Former The Office Standout Jason Cevallos Passes Away

Jason Cevallos, former standout bartender at many renowned cocktail programs in town, passed away in Asia over the weekend from salmonella poisoning complications. Cevallos also worked at Brasserie Jo, Perennial, 33 Club, and Folklore before running the cocktail programs as sous chef at The Office and The Aviary. Cevallos most recently helped to open The Dawson. The Aviary, Alinea, and Next teams submitted a statement, which you can read below. Many bars in Chicago will be hosting benefits for Cevallos soon.

The staffs of the Aviary, Next, and Alinea are beyond saddened to learn that Jason Cevallos, former employee and bartender in The Office, passed away this morning due to complications related to salmonella poisoning. Jason was an immensely talented bartender who was a welcoming presence in The Office for over 2 years. He was favorite of many of our patrons, and his passing is a loss for the Chicago culinary community as a whole. Our deep condolences go out to his family and friends. We will raise a glass to him in the Office tonight.

[UPDATE: The Dawson team says they're coordinating a benefit with The Aviary. They also submitted the following statement, which was also told to staff:

"If we carry ourselves with half of the dignity and poise which Mr. Cevallos did on a day-in day-out basis we can truly be a great restaurant and more importantly a true neighborhood spot with its own community. That's who Jason was for so many. He was that figure who neighbors, first-time guests, and coworkers all liked and spilled their guts to. He was a pillar of every establishment that ever had the fortune of hiring him."]