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Steve LaHaie is Senior Vice President of the Shaw's Division of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises Inc.® (LEYE), which includes Shaw's Crab House in both Chicago and Schaumburg. He is also the Senior Vice President of the Mity Nice Grill in Water Tower Place and Vong's Thai Kichen.
Steve joined Lettuce in l981, working as a manager at Jonathon's Seafood restaurant (now closed). Proving himself as a strong leader and manager at several other LEYE concepts, Steve was promoted to partner in 1990.
He has a B.A. in Business from Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan, and an M.B.A. in Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan.
Raised on the shores of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, LaHaie comes from a restaurant family. His grandfather and great-grandfather were fisherman and his father ran a family restaurant--open only in the summer--which featured fresh fish from Lake Michigan.
Steve's forte is developing menus for his restaurants which feature the freshest products available. At Shaw's, he is committed to presenting both wild and farm-raised fish, and he has taken an active role in the research and development of fin and shellfish. He spearheaded Shaw's oyster program, one of the most innovative in the country, greatly expanding Shaw's selections of oysters.
In developing the concept for the Mity Nice Grill, Steve was instrumental in researching area vendors to solicit the freshest meats and vegetables for the Grill's simple fresh recipes. Steve has now taken that knowledge and is spearheading an initiative for all of LEYE to search and find local and organic produce. He calls it "The Greening of Lettuce." He will continue to do seminars to better educate our partners and chefs on the importance of using local growers. "During the spring and summer in Chicago we can find fresh good food grown just miles away, there is no reason for us to use vendors that are not local or fresh. Over the years I have developed relationships with local farmers because it was something I truly believed in and now I am happy to share what I have learned and to introduce these people to the rest of the company," Steve says.
Then, as LEYE continued to develop relationships with top chefs and restaurateurs around the country, they formed a partnership with world-renowned chef, Jean-George Vongerichten. Bringing Vongerichten's highly acclaimed Thai-inspired French concept, Vong, to Chicago proved to be one of the biggest projects of 1999. Steve, chosen as Senior Vice President of this exciting new concept, worked diligently to ensure that the high level of integrity and quality of Vongerichten's other restaurants were evident in the Chicago location.
Steve has long supported the strong management of fishery resources. Shaw’s Crab House belongs to The Sustainable Seafood Forum started by King’s Fish House and The Aquarium of the Pacific both located in Long Beach, CA. This organization promotes the healthfulness, environmental friendliness and cultural consciousness of American Fisheries.
As a resource in the food industry, Steve is often called upon as a spokesperson and panelist for conferences such as the Seafair Show in Long Beach, California and the Boston Seafood Show. He was a board member of the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Wine and Food, a member of Slow Food and an editorial advisor for Seafood Business Magazine. | 