Board member accused of embezzlement
A board member of Michelin-starred Ever and its bar After is accused of using more than $1.4 million in company funds for personal expenses, a claim circulating on social posts. The allegations have been shared publicly on X and prompted local hospitality discussion about governance and spending controls. (x.com) (x.com)
A Cook County lawsuit accuses former Ever board member Aaron Gersonde of taking more than $1.4 million from the restaurant group. (nbcchicago.com) Four Pillars Restaurant Group and its subsidiaries, Ever Restaurant Group and After Cocktails, filed the case in Cook County Circuit Court on April 3, 2026. The case is listed as 2026L003906, with an initial court date of June 3, 2026. (scdataentry.alm.com) The complaint says Gersonde had oversight of company finances and misappropriated funds between July 2022 and December 2025. NBC Chicago reported the filing alleges more than $1.4 million in unauthorized credit-card charges, along with bank transfers and cash withdrawals. (nbcchicago.com) ABC7 Chicago reported the lawsuit lists personal spending that included about $18,000 at Louis Vuitton, $48,000 at American Airlines, and nearly $200,000 at Amazon. CBS Chicago reported the suit also accuses Gersonde of manipulating books and reporting to conceal the alleged theft. (abc7chicago.com) (cbsnews.com) Gersonde denied the allegations in a statement to ABC7 Chicago. He said, “I take these allegations seriously, but they are not accurate,” and said he had been working toward a private resolution. (abc7chicago.com) The case has drawn attention because Ever is one of Chicago’s highest-profile dining rooms. Michelin lists Ever as a two-star restaurant in the 2025 Chicago guide, and the bar After operates next door in Fulton Market. (guide.michelin.com) (after-chicago.com) Ever opened in 2020 under chef Curtis Duffy, and Michelin has continued to rate it at two stars. The company’s event site describes After and several event spaces as part of the same building and business ecosystem around Ever. (guide.michelin.com) (ever-events.com) For now, the allegations are in a civil complaint, not a criminal charge sheet. The next public marker is the court process in Cook County, where the restaurant group will have to prove its claims and Gersonde can contest them. (scdataentry.alm.com)
