Pedro Avila
Executive Chef
For Executive Chef Pedro Avila, his fascination with the culinary arts began at the ripe young age of thirteen in his hometown of Tuluca, Mexico. His mom was a superb cook and he was absolutely intrigued by how all of the many ingredients she used, in combination, resulted in such incredible flavors.
Soon after his family emigrated to the Chicago area, Pedro obtained his first job in a restaurant at the age of 15. Rising quickly up the ranks, he landed a job as sous chef for the Carlos 4 in Highwood, IL and then moved on to the Windy City taking a job as sous chef at Smith & Wollensky, the famous steakhouse. Chef Avila added two more gigs in Chicago at David Burk Prime (named “the best steakhouse in Chicago” during his watch) and the B.R. Guest Hospitality Group, both as Executive Chef. Then David Burk pegged him to be the Executive Chef of David Burke Prime at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut.
From there, Pedro added stints at the Ambassador Hotel in Chicago and Orchard Park at the Chateau Grande Hotel in East Brunswick, NJ.
Pedro is known for his marvelous ability to imbue a strong culture of hospitality and an overall sense of community with his “back of the house” family at work. His devotion to his staff and his dedication to his craft results in consistently delectable fare which keeps the customers coming back for more.
The MillPond Steakhouse affords Executive Chef Avila a rare opportunity to oversee a steakhouse in an historic setting which obtains and dry ages its beef from a farm right down the road. His steaks and chops promise to be more delectable and succulent than ever.
