THE CHOPPING BLOCK – CHEF PROFILES
Michele Glancey
Favorite class to teach:
Laminated doughs, any grilling classes on the patio.
Training/education:
Restaurant School; Culinary Arts. Trained in the midst of a booming Philadelphia restaurant scene; Circa, Rittenhouse Hotel, The Guard House
Cooking since:
1999
Favorite childhood food experience:
My mom's Navajo tacos, mastering the art of frying when I was tiny, the chocolate chip cheesecake at Gullifty's
What made you want to become a chef?
The kitchen is my favorite place to be, I love feeding people.
What are the 5 ingredients you can't live without?
Bacon ends to start EVERYTHING, Spanish chorizo, Danish butter(Lurpak), homemade stock, lemons
What do you love about cooking?
Service
When you're creating a new recipe, what influences and inspires you?
Influences…mistakes. Inspiration…whatever is available in the pantry.
What advice would you give a new cook?
Put your head down, learn whatever you can(even if the source is an idiot; you'll learn how not to do things) and go home and read whatever you can about food and cookbooks
What are you doing when you're not cooking?
Learning about beer.
If you had friends in from out of town, where would you take them to eat?
Avec, Quartino's, Map Room, Archie's on Iowa, Sticky Rice, Silver Palm.
Where are you from?
Philly.
What was your favorite vacation?
NYE in the Wisconsin Dells with all my friends from back in the day; my favorite people. I made New Year's dinner….mmm!
What are your hobbies?
Movie watchin', picture takin', eatin' and drinkin'
What is your favorite band?
Motley Crue, Talking Heads, John Lee Hooker, Willie Nelson.
If you could have dinner with one person, who would it be?
Albert Breuers, my chef.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Dehydrated cheese products(i.e. Kraft Mac n' Cheese, Doritos) and Dr. Pepper
Who is your favorite celebrity chef?
Jaques Pepin
What 5 tools should every new cook have in the kitchen?
Cast iron skillet, great peeler, strainers of varying sizes, tons of wooden utensils, and of course a SHARP knife.
What resources would you suggest for Chopping Block clients?
Joe Pastry and the Michael Rulhman websites; great links on both.
List/describe three of your favorite tips or techniques you use in the kitchen.
Use your microplane as a garlic press; we love tools that are multi-purposeand it cuts down on drawers being cluttered with too much stuff.
Keep a butter pot; particularly during the cold Chicago winters…you always need soft butter.
Invest in Ziplocs. They are the only way to marinade and during the grilling season they are invaluable.