Maevery House Opens in Downtown Lake Bluff

Greg Derman and his wife, Jenny - both lifelong residents of Lake Forest - have long wanted to open a restaurant. Just recently, they made that desire come to fruition with Maevery Public House, a new locale offering “elevated American classics” in Lake Bluff.

Maevery, located at 20 E. Scranton Ave., is 1800 square feet and accommodates 90 with six seats at the bar.

Named after the couple’s daughter, the full service restaurant/bar is bringing something new and unique to the downtown business community and so far, the response has been “fantastic,” Derman said.

“We have really enjoyed providing excellent service for people and love being able to see them come in and enjoy what we serve,” he said of the community’s response since the restaurant’s December 12 opening. “We had a soft opening, but saw quite a few people come out and had a great first weekend. Word must have spread since people have told us they are really excited and have been waiting for something like this.”

Derman says the shrimp and grits, brisket sandwich and deviled eggs have been the most popular items early on, but executive chef Jasper Michael and the team prides themselves on “everything we cook.”

“We just use simple ingredients and quality items,” Derman said.

The fare is the work of excutive chef Jasper Michael, who has honed his skills in some of Chicago’s best restaurants including: La Pomme Rouge, Province, Old Town Social and Smith & Wollensky.

Derman is no stranger to the restaurant scene either, having been part of the industry his entire professional life and having worked on the North Shore for 20 years. He’s managed a number of restaurants, most recently the Grill on Laurel and was at Rosebud for eight years prior to that.

“We look forward to establishing a family neighborhood restaurant and having good families support us,” he said.