Tribes Alehouse & Beer Company Brings on New Executive Chef

Tribes Alehouse & Beer Company, one of Chicagoland’s premiere craft beer bars with a recently-opened brewery, has hired Mitch Garcia as its new executive chef of its Tinley Park location. Chef Garcia, along with owner Niall Freyne and the Tribes kitchen crew, have revamped the menus at both locations to streamline and enhance the offerings. Both locations will continue to feature the delicious, scratch menu and offer the new daily specials. The menu officially launched on Friday, October 30 at both locations.

“Chef Garcia is a great addition to our team here at Tribes,” says owner Niall Freyne. “He is a leader and we are lucky to have him. It’s exciting for us to see his experience and style expressed in our menu. Between Chef Mitch and the newly named chef de cuisine Harry Anderson, we look forward to many great things going forward.”

Chef Garcia started working in the food industry nearly 30 years ago, but his culinary career took off when he began working as the director of quality assurance at Rosebud and the Cheesecake Factory. He then became the sous chef in New Orleans for Al Copeland Investments (Cheesecake Bistro, Sweet Fire Ice and more.) Tragedy struck in the form of Hurricane Katrina and forced these restaurants to close their doors. Chef Garcia returned to Illinois where he took a position at Trio Restaurant in Valparaiso, IN and later served as executive chef at Blackfiin/Wiseboxer Pour House in Naperville before setting down roots at Tribes.

“I am very excited to share my experience and grow the food program at Tribes,” says executive chef Mitch Garcia. “I am looking forward to bringing all that I have learned from my past, taking things to a new level and sharing my love of food with our customers. I feel like I can really learn from every member of the Tribes crew as we work together to create something really unique and delicious.”

Some new menu standouts include Lime and Blackened Shrimp, Pig & Goat Burger with serrano ham, goat cheese and beer onions, Jerk Marinated Chicken with house-made spicy jerk sauce, coconut and black bean rice, Stuffed Avocados with chick peas, bleu cheese, portabellas and tomatoes, Lobster Crab Cake with basil and lemon-habanero tartar and the Scotch Egg Plate with English cheddar, mustard, gherkins and sweet jam.

Daily food specials take place at both Mokena and Tinley Park and are available now. Specials are as follows:

Monday—Half Price Wings (all day) and “The Big Burger Bounce Back (buy a burger on a Monday and receive a free burger of equal value any of the following three days)
Tuesday—Taco Tuesday (choose two tacos for $5 from 4-7 p.m.)
Wednesday—Maine Lobster Boil (boiled 2lb lobster, andouille sausage, corn on the cob, new potatoes and haricot vert for $28)
Thursday—Prime Rib Night (smashed potatoes, haricot vert, horseradish and natural jus for $25 starting at 5 p.m. until supplies last)

Both Mokena and Tinley Park kitchens are open Monday-Tuesday from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday from 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. until 9 p.m.