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Scott Barton oversees the day-to-day operations at of some of the country’s most successful restaurants, working closely with some of the top names in the culinary world, including Rick Tramonto of Tru and Osteria Via Stato, Gale Gand of Tru, Jean Joho of Eiffel Tower and Brasserie JO and Randy Zweiban of Nacional 27.
A graduate of Eastern Illinois University, Barton joined Lettuce in 1992, where he ran the popular Italian restaurant, Avanzare, for six years. In 1999 he was part of the team that opened the progressive French restaurant Tru with Tramonto and Gand in the Avanzare space, which under his supervision has become recognized as the premier dining destination in Chicago and one of top restaurants in the nation, winning many influential awards for food and service, including numerous James Beard Awards and nominations.
In 2000, Barton joined world-renowned Joho of Brasserie JO in Chicago and Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas, driving both to great success. Brasserie JO, one of Chicago’s premier casual French restaurants, remains perpetually popular while Eiffel Tower has established itself as a benchmark of the “new” Las Vegas culinary landscape.
Barton joined Nacional 27 in 2001 and with Zweiban honed the restaurant’s mission of representing the unique culinary heritage of South and Central America through its distinctive cuisine and sophisticated interior design. A late-night favorite of the salsa dancing-and-mojito crowd, Nacional 27 is Chicago’s best example of the hybrid restaurant/club concept that has developed in the United States over the last several years.
In 2004, Barton again partnered with Tramonto to open Osteria Via Stato in Chicago, a restaurant and enoteca that embraces the lifestyle of Italian dining. Celebrating the simplicity and quality of authentic Italian food and wine with humor and hospitality, Osteria Via Stato wholly represents the principles that Barton has established to ensure that a satisfied customer is the priority ingredient in running a successful restaurant.
When he is not working, Scott enjoys and spending time with his wife, Mary Kay, and his son, Jack. | 