Behind the Pass: Chef Helmy Saadon

Miru is an all-day restaurant on the 11th floor of the St. Regis Chicago in a luxurious 101-story skyscraper—the tallest one in the world designed by a female architect, Jeanne Gang. Miru, which means “view” in Japanese, delivers on the name with amazing views of Lake Michigan, Navy Pier, and the Chicago River. The Miru menu celebrates Japanese flavors with artful sushi and small plates, fresh seafood, and inventive desserts.  

Helmy Saadon joined Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants in 2023 as Executive Chef of Miru, one of 120 eateries the group manages, two of which are in the same skyscraper. Chef Helmy brought two decades of international culinary experience to the Chicago-based hospitality group. Reviews agree that Miru is an exceptional restaurant with an exciting contemporary menu in a beautiful setting.  

At Fortune, we nurture close relationships with our chef customers and focus on collaboration and consultation. We are proud to work closely with Chef Helmy to help provide the freshest seafood for his menu.  

Our sales consultant, Sam Burman, talking shop with Chef Helmy

Deep Roots 

Chef Helmy was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His first exposure to life in the kitchen was peeling potatoes, onions, and shrimp in his own family’s restaurant. He earned his degree in Culinary Arts, Hotel & Management, from UOW Malaysia KDU in 2003, realizing early on he had an affinity for working with food and beverage concepts in luxury hotels. 

Before joining Miru, Chef Helmy served as Executive Chef of Miami’s MILA under Michelin-starred chef and Head of Culinary Michael Michaelidis. His career had already taken him around the globe, from the finest restaurants in Southeast Asia, Singapore, Australia, London, and Moscow, to the Middle East, and eventually the U.S., where he served as head chef at the New York and Boston outposts of renowned Zuma Restaurants. 

We talked to him about his experiences as a chef, and what it takes to succeed in the business.  

The Bluefin Tuna Experience  

Miru’s dining room features a 9-seat sushi bar, which allows Chef Helmy and his team the opportunity to show off their skills with sashimi, nigiri, and maki. The beverage program includes sake (with a curated selection of 40+ options), wine, and Japanese-inspired cocktails. 

Miru hosts a bluefin tuna experience every Wednesday with two seatings. The multi-course meal allows guests to experience and understand the different cuts of tuna and their unique nuances, accented with authentic Japanese flavors.  

We thought it would be fun to meet Chef Helmy on a Tuesday, when Miru takes their Fortune delivery of fresh bluefin to prepare for the Wednesday dinner. This time, we sent a whole tuna for the Miru team to break down, instead of the usual processed cuts. The team was thrilled to see the whole fish and to get their own unique bluefin experience.