Chief O'Neill's Pub

The Pub Quiz hosted by Niall Hacket

Build-Your-Own Bloody Mary Bar

Robert Kearley Named Executive Chef At Chief O'Neill's

A native Chicagoan for all of his 45 years, Chef Robert Kearley graduated from Hoffman Estates high school, excelling in athletics. He then attended Harper Jr. College in Palatine, majoring in business and journalism, receiving a degree in Business Administration. Out in the business world, Kearley was a salesman for a variety of products, most notably insurance, for a span of 10 years from 1989-1999.

One day, while browsing the bookshelves of a “Border’s” in Geneva, IL, Chef Kearley overheard two young girls talking about attending a culinary school. Suddenly, it seemed like an “Epiphany,” and Robert was hearkening back to the days of his youth when he was fascinated watching Graham Kerr, the “Galloping Gourmet.” Even though not growing up with great culinary aspirations, this revelation lit a fire. Chef Kearley went home to his bride and announced- “I have found my future.”

After visiting several culinary school campuses, researching books, and making many key telephone calls, Robert determined “CHIC” was his best “fit”. He attended classes there from 1999 through 2000, while simultaneously working in the field, with the mind-set of becoming an Executive Chef. Within two years of starting culinary school, that dream was realized when he became Executive Chef of “Kafe Kokopelli” in Hinsdale. After two years, (2000-2002), Robert went to the prestigious Chicago loop law firm, “Gardner, Carton and Douglas.” He was appointed as the Executive Chef for their top partners. After 15 months, the urge to return to a restaurant setting brought him to “Chief O’Neill’s.

With a brand-new menu for the restaurant and a separate one for the pub, a new wine list and brand-new dessert menu, (all menus are enclosed), Chef Kearley is adding his expertise to the restaurant’s Irish specialties and the owner’s family recipes, while incorporating a contemporary twist. He is able to showcase his versatility in the kitchen through his numerous nightly specials, such as: crab-stuffed halibut filet, braised lamb shanks, caramelized root vegetables, herb-roasted chicken with apricot, port and balsamic sauce, and desserts such as: traditional crème brulèe and the Chief’s toasted oatmeal and Bushmill’s whiskey pudding. He plans to experiment with different techniques and ingredients as each season dictates. “The kitchen is my playground,” states this 45-year-old Chef.

Chief O’Neill’s Pub and Restaurant is located at 3471 North Elston Avenue in Chicago. The number to call for reservations is: 773/IRELAND -or- 773/473-5263. Owners Siobhan and Brendan McKinney are thrilled to welcome Robert Kearley as their restaurant’s newly-appointed Executive Chef, effective immediately.

Brendan - Featured in The Tribune

These Pipes Are Smoking
Andy Rathbun
May 14, 2004

Brendan McKinney crossed the Atlantic twice. He spent thousands of dollars. And he did it for a set of uilleann (pronounced ILL-in) pipes, a form of bagpipe.

"I call the uilleann pipes the Celtic track--you got elbows flying around the place," says McKinney ("uilleann" comes from the from the Gaelic word for "elbow"). "You're sweating bullets."

The dark-haired McKinney is dressed in black before a performance at Chief O'Neill's, the Irish tavern he owns with his wife, Siobhan--where he's just started playing his new pipes.

Uilleann pipes are the more refined musical cousin of raucous Highland pipes. Employing more keys and reeds, uilleann pipes vary between two octaves and are played seated by pumping an elbow over a bellows.

The new pipes McKinney are so excited to play arrived in March, at the end of a long journey that began 10 years and two currencies ago.

McKinney had originally been told the pipes would be ready last September. On a November trip to visit family in Ireland, he drove narrow cliffside roads to pick them up--only to find they weren't done.

Shortly after returning stateside, McKinney learned the pipes were finished. But the maker refused to ship them--forcing McKinney to beg his sister-in-law to be their courier to Chicago.

Now, McKinney hopes to record. Already renowned in piping circles (he's played for President Reagan and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra) he wants to do a symphonic album centered on the pipes. It seems an inescapable step for McKinney. As he puts it, "You don't possess the pipes, they possess you."