The Dish on Billy Dec and Kevin Hickey's Blockbuster Collaboration

For 18 years, Kevin Hickey toiled away in kitchens at Four Seasons across the country. He amassed notable acclaim, but there is just something a mite restricting about working in hotel restaurants for so long. It's like a filmmaker producing solid independent movies for years on end without doing anything on a blockbuster scale. Well the time to hit it big has come, as Hickey parts ways with the Four Seasons and his most recent post at Allium to align with prolific restaurateur/Chicagoan Billy Dec and collaborate on Rockit Ranch Productions' latest concept. Without a doubt, this is bound to be a blockbuster.


After speaking with Dec and Hickey for a few minutes, it's apparent that their collaboration is something extraordinary. Individually, they're strong restaurateurs, but together they're like Batman and Superman teaming up to take over the Chicago dining scene. Initially, the pairing doesn't seem like an obvious match, but the two explain that after seeing each other at fundraisers and food events for some time, a mutual friend emailed them two years ago to plant the seed that Hickey wanted to become an entrepreneur and that the two should consider working together. The timing wasn't as convenient back then, but today the stars aligned as Rockit's former Dragon Ranch Moonshine & BBQ space sat vacant and ready to be filled.


Kevin Hickey and Billy Dec
(Kevin Hickey and Billy Dec)


Dec has proven his mettle as a masterful businessman and restaurateur, adept at executing and opening concepts to fit a unique vision. This time is different, though. Whereas in the past, Dec would create a vision for a concept and then bring on a chef to execute it, this go-round is the first time he has ever co-created a concept from the ground up with the chef already in place. This presents a unique opportunity for the both of them. "Part of the excitement is the partnership. We're matching a set of skills to see if we can give Chicago something to really get excited about," explains Dec. "Everybody has strenghts and weaknesses, and it's good to find someone to compliment yours." Both gents acknowledge that any successful restaurateur is aware that opening a restaurant is all about the collaboration of like-minded people who get better because of each other.


Though the concept and opening date aren't yet nailed down, the process should be a smooth one, considering Rockit Ranch already owns the space and construction is not a factor. As a major first for both parties, there is much to look forward to. For Hickey, he's excited about the freedom that comes with breaking out of the hotel industry for the first time in years and working in the heart of bustling River North, pretty much the antithesis of a demure hotel setting tucked away off street level. Although he's appreciative of his time with the Four Seasons, working in cities such as Atlanta, Dublin, and Los Angeles, the time has come to spread his wings. "I feel like I've been playing to the independent circuit, now I get to blast out to a wider audience," he says. Dec is just excited about co-creating a vision with a chef like Hickey and collaborating from the genesis. He's also excited to see Hickey work in more casual, less hotel-y attire.

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