Chef John Shields' Smyth restaurant in Chicago earns third Michelin star
CHICAGO (CBS) -- There are only 140 three-star Michelin restaurants around the globe – and on Tuesday night, a Chicago restaurant earned its place on that list.
As CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot reported, it was Chef John Shields' passion that created the restaurant, Smyth, in the West Loop.
Shields described the moment of this big reveal at Spring Studios in New York Tuesday night - When he and his wife, Chef Karen Urie Shields, learned their Chicago restaurant, Smyth, received a very distinguished honor.
We spoke to Shields just hours after he returned to Chicago.
"The feeling right now is complete shock," Shields said. "Hasn't really set in yet."
Shields opened the restaurant, on the ground floor at 177 N. Ada St., with his wife in 2016. A year later, the restaurant received two Michelin stars.
Now, they have the Michelin Guide's highest honor of three stars.
"I think the first thing you think when you get it should be elation and happiness," Shields said. "It was all those things, but it was also quickly like, 'I've got a lot of work to do now.'"
Shields got his start in culinary school, in St. Louis. He dreamed of working for renowned Chef Charlie Trotter, and he would go on to train under the late chef.
"His original cookbooks inspired me to do what I do now. Once I saw the pages, once I saw the food, it was like a lightning bolt. I knew it – my future," Shields said. "But you never imagine this."
Shields also worked as a chef at Alinea, 1723 N. Halsted St., with famed chef Grant Achatz.
Shields said his passion for the creative process, and reinventing his craft with his team constantly, is what drives him.
Le Mignot: "You were working for a restaurant that has three Michelin stars, and now, you put your heart and soul into Smyth – and now you have that."
Shields: "Yeah. It's incredible. I wouldn't be without (Achatz) – that's for sure."
After working at Charlie Trotter and Alinea, Shields and his wife moved to Virginia and took over a restaurant in Smyth County. The restaurant did well, and that is why they named the Chicago restaurant Smyth.
Shields says Smyth is known for its American cuisine – with a "Smyth" experience described as "a narrative of John and Karen's journey through Smyth County, Virginia," and a Chef's Table experience where chefs serve and explain each course.
Among the items served at Smyth is a licorice egg yolk dessert.
"It's a little jarring at first, but people go nuts over it," Shields said.
Then there's the Dungeness crab, and the whole roasted duck glazed with duck toffee.
"It's not really sweet," Shields explained. It's actually savory toffee."
He says his passion for the creative process and reinventing his craft with his team, constantly, is what drives him each day. Clearly, it's working.