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Garden Gourmet is located near the Market Place. Take a break, sit back and relax from the Chicago Flower & Garden Show and enjoy a great presentation from one of Chicagoland's top chefs. |
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Click Here for Chef Recipes |
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Chef Bios 
Chef Paul Katz is the corporate executive chef of Harry Caray's Restaurant Group where he oversees menu concepts and kitchen operations for eight restaurants and an off-premise catering company. Katz has acted as a media spokesperson for national food brands and associations including the American Butter Institute. He's also a seasoned cooking instructor and takes pride in demystifying cooking techniques.
Bill Kurtis - needs little introduction to many Chicagoans who know him from his anchorman days at WBBM-TV. He later anchored the CBS Morning News for three years. In 1990, he started Kurtis Productions which has produced acclaimed documentaries. He also frequently appears on cable's A&E network as host and narrator of Cold Case Files and American Justice. 
Nicole Pederson is the executive chef at C-House Fish and Chops, acclaimed chef/owner Marcus Samuelsson's restaurant at the Affinia Chicago hotel. Pederson's Midwestern roots lend to her focus on pure flavors, simplicity and seasonality in her European and artisanal-inspired cuisine. She has a fondness for the importance of working with local farmers and creating a sustainable community.
Gale Gand, executive pastry chef and partner with Rich Melman and Rick Tramonto of the Five Diamond, four star restaurant TRU in Chicago, was named Outstanding Pastry Chef by The James Beard Foundation and Bon Appétit magazine in 2001. Host of Food Network's Sweet Dreams, Gand is also a cookbook author with seven titles. 
Melissa Graham inherited her love of cooking and hospitality from her parents, a couple who loved to entertain. This lifelong passion has led her to co-founding Monogramme Events & Catering, a boutique catering company that specializes in seasonal and sustainable cuisine. First Lady Michelle Obama and cookbook author Art Smith are among her patrons.
Bernie Laskowski has been the executive chef at Park Grill in Millennium Park since 2003. His work extends far beyond the kitchen as he had a hand in building and opening the restaurant which, under his leadership, has won numerous accolades and awards. Laskowski infuses imaginative, Chicago flavor into each dish on Park Grill's contemporary American menu.
Ina Pinkney is chef/owner of the Ina's, Chicago's acclaimed breakfast, lunch (and, in warmer weather, dinner) restaurant in the trendy West Loop. Often called the "Breakfast Queen," she has appeared on the Food Network and is frequently featured in local and national media for both her culinary skills and longtime expertise in making exquisite desserts.
In college Tony D'Alessandro is head chef/owner of BIG & little's, a "gourmet fast-food" fish & chip seafood restaurant in River North. The Chicagoland native has also been a contestant on Gordon Ramsay's reality show "Hell's Kitchen," and spent a year in Europe during college where he learned the fine art of Italian cooking.
Victor Newgren is executive chef at Lawry's The Prime Rib. Newgren has worked for Waldorf-Astoria, Superior Ocean Produce and MK North. Prior to joining Lawry's, Newgren co-owned the critically acclaimed French Mediterranean restaurant Copperblue. At Lawry's Newgren brings his love of fine dining to the table as he creates signature seafood dishes and world-renowned prime rib.
Scott Schmitz, executive chef at The Palm restaurant at Northbrook, Ill., has amassed more than 24 years of experience in leading culinary operations for fine dining, banquet and catering services. He has a passion for fine steaks and upscale Italian cuisine. He has also served as executive chef at Magnum's Steak House in Chicago and Braxton's Seafood Grill in Oakbrook. 
Jo Kaucher, along with husband Mickey Hornick, launched The Chicago Diner, the iconic vegetarian restaurant with imagined dishes, in 1983. Kim Gracen joined the restaurant in 2008 as executive vegan chef. The restaurant is a nationally-recognized pioneer in the field of vegetarian cooking. Among its many honors: a silver medal in the 1984 International Culinary Olympics.
Michael Koury is manager of Rebar, the modern cocktail & sushi lounge in Chicago's spectacular Trump Hotel & Tower. Koury is responsible for maintaining the chic bar with the support of nearly 20 associates under his supervision. "Liquid Kitchen," Rebar's progressive cocktail program, utilizes freshly squeezed juices and sustainable herbs and flowers as a foundation for its unique drinks.
Dirk & Terry Fucik are husband and wife team whose company, Dirk's Fish, use their shared expertise and passion to teach fish and seafood classes. As self-made chefs who both cook and experiment with many different dishes and ocean ingredients, they create many original recipes incorporating sustainable fish. Among their flavoring favorites: Cuban/Hispanic. 
Filemon Ochoa, has been executive chef at Meson Sabika in Naperville since it opened in 1990. He's also chef at the South Loop's Tapas Valencia. Born and raised in Chihuahua, Mexico, he strives for flavor harmonies and texture that showcase the latest authentic cuisines that he discovers on his frequent trips to Spain.
Jesse DeGuzman - coming soon!
Cesar Olivares is cheese buyer for Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine at its three Chicago retail locations. He works closely with Midwest regional cheese makers and represents them at local farmers markets. Olivares also takes pride in teaching classes that expand public understanding of the science and artistry of artisan cheese.
Jill Barron believes that food should not be overly complicated. A venerable and respected veteran of the city's restaurant scene, in 2008 Barron teamed up with Susan Thompson to open Mana Food Bar, a vegetarian small plates eatery. Using sustainable products, and recycled components, its simple elegant design work together to create a unique vegetarian experience.
Chris Curren, chef/owner of Blue 13 Restaurant, spent several years at top restaurants in his native Ohio before moving to Chicago in 2006 where he was Sous Chef at the acclaimed Zealous restaurant. With Blue 13 now open over a year, Curren continues as partner and head chef, serving up his contemporary American creations nightly.
Laurel Boger is the executive pastry chef at Eli's Cheesecake Company. She is a member of the research and development team that develops new and distinctive desserts for the lauded company. Boger, who fine-tuned her dessert expertise in East Lansing, Mich., enjoys sharing her skills with people and has taught classes at the Eli's Cheesecake World Café.
Executive chef Mark Grimes has over 25 years of culinary and back-of-house operations expertise. He has held corporate chef positions at RDGChicago/Restaurants America, Fox Sports Grill, ESPN Zone/Disney, Champps Americana as well as chef positions at Lettuce Entertain You's Maggiano's and Pump Room. In the course of his career, Grimes has opened more than 50 restaurants.
Darrel Anderson is chef at Dinner's Ready, a gourmet shop in Sandwich, Ill. Home cooking parties are a specialty. Anderson's career spans the globe. He has worked at restaurants in Italy and today hosts his own weekly radio show. He's also a frequent culinary guest on Fox Valley Today, TV30, in the western suburbs.
Roger Herring is chef/owner of Socca restaurant. His life-changing food experience came at world-renowned Limoges, France, where he was able to further develop his French cooking techniques. Often featured in culinary publications, his passion for music has resulted in his catering meals for some of the biggest names in rock & pop including U2, Linkin Park, Prince and Sheryl Crow. 
Dino Lubbat is chef/owner of Dinotto Ristorante, a popular neighborhood Italian restaurant in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood. The Ristorante features classically-prepared dishes as well a vegetarian, low-carb and low-fat options cooked to order. It also features a spectacular wine selection. Much of the menu's inspiration comes from Lubbat's occasional trips to Italy.
Brian Huston's unassuming style is perfectly suited to The Publican, a restaurant whose goal is to be as simple as possible. The Evanston, Ill., native boasts a solid career of building on classical culinary training, including stages at some of the country's finest restaurants: Spiaggia and Heaven on Seven in Chicago and San Francisco's Zuni Café, to name but a few.
Chef Didier Durand, owner of River North's Cyrano's Bistrot & Wine Bar and Cyrano's Café on the River Walk, serves traditional and innovative French cuisine. Born in Bergerac in southwest France, Durand named his restaurants after Cyrano de Bergerac, the legendary Frenchman who symbolizes "Le Grande Passion" of French life and living. He blogs at ZFrenchChef.com.
Mathew Reichel is the Executive Chef for Berghoff Catering. He is the culinary symphony director that creates, chops, sautés, carves or whatever needs to be created to fill your tummies.
Chef Michael Niksic (a.k.a. The Food Mercenary) is a Chicago native who conducts popular and insanely funny cooking classes in Northern Illinois. His culinary pedigree takes an entire website (at freecookingprograms.com ) to cover his breadth of expertise. He began his career in 1976 and just released his first cooking DVD, "Serious Chili."
Denise Norton is the executive chef & owner of Flavour Cooking School in Forest Park which she founded in 2003. At Flavour, Norton combines her passion for food with a love of teaching. Norton has appeared locally on WGN-TV, NBC5 and ABC7, at numerous local culinary events and nationally on The Food Network and The Learning Channel.
Tony Priolo, executive chef/co-owner of Piccolo Sogna, has known since childhood that he wanted to be a chef. His acclaimed style is simply-prepared Italian food. A Chicago native, he has also been executive chef at Coco Pazzo, where he was a partner. He has also worked with famed Italian chef/owner Delfina Cioni in Tuscany.
Randy Zweiban is the executive chef/owner of the critically acclaimed Province restaurant, which he opened in 2009. He introduced Chicagoans to Nuevo Latino cooking at Lettuce Entertain You's Nacional 27 in 1998. A native of Queens, New York, Zweiban crafts a dynamic menu that is grounded in American cuisine and influenced by Central and South American and Spanish dishes.
Julian Crews wears many hats at WGN-TV News. From his travel series and politics to papal visits, this versatile reporter delivers news to millions. Julian's newest hat is as founder of Old Havana Foods, a specialty food company that uses centuries-old family recipes from Cuba to bring tantalizing taste of Old Havana to the heartland.
Brian Millman is executive chef at Chicago's two Uncommon Ground restaurants. It's where his love of comfort cuisine has found a perfect home. Millman's a lover of many cuisines including Mexican, Spanish, Italian and French. Before joining Uncommon Ground in 2006, his chef resume includes notable restaurants in both Colorado and in his hometown of Chicago.
Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh (aka the Hearty Boys) are acclaimed trend setting caterers, restaurateurs, cookbook authors and television hosts. Their now- legendary national celebrity trajectory started as the original winners of the Food Network's "Search for the Next Food Network Star." Equally impressive is the fact that these "accidental experts" started with no formal culinary training.
 Alex Shalev, chef de cuisine at sola restaurant, was born in Bulgaria. He started at sola in 2006 and rapidly moved his way up in the kitchen. In 2008, he was named chef de cuisine. Shalev likes working with locally grown and sustainable ingredients and enjoys taking risks with sola's Hawaiian and Asian-influenced menu.
Phillip Foss, executive chef at Lockwood restaurant, has earned a reputation as a rising haute-cuisine star at a young age. His culinary resume includes many of the best restaurants in the world, including New York City's acclaimed Le Cirque 2000. At the helm of Lockwood, Foss has complete discretion with one requirement: perpetual innovation.
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Click Here for the 2009 Chefs/Presenters! |