A lifelong New England resident, chef John daSilva, graduated from the New England Culinary Institute in 2004.

He trained in various kitchens including The Boarding House on Nantucket Island and Barbara Lynch’s flagship No. 9 Park before opening Spoke Wine Bar in 2013. During his time at Spoke, daSilva received a great deal of critical acclaim, being named one of Zagat’s “30 Under 30” for Boston and earning the title “Rising Star Chef” from StarChefs.com. Most recently he was named “Best Chef, Up & Coming” from Boston magazine.

In 2018, in collaboration with longtime friends and fellow industry veteran Ted Kilpatrick, daSilva opened Chickadee within the creative mecca that is the Innovation and Design Building (IDB). Named after the state bird of Massachusetts, the New England-born and Mediterranean-inspired restaurant quickly received one of the highest national honors as a James Beard Semifinalist for Best New Restaurant. Locally, The Boston Globe awarded Chickadee with 3.5 stars and deemed it “Restaurant of the Year” for its “refined yet craveable food,” while Boston magazine named Chickadee one of the top restaurants of 2018 and one of the 50 Best Restaurants of 2019.

When he’s not in the kitchen at Chickadee, daSilva enjoys watching the Boston Celtics and exploring New England with his adorable daughter, Maple.