Daisies Awarded Chicago’s Only Michelin Green Star For Second Year
A collective exhale rippled through Chicago last night as Michelin unveiled the 2024 Star and Bib Gourmand awards.
While these awards often spark a blend of excitement, criticism, and even some disdain, there’s one particular designation I hope to see more of in the years to come.
For the second year in a row, Daisies has earned a Michelin Green Star for its unwavering commitment to sustainable practices. This makes Daisies the only Chicago restaurant with this designation and one of just 291 restaurants globally to be recognized.
Michelin defines the Green Star as an award given to restaurants “at the top of their game” when it comes to sustainable practices. Inspectors evaluate several factors, including the provenance of ingredients, the use of seasonal produce, and a restaurant’s environmental footprint. Other criteria include food waste systems, recycling efforts, and the overall resource management—even how well a restaurant communicates its sustainability efforts to guests.
At Daisies, this commitment is front and center. A visit to the restaurant’s website greets you with a pop-up that sums up their mission:
“Here at Daisies, we strive to provide the optimal experience not only for our wonderful guests, but for our dedicated employees. We devote tremendous energy to serving food and beverages comprised of the best ingredients, making as much from scratch as possible and sourcing the balance from ethically responsible purveyors. And we practice what we preach. A 25% service charge is applied to all full service dine-in checks to ensure our deserving staff members receive equitable pay and benefits. Thank you for supporting fair compensation for industry employees.”
This transparent approach to both sustainability and employee compensation sets Daisies apart. The restaurant’s devotion to local purveyors is central to its identity—particularly its close relationship with Frillman Farms, which is owned by Tim Frillman, brother of Joe Frillman, the executive chef and owner of Daisies.
In the kitchen, seasonal ingredients reign supreme. But it’s the restaurant’s creative use of produce by-products that push their sustainability commitments to the next level. Through in-house fermentation experiments, the team finds innovative ways to incorporate everything from vegetable scraps to mushrooms into unassuming places. The bar program stands out, with inventive uses like fermented mushrooms in the Mushroom Margarita 2.0.
For a similar recipe — check out the Mushroom Sour recipe Daisies contributed to the fall issue.
Daisies is also committed to educating consumers about the importance of sustainability in dining — in part due to the resistance of service charges and the rising cost of dining out.
The restaurant hosts regular panel discussions that focus on sustainable practices in the industry. One recent event, “Tackling Holiday Food Waste: Sustainability in the Kitchen,” brought together a diverse group of chefs, industry experts, and advocates. The discussion, moderated by Ashok Selvam of Eater, featured panelists like Norman Fenton (Cariño), Mariya Moore (Connie’s Underground), and Paul Virant (Vistro Prime, Gaijin), among others.
Daisies exemplifies how restaurants can integrate sustainability into every aspect of their operations—no small feat in an industry where such practices can be challenging to implement. But as curiosity for responsible dining options grows, their Green Star isn’t just a recognition—it’s a challenge for others to follow.
