ANDREW ZIMMERMAN • Chef Partner
Andrew Zimmerman is the Chef Partner at nationally acclaimed Sepia and Proxi. In his 20s, while following a life-long dream to become a musician, Zimmerman supported himself by working in restaurants in New York City. When he realized he enjoyed being in the kitchen more than the clubs, Zimmerman began to pursue a career as a professional cook. He worked as sous chef for three years under Renato Sommella, whom he cites as one of his strongest culinary mentors. He then enrolled in the prestigious French Culinary Institute in New York City, graduating first in his class in 2000. Zimmerman made the move to Chicago in 2003 to assume a chef position at the Park Hyatt Chicago. In 2008, he was introduced to Sepia Owner Emmanuel Nony, and the following year, he joined Sepia as the executive chef. In addition to culinary recognition from the James Beard Foundation and Michelin, the chef has been honored for his community involvement. Zimmerman is excited to grow his culinary vision with the opening of Proxi. At Proxi, Chef Zimmerman has a chance to experiment with new techniques and flavor profiles as the contemporary American restaurant pulls inspiration from global street food. When he’s not in the kitchens of Proxi or Sepia, he can be found traveling with his family — and finding culinary inspiration all along the way.
AMELIA SEWALL • Chef de Cuisine
Amelia Sewall has been with Proxi since its opening day, but her connection to the restaurant and Sepia next door goes back further, to her 16th birthday.
Even then, she wanted to be a chef. For her birthday dinner, Sewall’s parents left it to her to choose a fine-dining restaurant. She was excited to learn in her research that the Michelin-starred Sepia accepted interns, and while they ended up dining elsewhere that night, she eventually got that internship—and first job—at Sepia.
A Gurnee native and Kendall College alum, Sewall joined Sepia as a prep cook in 2013 and over the next two years moved between various stations, gaining experience under the mentorship of Chef Partner Andrew Zimmerman. She then joined Parachute and immersed herself in Chef Beverly Kim’s Korean-American style of cuisine. In 2016, craving a break from the hot line, she got a job in the pastry program at Publican Quality Bread, where she learned alongside another mentor, Pastry Chef Dana Cree.
It was during that time that Chef Zimmerman reached out to Sewall about reuniting at Proxi with her as sous chef, and that they did in 2017. She was promoted to her current role in early 2019. Proxi’s border-blurring approach affords Sewall endless room for creatively incorporating her love of Asian flavors and ingredients.
Off hours, you might find her making mini clay plants, having a drink at Estereo in Logan Square or searching for the next great sandwich shop.
EMMANUEL NONY • Managing Partner
Emmanuel Nony is the consummate hospitality professional. Raised in the French countryside by parents who were true bon vivants, they passed their love of good food and entertaining down to their son. After attending culinary school, Nony fixed his sights on the front of the house, transitioning to the service side from the kitchen — and hasn’t looked back. Nony played an integral role at the Hyatt Hotel Group for sixteen years, working at several of their properties around the world including Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, Grand Hyatt Seoul, Hyatt Regency Fukuoka and Park Hyatt Tokyo. Returning to the States, his next opportunity within the company was to open the highly-anticipated Park Hyatt Chicago and its restaurant, NoMI. Having fallen in love with the Windy City, Nony decided to put down roots here and opened Sepia followed by Private Dining by Sepia. Nony is thrilled to continue to build upon his quarter city block with the opening of Proxi, where many of the flavors and techniques from his travels abroad are showcased.
ALEX RING • Wine Director
Alex Ring brings over 5 years of experience as a sommelier to his new role as Wine Director at Sepia and PROXI. He received his Advanced Sommelier accreditation from the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2017, for which he was awarded the prestigious Rudd Scholarship. He has competed in national sommelier competitions and his writing has been featured on Guildsomm.com.
He comes to Sepia and PROXI by way of renowned Michelin restaurants, most recently from two Michelin-starred Oriole in Chicago. Prior to that, he was a sommelier at one-starred Spiaggia in Chicago and two-starred Lazy Bear in San Francisco.
Speaking on his philosophy for wine, Alex remarks, “For me, wine is as much about people as it is about what's in the glass. It doesn't matter how much someone knows about wine — we all bring our own unique personal experiences and intuitions to the table, and I love to celebrate that! My goal as a sommelier is to offer an approachable presence, encourage people to be open to new experiences, and make sure everyone is having a great time.”
The wine lists at Sepia and PROXI feature wines from every corner of the world, and Alex looks to highlight even more diversity by offering wines made by people with less traditional winemaking backgrounds. Alex loves sharing his knowledge of wine with people of all different experience levels and backgrounds, and he looks forward to connecting guests with the people who make the wine they drink.
JESS SANDBERG • Head Bartender
Jess Sandberg’s passion for cocktails ignited in Salt Lake City, where she was bartending part-time while attending the University of Utah. After falling for the craft, she left school to pursue the career full-time.
Working in a private club in Salt Lake City, Jess developed an appreciation for fine dining and moved on to help open Under Current Bar, training with the venerable Amy Eldredge, who helped revitalize the local craft cocktail scene. Jess worked her way up the ranks at Under Current, earning the role of manager. Since making her mark behind the bar, Jess competed in three Speed Rack competitions, becoming the first competitor in Utah to make it to the national stage in 2017.
In 2018, Jess moved to Chicago where she worked at The Walk In, a neighborhood cocktail bar in Logan Square, before joining the Michelin-recognized team at Proxi. Her philosophy for cocktail making is straightforward: she doesn’t like to overcomplicate drinks, and instead works to ensure each ingredient is well-represented in each drink on her list.
As a new Chicago resident, Jess enjoys spending her days off exploring the city. She enjoys checking out museums and entertaining at home.
ERIN KOBLER • Pastry Chef
Erin Kobler comes from a hospitality family and has always been drawn to pastry. As one of six children, her father once owned a small restaurant in Mt. Prospect. She credits her parents as two of the most hospitable people that fostered her development because, “no matter how many mistakes I made or how badly I burnt something, my dad would always tell me, “that’s extra flavor,” Kobler remarked.
She first knew she wanted to work in pastry when she saw shows like “Ace of Cakes” on television, but found there was so much more to her craft. She took her interests to Kendall College and earned her bachelor's degree in Culinary Entrepreneurship with an associates in Baking and Pastry.
After Kendall, she spent five years working for Boka Restaurant Group with a majority of that time spent at Bellemore. She started as a cook, then became pastry sous chef and then she followed her training to run Bellemore’s pastry program by the end of a three-year period. Under Chef Jimmy Papadopoulos’ wing at Bellemore, she grew into herself as a pastry chef. Bellemore allowed Kobler her first foray into fine dining and extensive tasting menus. She was able to develop her style and transform into the chef she is today.
When it comes to dessert, her favorite thing to make and eat is ice cream, which is right up the creative alleys of Sepia and PROXI. She finds it to be a fun way to incorporate and surprise with flavors. Her goal is to have guests leave the restaurant awestruck with the inventiveness of Sepia and PROXI’s robust and worldly menus.
“I have the opportunity to showcase my own style while collaborating on a fun, cohesive meal with incredibly talented chefs from start to finish,” said Kobler.
In her off time, Kobler can be found exploring local coffee shops and biking along the lakefront.
SAMANTHA GREENE • Accounting Manager
Anyone with a keen appreciation of fine dining understands that accounting and human resources are critical to any successful operation.
Accounting Manager Samantha Greene has devoted herself to the success of some of the city’s finest restaurants for nearly a decade. In her current role at Sepia and Proxi, Samantha oversees the daily operations of the accounting department. There she plays an integral role in purchasing, budgeting, and resource allocation and assists with project management and onboarding all employees. Samantha has proven instrumental in managing restaurant resources and financial needs related to the global pandemic.
She credits travels around the world and an innate love of food for leading her to Sepia and Proxi.
Previously, Samantha served as the Assistant Controller at Element Collective, a popular restaurant group, where she opened four restaurants, onboarded staff, and set up inventory management procedures.
Samantha holds a MBA from Northeastern University and a BA from Spelman College. The Atlanta, Georgia-native has lived in Chicagoland area for 12 years with her beautiful family.
