Missy Robbins
SPIAGGIA | Chicago

Biography
Shortly before graduating from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in 1993, Missy
Robbins turned her passion for food into a career when she took a part-time job at 1789 restaurant. Exposed to the fast-paced environme¬nt of kitchens and fine dining cooking technique, Robbins quickly became addicted to the restaurant world.

In October 1994, she moved to Manhattan where she studied at Peter Kump’s New York School of Cooking (now known as The Institute of Culinary Education.) Upon completing the program, Robbins embarked on an externship at March Restaurant working for renowned Chef Wayne Nish. She then moved on to work for Anne Rosenzweig at Arcadia, where she spent a year and a half honing her skills while learning Anne’s unique American cuisine. In the spring of 1995, a position opened at
March, and Robbins could not resist the opportunity to return to her esteemed training ground, where she stayed for two years before returning to work for Rosenzweig. Robbins helped run the kitchen of the Lobster Club for Rosenzweig for two more years while developing her creative side, sharpening her leadership skills and gaining insight into the business operations of a restaurant.

With a desire to further enhance the breadth of her culinary education, she embarked on an excursion to northern Italy where she worked in three kitchens throughout different regions. Robbins absorbed Italian culture while she worked at small, family-run restaurants and the Guide Michelin- rated Agli Amici in Friuli. As she became intimate with Italian product and cooking, Robbins grew to love the ingredient-driven, simple and regionally inspired food. When she returned to the states, she became the sous chef and then chef de cuisine at the boutique SoHo Grand Hotel. At the SoHo Grand, Robbins was responsible for all day-to-day operations as well as creative menu development.

In 2003, she was lured to Chicago by the opportunity to work at one of the nation’s few four-star Italian restaurants, Spiaggia. Now working with highly acclaimed Chef Tony Mantuano, Robbins has found the perfect opportunity to bring her ardor for Italian cooking to life.