Chef Debbie Gold | Executive Chef, VU Rooftop Chicago

Chef Debbie Gold is a James Beard Award–winning chef and Executive Chef of VU Rooftop, a rooftop restaurant in Chicago’s South Loop near McCormick Place.

With a career spanning Michelin-starred kitchens and acclaimed restaurants across Chicago and the Midwest, Chef Gold brings a refined yet approachable style to the VU Rooftop menu. She trained in France at Michael Chabran, a two-Michelin-star restaurant, and later worked under Charlie Trotter in Chicago, followed by a role as pastry chef at Everest.

In Kansas City, she served as Corporate and Executive Chef at The American Restaurant, where she earned the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest, before opening her own concept, 40 Sardines, where she was nominated for Best New Restaurant.

At VU Rooftop, Chef Gold leads a culinary program built around seasonal ingredients, bold flavors, and a rooftop dining experience designed for everything from casual meetups to private events. Her menus reflect both technical precision and a modern Chicago perspective.