THE CHOPPING BLOCK – CHEF PROFILES
Janet Kirker
Favorite class to teach:
I love teaching any of our "Focus On" classes because they allow for a lot more in-depth conversation over 5-6 hours. I especially enjoyed teaching my Food and Wine of the Willamette Valley class last Fall because all of the recipes were replicas of dishes my husband and I made on our vacation. I had plenty of funny stories (or at least I thought they were funny) to share with my students.
Training/education:
B.S. Restaurant Management from University of Illinois at U-C, AOS Culinary Arts from Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY. Fifteen years of restaurant experience from coast to coast.
Cooking since:
I have been cooking for as long as I remember. I actually remember washing dishes on a stepstool as a very young child before any cooking memories. My mom must have had the "pay your dues" mentality!
Favorite childhood food experience:
Every Christmas my family would choose from cuisines from around the world for Christmas dinner. My Mother and I would develop a menu, present the choices to my family, and she and I would spend hours preparing for the day. It would consist of several courses and a little sip of wine for all of us kids too.
What made you want to become a chef?
Cooking with my Mother. I also cooked with both of my Grandmothers when we had family functions. I come from a large family, so preparing dinner nightly was actually a fun process instead of a chore.
What is your signature dish?
I don't really have a signature dish. Sometimes I really get a craving for a certain dish and put all of my energy into creating an experience around it.
What are the 5 ingredients you can't live without?
Sea salt, a good extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, citrus of any kind, and any kind of fresh herb.
What do you love about cooking?
I love the fact that cooking can be both spontaneous and scientific. There is something equally satisfying in creating a dish in the moment from whatever is in the refrigerator or following an intricate recipe step by step. The variety is endless.
When you're creating a new recipe, what influences and inspires you?
I think that what influences me most is any craving that I am having at a particular time. I tend to think about a certain dish or type of cuisine I am in the mood for and then create a whole meal or experience around it. This also entails whatever is seasonal at the time, as well as what wine I have that I want to enjoy with it.
What advice would you give a new cook?
Learn and master the basics. Enjoy the journey of becoming a good cook before becoming a chef.
What are you doing when you're not cooking?
Exploring wine, not only by drinking it at home, but by reading about it and going to tastings and planning my vacations around it.
Describe your perfect evening.
My perfect evening actually starts in the afternoon. A cocktail on the balcony with my husband, a little prep in the kitchen (I would have more done from earlier in the day), sipping some pre-dinner wine, eating dinner in the dining room with candles on the table and great music in the background, a great bottle of wine, and then maybe a movie.
If you had friends in from out of town, where would you take them to eat?
If we were going casual, I would take them to Urban Belly for noodles. The food there is superlative. Full of flavor and very consistent. For some more variety and seasonal fun, I would take them to Avec. If I wanted to be a little more fancy I would probably cook for them at home. We are able to pull off some pretty fun stuff and be comfortable at the same time.
Where are you from?
Savoy, Illinois. That is a smaller town right outside of Champaign.
What was your favorite vacation?
My favorite vacation was with my husband last summer in Oregon. We rented a cottage in the Willamette Valley and spent a week going to farmers' markets, cooking, and, of course, drinking plenty of excellent pinot noir.
What are your hobbies?
Anything outdoors by the lake, like cycling, frisbee, etc. Learning about wine.
What is your favorite band?
I love listening to music, but half of the time I have no idea who is singing.
What is your favorite sports team?
Although I enjoy going to see a basketball or baseball game, I don't really care who is playing!
If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be?
My dinner would involve a little time travel. I grew up in a home where cooking was a part of every holiday, celebration, and even simple gatherings. I would hear stories from my grandmothers of the meals they used to cook, and they sounded like so much fun. Even pie and iced tea in the evening was an event. To go back in time about 50 years to when they were really in their prime and spend an evening cooking with them for one of these gatherings would be a thrill for sure.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Cheetos, Doritos, and Peanut Buster Parfaits.
Who is your favorite celebrity chef?
Jamie Oliver. He seems to have a "no-nonsense" approach to food, which I find refreshing, with a strong focus on fresh, whole foods.
What 5 tools should every new cook have in the kitchen?
A good, sharp chef's knife, a good, sharp paring knife, a honing steel, a zester, and a heat-proof rubber spatula.
What resources would you suggest for Chopping Block clients?
Cooksillustrated.com for more intellectual and scientific content. Gourmet.com for fun information on food, travel, and restaurant news. NYTimes.com for great stories, videos, and restaurant news
List/describe three of your favorite tips or techniques you use in the kitchen.
I tell people to buy a cutting board that is bigger than your tasks because there is nothing more irritating than ingredients falling off the sides of the board. Also, I like to use a 12-inch commercial plastic wrap in my home kitchen because it lasts forever and works a lot better than saran wrap!