All in the family
From left to right: Jeff, Noah, Jordan and Ivan Himmel
With Chicago roots dating back to the late 1800’s, it’s only natural that the Himmels continue to keep their locally-tied business in the family.
Home of the traditional Chicago-style deep dish pizza, Gino’s East embodies the essence of family business, with generations working under one roof: Jeff Himmel, President, and Jordan Himmel, Chief Information Officer. But it didn’t start there.
Pizza destiny
After serving in the Navy during World War II, Ivan Himmel initially tried to break into the fur business. His father, however, recognized fur as a dying industry and instead encouraged young Ivan to learn about construction and homebuilding. Houses turned into commercial buildings, with Ivan’s son, Jeff, at his side the whole way. Other business ventures soon followed. “The pizza business found me,” reflects Ivan.
50 year legacy
We are around a rapidly changing environment. Ingredients, food, and the way people eat are always evolving. In the food industry, it is up to us to tell the story of Chicago and keep the experience alive. Pizza is a big part of the culinary history of this city. With locations in new markets Gino‘s East is using different online platforms and techniques to help spread the word and maintain relevancy. Gino’s East today is the same as it was over 50 years ago, just with a modern voice.
Giving back
Sustainability and philanthropy is paramount to the Himmels. Eliminating straws completely from their flagship location, using compostable and paper straws in other outposts, instituting a recycling program in all of their restaurants, and creating a reusable bag program for carryout food is just a start of their sustainability initiatives. Recently, the Himmels committed $25,000 to the Alliance for The Great Lakes as their annual charity for 2018, hosting fundraising events to raise money and awareness for the nonprofit organization.