PRESS RELEASE – 21c Museum Hotels, the award-winning boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and restaurant group, is proud to announce the appointment of Mike Wajda as executive chef of Proof on Main restaurant at 21c Louisville.
Prior to joining Proof on Main, Wajda worked as corporate sous chef for the Michael Mina Group, where he helped manage the group’s portfolio of 23 restaurants and over 1,500 employees. His resume also includes tenures at the acclaimed Craigie on Main in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as well as Restaurant Gordon Ramsay at the London Hotel in New York City.
At Proof on Main, Wajda will showcase his unique, modern approach to comfortable and accessible cuisine, while maintaining many of Proof on Main’s classic dishes such as Charred Octopus with Bagna Cauda, lime and Blue Dog bread, and the Proof Bison Burger with Tillamook Cheddar, Applewood smoked bacon and jezebel sauce. After growing up on farms in Ohio, he developed a passion for using local and sustainable ingredients in his cooking and will focus on utilizing the rotating, seasonal produce and local purveyors from Kentucky and the surrounding region including 21c founders Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson’s Woodland Farm.
“I am excited to join the 21c team and to be part of Louisville’s dynamic community of restaurants,” Wajda says. “I look forward to working with local producers and ingredients from the Ohio River Valley. Proof has always let impeccable ingredients and beautiful food speak for itself, and that will not change.”
“The 21c family of restaurants has always been a great incubator for culinary talent,” says Sarah Robbins, Senior Vice President, Operations. “We are looking forward to showcasing Mike’s unique perspective on the menu, and I am looking forward to the next chapter of Proof.”
Proof on Main is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with late-night dining available at the bar. Proof on Main is located in the 21c Museum Hotel, at 702 West Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 502.217.6360. For more information on hours of operation, please visit www.proofonmain.com.
About 21c Museum Hotels
21c Museum Hotels, the award-winning Louisville, Kentucky-based boutique hotel and restaurant group, was founded by contemporary art collectors and preservationists Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson. The couple opened the first 21c Museum Hotel in 2006 along downtown Louisville’s West Main Street, rehabilitating a series of 19th century warehouses. Much more than just a place to spend the night, 21c is an inventive union of genuine hospitality, careful design and culinary creativity — all anchored by a contemporary art museum with thought-provoking exhibitions, interactive site specific art installations and a full roster of cultural programming. 21c currently operates hotels in Louisville, KY; Cincinnati, OH; Bentonville, AR and Durham, NC. Hotels are under construction in Lexington, KY and Oklahoma City, OK. Projects are under development in Kansas City, MO; Nashville, TN and Indianapolis, IN. The company is equally focused on creating unique, chef-driven restaurants that are as much a part of the community as the hotel. Currently, 21c operates a diverse roster of restaurants including Proof on Main at 21c Louisville; Metropole at 21c Cincinnati; The Hive at 21c Bentonville; Counting House at 21c Durham and Garage Bar in Louisville, KY. Visit www.21cMuseumHotels.com for more information.
