Longtime restaurant owner and chef Jody Andre died March 2. She was 65.
Andre was born June 22, 1959, and spent her youth in Portsmouth, Ohio where she graduated from Minford High School. She then went on to receive her bachelor’s degree from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. After graduating, She moved to New York, where she managed a band for eight years. She relocated to Chicago in 1990, spending the rest of her adult life there.
For her first five years in Chicago, Andre worked at PriceWaterhouse, where she eventually became a creative director. When the company merged with Coopers Lybrand, Andre left to become a freelancer for a small agency in the Bucktown neighborhood.
While freelancing, Andre opened the restaurant Tomboy—a lifelong dream—in the Andersonville neighborhood in November 1996; she ran it until 2002.
A few years later, she opened The Room and held a fundraiser for then-U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama and other Democratic politicians, among them Illinois Comptroller Dawn Clark Netsch and state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz; U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky; and now-retired gay judge Tom Chiola.
Andre then co-owned Speakeasy Supperclub with Amy Matheny, pianist Michael Feinstein and Terrence Flannery from 2007-2011. The space featured live music and spectacular décor. Andre also owned and was the chef/manager of Briejo Restaurant from 2007-2011.
Andre took early retirement from the restaurant business in 2011 to spend more time with her beloved French bulldogs—Diablo, Daisy and Rocco. She also traveled and especially loved the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Andre is preceded in death by her parents Joseph Andre and Joann Andre Apel. She is survived by her longtime life partner Amy Russnak; sisters Catherine James and Cynthia (Fred) Adams; brother Paul (Lisa) Andre; several nieces and nephews; cousins; and countless chosen family members and friends.
Russnak said, “Forever my soulmate.”
James said, “Jody was spunky, sassy, thoughtful, kind, generous and big hearted. She loved animals too. I will miss her dearly.”
Matheny said, “Jody led with joy and generosity always. Her enormous open-hearted spirit changed lives in our community forever. Her legacy was immense. She consistently provided a space for progressive political candidates and LGBTQA organizations and leaders to fundraise and collaborate. Jody mentored many chefs and staff in front and behind the house by providing a place for them to explore and mature. She created a frothy venue for countless celebrations, engagements, birthdays, weddings and holidays, at a time when many of us needed somewhere to live and celebrate openly, and mostly every night she opened her doors to welcome us to be ourselves with whomever we loved and truly be fed and nurtured abundantly.
“With that twinkle in her eye, her beaming smile and her deep warm voice, she wrapped her arms around you and invited you to come on in, sit down and just be home. She made you feel like family. You were her family. That beloved song from The Wiz ‘When I think of Home, I think of a place where there is love overflowing’ is how I will remember her. Whenever Jody was around, there was always love overflowing. And we were all Home.”
Longtime friend Juliet Huck said, “Jody made everyone feel great about themselves especially when the odds were against them. From the dishwasher in her kitchen to a young LGBTQ person, she always gave advice on how to see you attributes and seize them. She mentored many young people who went on to become restaurant owners, private chefs for celebrities in LA, to the owner of one of the top restaurants in Pasadena, and beyond.
“Jody also created a safe place to the LGBTQ community to dine in class with creative and avant-garde dishes, which was a unique environment in the 90’s. For me personally, she encouraged me to make a change and move to Chicago, letting me live with her and giving me a freelance job at PriceWaterhouse which set up my first business in Chicago. Jody was one of kind, her love language was feeding people and teaching us all—being hospitable is a form of love. A sister who will be greatly missed.”
Former restaurant colleague Scott Duff said, “Jody taught me so much about hospitality and entertaining guests. I worked with her in three of her restaurants, and her main concern, always, was, ‘Are the guests having fun?’ She wanted to make you feel fabulous, give you good food, play fun music and make you feel decadent. Jody would give you the shirt off her back, because she had another one in the trunk of her BMW sports car. And then she’d give you that one too.
At some point in the evening, she would swirl around the dining room and wait station saying, ‘Ambiance!’, which was the cue for all of us to check the candles on the table and make sure the lighting was perfect. Every night with her was a party. I made a Maple Black Pepper Spatchcocked Chicken in her honor and created that same ambiance she always called for. She was a force of nature, and I am grateful for my time with her.”
A celebration of life will take place in Chicago on a date to be announced.