Scott has been a private chef in the towers of Michigan Avenue to homes on the North Shore. What makes the culinary arts interesting to me, is the varied opportunities I have had and the experiences that this industry has provided.
My formal education was at Kendall College, graduating at the top of my class with a complete 2-year degree. I have worked in bakeries, managed boutique café kitchens and have worked with Chefs such as Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill) and Bruce Shermer (North Pond Café) in forging the path for Organic Farmers Markets in Chicago.
Stepping into the educational part of the culinary field provides me with an opportunity to share my knowledge and inspire “good food” through eclectic menus and challenging techniques.
If I were to pick the most import elements about teaching, it would be to educate folks about food, teach them how to cook it well and most of all, bring people together to enjoy the one thing that we all have in common: eating. So remember to take time in your life to make good food, sit with friends, family or someone you don’t know and salute life, eat well, laugh and enjoy!
Alekka is Executive Chef and Owner of Give Me Some Sugar. Alekka dreamed up her company in 2006, and has since found it to be a perfect venue to integrate her culinary talents with her love of hospitality and pnique business that provides at-home culinary instruction for both adults and children in a social atmosphere.
Alekka has appeared on the WGN Morning News and on 190 North as well as featured in the Chicago Tribune, Time Out Chicago and Daily Candy.
From a young age, Alekka Sweeney enjoyed the communal, creative feel engendered by a warm, busy kitchen. She started her culinary career baking bread at her mother’s side and later learned to enjoy quality wine from her father.
Alekka graduated from the Pennsylvania Institute of Culinary Arts with an externship with Master Pastry Chef Gunther Heiland, and took an in-depth course on pastry arts at Ottawa’s Le Cordon Bleu. She went on to work as Assistant Pastry Chef for Atlanta’s Bold American Food Company for five years. There, she developed and planned dessert menus for the company’s three restaurants, including The Food Studio, as well as its catering company. She garnered an Employee of the Year Award in 1999.
Less than one month after making the move to Chicago in 2002, Chef Alekka took part in the One Day Stage with Gale Gand at Tru. She worked with pastry staffs at the Hotel Inter-Continental, Bon Appetit at the Art Institute of Chicago and Giselles. She also designed and assembled cakes, tempered chocolates and helped develop new products at Vosges Haut Chocolates.
As long as people in Chicago love food—making it and eating it—Chef Alekka will be in business.
Advancing quickly, Ginn soon found himself working as sous chef for notable Charleston restaurant Trattoria Lucca under Chef Ken Vedrinski. This pivotal experience granted Ginn his first exposure to the traditional execution of Italian fare. Watching Chef Vedrinksi’s flawless preparation allowed Ginn to learn from Vedrinski’s expert craftsmanship and dedication.
In 2011, Ginn moved to Chicago to become one of the original culinary forces behind Davanti Enoteca - the rustic Italian concept from Francesca’s Restaurant Group - which was named 20 top Italian restaurants in America by The Daily Meal. Chef Richard Ginn was also the Chicago winner of the Urban Chefs Recipe Challenge 2013.
My name is Chris Meyer. I am the owner and creator of Christy Marie's Cinnamon Rolls. My father gave me the nickname 'Christy Marie' when I was a little girl in Kentucky. I went back to those Southern roots for choosing the company name and for developing my favorite cinnamon rolls. Southern food has always been wholesome and comforting to me, especially my own warm cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven!
I never lost my love of Southern food, even though it has been years since those days in Kentucky. I moved to Chicago to become a chef after getting a degree from the Southeast Institute of Culinary Arts in St. Augustine, FL. I spend time perfecting my recipes, baking cinnamon rolls and sharing a bit of my home with family and friends. It's my cinnamon rolls that are a hit with everyone, I'm bringing them to you in Chicago by special order.
To learn more about Chirsty go to Miss Christy Marie.