welcome to bistro hilary

Chef Hilary grew up in rural Shelby, Ohio, near expansive farms with an abundance of fresh produce and wholesome ingredients, which has greatly influenced her ideas about the dishes she creates. After traveling extensively throughout the United States, Caribbean, Central and South America — via land and in working with a cruise-line — she was drawn to the creativity and artistry of being a chef. Pursuing only the best, she graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York in 1995.

Hilary began her culinary career at Atlanta’s prestigious Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, in the popular and elegant 103 West restaurant. During her 13 years there, she became the company’s first female executive chef. She opened her namesake restaurant, The Hil, in 2007, with her husband, Jim, and her mother, Sandy Pitsch, at her side. She has cultivated relationships with local Farmers, spending time tending the farms and growing produce, which serves to further her connection to the Earth and to her community. Chef Hilary departed The Hil, December 2017.

Chef Hilary’s talent has been widely recognized, having garnered attention in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Garden & Gun, The New York Times, Atlanta Magazine, Creative Loafing and many others. She is a member of the internationally respected Les Dames d’Escoffier, Southern Foodways Alliance and Georgia Grown. She also lends her time supporting important non-profits such as Share Our Strength and Wholesome Wave. Chef Hilary loves mentoring younger chefs, so she participates in the Culinary Institute of America’s extern leadership program, providing an educational environment in her kitchen.