicente took over as General Manager at S.K.Y. in Pilsen.