Meals on Wheels Chicago

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…

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Stanley Cup Winner Daniel Carcillo: Life After the Game

“Hockey mimics life.  It’s important to stay mentally focused no matter if the momentum changes.” Daniel Carcillo, two time Stanley Cup winner, formerly with Chicago Blackhawks Unexpected blows in life can happen to us all.  However, unexpected blows in the hockey rink can change the course of one’s life after the game.  Daniel Carcillo shares…

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Drew Nieporent: Master of Hospitality

“Our job is anticipating the guests’ needs.” Drew Nieporent, Founder of Myriad Restaurant Group Drew Nieporent, founder of Myriad Restaurant Group including Nobu and Tribeca Grill, is the perfect matchmaker for the pairing of food and film.  Just hours before joining Chef Jaime Laurita and me for a Kitchen Chat in the Middleby Residential Showroom,…

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Danny Meyer: A Heart for Hospitality

“Quality almost always finds its audience.”  Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group   Danny Meyer is a Renaissance Restaurateur who leads and lives by the tenets of Enlightened Hospitality.  The salient core is that each business has the same stakeholders and “choosing how the stakeholders are prioritized will often create a virtuous cycle…

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Michael Airhart and SocialWorks: Taste for the Homeless

The statistics are staggering.  According to Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, nearly 80,000 people in Chicago are facing food and shelter instability.  Michael Airhart exemplifies what one person can do to tackle a huge problem.  For many years, he has cooked meals in his kitchen, has gone out into the streets, under bridges and into…

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International Association of Culinary Professionals CEO Tanya Steel

International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is “taking it to the next level” under the leadership of its new CEO, Tanya Steel.  Some of the founding members of IACP include Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Nathalie Dupree and Anne Willan.  Steel’s impressive resume includes being Editor in Chief of both Epicurious and Gourmet, a best selling cookbook…

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