JOSH KULP
In fall 2013, after eight years of running a highly successful underground Chicago supper club, Josh Kulp and Chef/Owner Christine Cikowski launched their first brick-and-mortar concept, Honey Butter Fried Chicken. “I describe it as the kind of food people really want to eat, but done well with great ingredients and in a thoughtful way so everything is accessible,” Kulp explains. “Our fried chicken is locally sourced and cage-free. We take our time; we brine and season. We fry in non-GMO, trans-fat-free oil. Those details make an impact.”
This philosophy began at Sunday Dinner Club, which he and Cikowski established in 2005. The duo created the dining series just months after the two of them graduated from Kendall College of Culinary Arts in Chicago. Sunday Dinner Club allowed the chefs to apply their skills and inspirations to a breath of traditional cuisines. Before discovering his kitchen calling, Kulp received a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and English from the University of Wisconsin, a Master’s of Teaching from Pace University, and an Associate’s Degree in culinary arts from Kendall College. He was also a 5th-grade teacher in the South Bronx and a Teach For America Corps Member.
Throughout the years, Kulp, along with Cikowski, garnered acclaim, including 8+ years on Eater Chicago’s Essential 38 List, Jean Banchet “Chef of the Year” nominations, a Chicago Tribune Dining Award, Star Chefs Rising Star Chef, Good Food Chef of the Year award from Family Farmed. Additionally, Honey Butter Fried Chicken won both Chicago Tribune’s Reader’s Choice Award for Best Fried Chicken and Chicago Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Award for Best Fried Chicken. They launched a concession stand version of HBFC at the United Center in 2018, opened a second Honey Butter Fried Chicken location in Glencoe in 2024, and expanded the business with a DoorDash Kitchen partnership in Redwood City CA for a 6 month pop up HBFC to the San Francisco Bay Area for take out and delivery.
Kulp is passionate about sustainability, ethical food sourcing, improving labor conditions in all aspects of the food community, and helping to make the world a better place to live. He loves to teach people how to cook and is always searching for more to learn as a cook. Josh lives in Chicago with his wife Rachel and son Wolf, and in his spare time can often be found at Wrigley Field or making artisan pizzas in his backyard
