Ever restaurant board member accused
ABC7 reported that a board member linked to Ever, the Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant, is accused of allegedly embezzling more than $1 million from the company. The allegation highlights reputational and governance risks that can ripple across premium hospitality partners. For high-end events, reliability and trustworthiness are as important as aesthetics when clients choose vendors. (abc7chicago.com)
A lawsuit filed in Cook County on April 3 says Aaron Gersonde, a former board member tied to Chicago’s Ever restaurant group, made more than 8,000 unauthorized charges and ran up more than $1.4 million in personal expenses between July 2022 and December 2025. (scdataentry.alm.com) (nbcchicago.com) The plaintiffs are Four Pillars Restaurant Group, Ever Restaurant Group, and After Cocktails, which means the fight is not just about one dining room but about the company behind Ever and its companion bar, After. (nbcchicago.com) The complaint says Gersonde had access to company bank accounts and a company credit card because his role included oversight of finances, which is the corporate equivalent of giving someone both the wallet and the ledger. (abc7chicago.com) (nbcchicago.com) The spending listed in news reports is unusually specific: more than $18,000 at Louis Vuitton, about $48,221 on American Airlines, nearly $200,000 at Amazon, a $14,729 Breitling watch, and one $7,792 Retreivair flight allegedly booked so his dogs could travel. (abc7chicago.com) (nbcchicago.com) The lawsuit also says the money was not hidden only through swipes of a card, because it alleges fraudulent payments, transfers, and withdrawals from company bank accounts plus altered QuickBooks entries and misleading profit-and-loss statements shown to board members and investors. (nbcchicago.com) Ever is not a neighborhood bistro with a chalkboard menu. Michelin Guide lists Ever in Chicago’s Fulton Market, and the restaurant describes itself as a two-Michelin-star tasting-menu destination led by chef Curtis Duffy with an 8- to 10-course dinner that lasts about 2½ hours. (guide.michelin.com) (ever-restaurant.com) After sits next door at 1338 West Fulton Street and markets itself as the more relaxed sibling to Ever, so the same ownership structure touches both the ultra-formal meal and the lower-key cocktail business. (after-chicago.com) (choosechicago.com) That is why an internal finance case can spill past accounting and into reputation, because guests booking a tasting menu, a private dinner, or a buyout are paying for precision and trust as much as for food and service. (guide.michelin.com) (ever-restaurant.com) (nbcchicago.com) Gersonde denied the claims in a statement to ABC7 on April 7, saying, “I take these allegations seriously, but they are not accurate,” and adding that he had been working toward a private resolution to protect “the team, the guests, and the reputation of the restaurant.” (abc7chicago.com) The next concrete date in the case is June 3, 2026, which appears on the Cook County filing as the court date. Until then, the public story is a civil complaint, a denial, and a reminder that in fine dining, back-office controls can matter as much as the plate that reaches the table. (scdataentry.alm.com)
