CHRIS CUNNINGHAM

Chris Cunningham is the owner/operator of JT’s Genuine Sandwich Shop in Chicago and the proud winner of the 2024 Chicago Gourmet Hamburger Hop People’s Choice award. Growing up in Moline, Illinois, Chris loved helping prepare family meals. As a teenager, he started firing up the grill with friends and experimenting in the kitchen to create new recipes with his dad. After a couple of uninspired college years, Chris made the decision to dive into professional cooking. He moved to Chicago and enrolled in the Le Courdon Bleu program at the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago.

Working as a line cook during culinary school, then quickly moving on to sous chef at several Chicago seafood restaurants, Chris eventually became chef de cuisine at a wine bar in the northern suburbs. Contemplating how to balance his love of the restaurant industry and his growing young family led Chris to trade in working late nights at trendy wine bars for a simpler lifestyle and the comfort food of his childhood. He then built and opened JT’s Genuine Sandwich Shop a block away from his family’s home. 

JT’s showcases Midwest regional comfort foods in a cozy neighborhood shop. The hard work and dedication of Chris and his talented team has earned significant recognition from Chicago media outlets and food writers. JT’s was honored with a Jean Banchet Award nomination for Best Neighborhood restaurant in 2022, followed by another nomination in 2024 for Best Counter Service.

Among Chris’s proudest achievements has been the opportunity to collaborate with community members, restaurants and talented chefs to support local charities through fundraising. Being part of Chicago’s restaurant and hospitality industry is truly a dream come true for Chris.