Building Flavor + Hoosier Legacy: Chef Carl Chambers and the Rise of Cunningham Restaurant Group
by Brian Garrido, of Culinary Crossroads
It’s Tuesday morning in August, inside the Cunningham Restaurant Group (CRG) test kitchen, where Chef Carl Chambers is prepping for a wedding for the daughter of one of Indy’s top movers and shakers. It’s taking place at the bride’s family's lake house in Michigan. The menu includes smash burgers, pizzas in the wood-fired oven, and Indiana sweet corn from a favorite local grower that Chambers frequents, Zupan Farms.
“This event is different,” Chambers says, moving between slicing smoked Gouda for the macaroni and cheese and charring green peppers on the gas stove. “We’re cooking everything on-site, outdoors. Collin and I will drive a box truck, loaded with equipment, traveling seven hours north. It’s a lot of work, but it’s for someone who’s supported Cunningham Restaurants for a long time.”
The scene is a snapshot of how Chambers operates his back of house, instinctive, always in motion and never far from the food itself.
For the past 15 years, Chambers has shaped the culinary identity of one of the country’s most expansive restaurant groups, ranked number eight in 2023 by Nation’s Restaurant News. As Vice President of Culinary and Innovation for CRG, he’s overseen the growth from a handful of Stone Creek concepts to a portfolio of 45 restaurants (soon 46), including the tasting experience of Vida, Livery, Union 50, Bru Burger and more. He manages teams, hires chefs, oversees recipe development, tests menus, and still finds time to plan pop-ups, wine dinners, and large-scale special events such as this off-site catering experience for those with deep pockets.
“There’s no job too big or small,” says CRG Corporate Chef Colin Hilton. “Carl might be in a meeting about sourcing strategy one minute and showing a line cook how to make gnocchi the next. That’s rare.”
Originally from Columbus, Indiana, Chambers didn’t take the traditional path into the commercial kitchen. He studied geology at Indiana University, managed kitchens at Texas Roadhouse, and eventually landed at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, where he completed an accelerated culinary program. From there, it was west to Portland and a French bistro where he earned his stripes under Pascal Chureau.
But the culinary line led him back to the Hoosier state.
“My wife wanted to become a nurse and got into IU,” Chambers says. “It was time I followed her. Moving back was the best thing we ever did. Our family’s close, and I’ve had the chance to build something real here.” And, it’s a culture of culinary excellence that has been multiplied, showcasing the depth of Midwestern creative dining.
CRG’s growth under Chambers’, while spearheaded by CEO and owner Mike Cunningham, staggers the stomach, which includes restaurant openings throughout the Midwest, new concepts, and entire chef pipelines built from within. When he started, there wasn’t a single test kitchen, no sous chef program, and no corporate culinary infrastructure. Now, there are regional chefs, brand chefs, and executive chefs who rose from the line.
“Some of our best chefs started as sauté cooks,” Chambers says. “Chef Felipe at Boulder Creek? I hired him 15 years ago. He just celebrated that anniversary with us.”
CRG’s newest project, The Lawrence, slated to open in West Lafayette in early 2026, is a crowning achievement for Chambers. The restaurant and event center, built inside a restored historic barn, sits just off Purdue’s campus and will serve a menu crafted from Indiana’s much-overlooked agriculture: local seasonal quail when it’s available. But Chambers is quick to avoid the label “farm to table.”
“Unless we’re sourcing 90 percent of the menu that way, I don’t feel right using it,” he says. “But we’ll highlight small farms, collaborate with Purdue growers, and offer seasonal features that tell the story of the region.”
Jillian Boyington, CRG’s marketing director, has watched how Chambers balances innovation with accessibility.
“Carl brings a brand lens to the food while staying grounded in hospitality,” she says. “He thinks about the diner, the farmer, the line cook, and the margins—all at once. It’s not just about what looks good on a plate. It’s about whether that plate belongs on that table, in that community.”
“Carl has been instrumental in shaping the culinary heart of Cunningham Restaurant Group,” said Mike Cunningham, Founder and CEO. “His creativity, leadership, and relentless dedication to both our guests and our teams have helped us grow into the company we are today. What makes Carl so remarkable is that he never loses sight of the people—whether it’s a cook on the line or a guest at the table. That balance of innovation and hospitality is what makes him such a driving force for CRG.”
CRG’s food has always aimed to reflect the people it serves, whether it’s the filet medallions with a rich lobster risotto and tomato jam at Stone Creek Dining Company in Greenfield, or the chicharrón starter at Livery, inspired by a bag of pork rinds that happened to match the logo. “That was a fun one,” Chambers laughs. “We didn’t even have a menu yet, just the branding, and I thought, let’s give these away at every table.”
That same creative spontaneity runs through his cooking. He doesn’t use a recipe for gnocchi—“just potatoes, flour, eggs, by feel”—and swears by vegetables as his desert island food. “Give me salad greens over steak any day,” he says. “There’s so much you can do with produce. We need to move away from 16-ounce proteins as the star of the plate. That’s not where food is headed.”
Fermentation is another focus. “Gochujang, krauts, fermented carrots—they give so much depth. We’re going back to old-world methods, and it’s exciting to see that happening in restaurants, not just home kitchens.”
That vision is what keeps his team loyal. “Carl knows how to lead from the middle,” says Hilton. “He can sit with the owner, then step onto the line and train a cook—without ego. He makes this massive restaurant group feel human.”
Despite his success, Chambers remains refreshingly unpolished. During our visit, he cooked without his chef’s coat, chopped cheese while fielding questions about the Indiana State Fair (he’s never been), and cracked jokes about cakes-in-laps and long drives to Michigan. He’s not interested in celebrity. He’s interested in creating food that matters.
“After 15 years with CRG, these feel like my restaurants too,” he says. “I helped open them, build them. I’ve watched people grow in them.”
He pauses for a second, wiping his hands on a towel.
“I wouldn’t want to work for anyone else in Indiana. Maybe someday I’ll end up somewhere warmer, but right now, this is home.”