Mindy Segal opened Mindy’s HotChocolate Restaurant in 2005 after years of dedication to her craft and working in some of Chicago’s finest restaurants including: Ambria, Charlie Trotter’s, Marché and MK. Over 15 years, Hot Chocolate became a beloved neighborhood restaurant, both with diners and media alike and in 2012, Mindy was awarded the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for “Outstanding Pastry Chef.” Her best-selling cookbook “Cookie Love” was released through Ten Speed Press in the Spring of 2015. She has appeared on The Today Show, The Martha Stewart Show, The Steve Harvey Show, The Food Network and in numerous publications including: Food & Wine, Bon Appétit, and The New York Times.
After the pandemic hit in 2020, Hot Chocolate closed to morph into weekend bakery pop-ups, where she’s gone back to her roots, filling the neighborhood with the delicious scents of yeast, sugar, flour and more. In summer of 2022, Mindy officially opened Mindy’s Bakery on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park, where she and her staff continue to work on their craft daily.