JOE FLAMM
James Beard Award-nominee Joe Flamm is the Chef/Owner of Day Off Group, overseeing Chicago restaurant stalwarts Rose Mary, il Carciofo, Bar Tutto and BLVD Steakhouse. Born and raised on Chicago’s Southside, Joe is a veteran of some of the city’s most prominent and Michelin-starred kitchens, and winner of Bravo’s Top Chef season 15.
Joe received his culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu and then went on to work alongside some of Chicago's most renowned chefs, including Stephanie Izard at Girl and the Goat, Art Smith at Table Fifty-Two, and Bill Kim at bellyQ. In 2014, Joe joined James Beard Award-winning Chef Tony Mantuano to become Chef de Cuisine at Michelin-starred Spiaggia and Café Spiaggia, eventually becoming Executive Chef in 2015. While at Spiaggia, Joe competed on Top Chef 15 in Colorado, going on to win his season.
After helming the Spiaggia kitchen for 6 years, Joe opened his debut restaurant, Rose Mary, with Day Off Group in Chicago’s Fulton Market District in April 2021. Named for Joe’s grandmothers, Mary and Mary Rose, the restaurant is inspired by his Italian heritage and the bold, bright flavors of Croatian cuisine.
In 2022, Joe became Culinary Director of Day Off Group, taking over the food program at the group’s first restaurant, BLVD Steakhouse, while continuing to oversee all aspects of the Rose Mary kitchen. In December 2024, Joe and Day Off Group unveiled il Carciofo, a Roman Italian concept inspired by the restaurants and markets in one of their favorite cities, Rome. They went on to open Bar Tutto, an all-day Italian café and restaurant, in Chicago’s Fulton Market District in December 2025.
In June 2025, Joe and James Beard-nominated Chef Adrienne Cheatham started The Chefs Cut, a culinary podcast that in February 2026 ranked as the number one Food podcast on Apple Podcasts in the US, and number four in the Arts category overall.
In January 2026, Joe and Day Off Group were nominated for a James Beard Award in the highly competitive and coveted ‘Outstanding Restaurateur’ category.
Day Off GroupJoe has partnered in a multitude of capacities with numerous companies and brands such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Verizon, Bulgari, Harry & David, Ferrari Trento, San Pellegrino, Cayman Jack, Miller High Life, The National Football League (NFL), Wells Fargo, NBCUniversal, The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Toast Inc., Asana, Paylocity, ADP, and more. He has also made countless broadcast appearances, including Top Chef, Top Chef Juniors, Top Chef Amateurs, Beat Bobby Flay, The Dish with Kish, Guy Fieri’s Tournament of Champions, Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Games, Grudge Match, The Rachael Ray Show, Watch What Happens Live, The Today Show, CBS' The Dish, and more.