One year in, chef leads to success at Acorn Grill + Terrace in Northbrook

Encouraging his staff to learn and experiment while having a good time in the kitchen is central to Acorn Grill + Terrace Executive Chef Andy Friese's philosophy.

"I like to have fun while working, and I want my employees to have fun," Friese said. "I treat myself as an equal to them. I like to work side-by-side with them and not just delegate. I think they can learn a lot more that way, and it's just a better work environment. You get a little more respect that way."

The 44-year-old veteran chef has brought a host of menu changes, to rave reviews from guests, since he started the job in July 2022. He supervises a staff of eight, including a sous chef, line cooks and dishwashers.

Friese incorporated menu items made from scratch, including salsas, sauces, soups and salad dressings. He eliminated outdated offerings and introduced new and trendier dishes, like a Cuban sandwich, Nashville hot chicken, pork belly burnt ends, kimchi fries and BBQ chicken grilled cheese. He also purchased a smoker, so the restaurant has in-house smoked meats.

"Some of these things were just playing around - making food for ourselves and saying, 'Wow, that's really good!'" he said, smiling.

He brought his personal flair with weekly specials like Taco Tuesdays, which features $3 tacos with a choice of steak, pork or chicken tinga - a vegetarian option is available upon request - along with a mix of cheddar and chihuahua cheeses, chipotle sauce and pico de gallo. Another weekly special features $1 smoked wings on Wednesdays, and a fish fry that will come back on Fridays this winter.

"The specials just took off," he said. "Now we are getting a lot of the lunch crowd for that."

The Acorn Grill + Terrace is on the grounds of the Northbrook Park District's Heritage Oaks Golf Club. The park district contracts with Open Kitchens to run the restaurant that opened in 2021, when new clubhouse construction was completed.

Friese brought "an elevated American cuisine" to the restaurant, said Maureen O'Connor, who worked there as general manager for two years through June. After struggling in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant has boomed this year with a doubling of its non-golfing clientele, she said.

"We are no longer the hidden secret in Northbrook. We have patrons who've been coming here for a long time and are commenting on how excellent the food and the quality are," O'Connor said. "We are now on the map, and I think a good percentage of that has to do with Andy, and his redesign and rework of menus. He's definitely taken his vast experience and knowledge of current industry trends and brought them to the table - no pun intended."

With his calm, self-possessed demeanor, Friese has positively influenced the behind-the-scenes atmosphere of the restaurant, O'Connor added.

"Kitchens can be extremely fast moving and there can be a sense of controlled chaos," she said. "He has a really even-keeled demeanor, and that's super important when everything is happening at the same time."

Annie Ojeda, the current general manager, agreed that customers consistently give positive feedback about the food, particularly on Taco Tuesdays. She described Friese as "an absolute treasure to work with."

"He is a great boss to his staff. He makes it a hard-working, fun atmosphere," she said.

Growing up in LaGrange, Friese's fascination with food preparation was sparked by watching waiters make Caesar salads, tableside, in big wooden bowls. "I did that for 6th grade 'show and tell' with all the ingredients: anchovies, raw eggs. You could never do that in a school nowadays!"

His family later moved to Hawthorn Woods and at 15, Friese got a job as a dishwasher for a small Italian restaurant in Lincolnshire. He moved up to doing deliveries and eventually to cooking food. From the owner, he learned how to make things from scratch, including dough, pizza sauce, meatballs, Italian beef and more.

Still, a culinary career was not yet on Friese's horizon.

He studied criminal justice at Southern Illinois University with the goal of working for the Drug Enforcement Administration or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, he said. "I wanted to knock down doors to drug houses!" he recalled.

Then he transferred to Florida Atlantic University, got a job at a restaurant, and fell in love with the chef's style of cooking. He was hooked, he said. "He made it so fun and effortless; it was really cool," he said. "Also, where else do you get to play with fire and knives all day long?"

Friese came back around 2004 to the Chicago area and attended The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, which was affiliated with Le Cordon Bleu. He worked in catering for Northwestern University, followed by several suburban restaurants with cuisines including Italian and French-Asian fusion. His first job as executive chef was for Marriott Suites in Deerfield.

He also worked as executive chef at Prairie Landing Golf Club in West Chicago and as sous chef at Shoreacres Golf Club in Lake Bluff. In between, he worked for about a year at The Center Club in Baltimore, Maryland, where he relished the opportunity to expand his culinary range, he said. "I wanted to learn about East Coast cooking. The club is half a block from the Chesapeake Bay, where they have great seafood."

Friese said his favorite food is Japanese, and his favorite celebrity chef is Curtis Stone. However, he doesn't have much time to cook his own meals, which tend to be quick and simple, he said.

"A lot of times, I go a whole day without eating. I'm just working, working, working. If I do eat, it's tacos, or I make a salad," he said. "The only time I really cook is for Thanksgiving and Christmas, when I go to my parents'house."

So does he have any tips for cooking turkey? "I brine it for two days minimum," he said. "It makes it so juicy and flavorful. It's amazing what that does."

Friese's goal is to revamp Acorn Grill + Terrace's menu two to three times per year. "It's about giving the guests new options, and to keep us working on new things, so we are not making the same dishes every day," he said. "It's also fun to see what's new and trending."

Throughout it all, he is focused on maintaining a positive environment in the kitchen.

"There are a lot of chefs that are always stressed out and in a bad mood. I just don't want to turn into that kind of chef, or be pretentious," he said."I take people's opinions and I use that to change the food and change the recipes."

For more information about Acorn Grill + Terrace and to view menu options, visit heritageoaksgc.com.

Heritage Oaks Golf Club and Acorn Grill + Terrace are facilities of the Northbrook Park District whose mission is to enhance our community by providing outstanding services, parks and facilities through environmental, social and financial stewardship.