Chef Dorian Hunter is the first African American female to win MasterChef. She recently joined Chef Jaime Laurita and me in the Viking Showroom to celebrate Women’s Entrepreneurship Day and to demonstrate Salmon Wellington, her audition dish for MasterChef. All proceeds from the evening benefited Wings. Chef Dorian shares her heartwarming journey with us about…

Chef Michael Kornick’s culinary journey has taken him into some of the greatest kitchens in the world. He is a nationally recognized leader in the culinary arts. His inspiration began at home, cooking with his grandmother and mother. Chef Kornick recalls, “They took a lot of pride and passion in bringing family occasions to the…

As we know, charity begins in the kitchen. On today’s Kitchen Chat, we are featuring Chef Didier Durand, Executive Chef of Marchesa and Chef James De Marte, Chef/owner of Pisolino along with his business partner, Rachel De Marte. These two chefs joined Chef Jaime Laurita and me in the Middleby Residential Showroom for cooking demos.…

On November 8, Chef Jaime Laurita and I will emcee the Celebrity Chef Ball for Meals on Wheels Chicago. It’s extra special this year as the organization will be honoring the legendary Ina Pinkney. Ina is a dear friend and mentor. Her experience as a restaurateur, cookbook author, brand ambassador, a polio survivor and a…

Do you want to be a hero in your kitchen? Marge Perry and David Bonom share the tips and recipes for one pan meals that will expand the palates with even more flavor for your family. Recently, I stopped by Read it and Eat in Chicago where this dynamic duo was preparing Ooey Gooey Mac…

“If you preserve the food, you preserve who your family is.” This poignant quote by Joan Nathan, an award winning author of eleven cookbooks including her latest King Solomon’s Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from  Around the World, truly captures the essence of why recipes matter. It was an honor to meet Joan…

Do your New Year’s resolutions include eating healthy?  If so, you will enjoy my kitchen chat with Chef Dave Choi who has a passion for a plant based lifestyle.  He encourages us to consider a three day challenge of eating meals without sugar, yeast, dairy and animal protein which he explains are the sources of…

A visit with Anne Willan in her kitchen. Anne Willan is an icon in the culinary world. As founder of Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris in 1975, she has trained some of today’s top chefs and people in the culinary industry. La Varenne was one of the first cooking schools in France to…

“A lot of people think that baking is exacting. I challenge that. It’s not really.” Chef Jim Dodge Chef Jim Dodge has deep culinary and hospitality roots.  Chef Dodge’s family has been in the hospitality business in the White Mountains of New Hampshire since 1794.  He worked in every department of his family’s New Hampshire resorts.…

“We all know when we eat well we feel better.  We have the energy to rock it out!” Linda Novick O’Keefe, Founding CEO of Common Threads   Over 16 million children in the United States experience hunger.  Common Threads is helping lead the way to empower and educate children across the country.  Recently, Linda Novick…