Kitchen Chat with Margaret McSweeney

Are you ready to keep it simple in the kitchen? Yasmin Fahr, author of Keeping it Simple will inspire and encourage you on today's Kitchen Chat. Yasmin is a food writer and recipe developer featured in Serious Eats, The Kitchen, Epicurious, Taste, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and The Los Angeles Times. Her new book will build your culinary foundation and will provide a more organized approach for...

Teri Turner aka No Crumbs Left is a modern day Julia Child. She is passionate and articulate about sharing her recipes and cooking tips all while making us feel like we are in her kitchen. Recently, Teri joined Chef Jaime Laurita ( https://www.instagram.com/jaimelaurita/?hl=en ) and me for a Kitchen Chat in the Middleby Residential showroom in Chicago ( https://www.middlebyresidential.com/#showroo...

Vicky Bennison ( https://www.pastagrannies.com/vicky-bennison) takes us into the kitchens across Italy to meet the beloved “Pasta Grannies” who share their time-treasured techniques and secrets to pasta making.  From her home in Italy, Vicky started exploring the food of the area and discovered that only the Italian grandmothers were preserving the tradition of making pasta by hand. She began capt...

Make holiday entertaining a little easier with tips from Rachael Hollis and Food Network’s Michelle Buffardi. Rachel Hollis, celebrity event planner, entrepreneur and founder of www.thechicsite.com, and Hollis Co shares hacks for the hostess from her book Upscale Downhome. With clients including Bradley Cooper and many other stars, Rachel will help you make your guests feel like VIPs without break...

Vicky Bennison takes us into the kitchens across Italy to meet the beloved "Pasta Grannies" who share their time-treasured techniques and secrets to pasta making. From her home in Italy, Vicky started exploring the food of the area and discovered that only the Italian grandmothers were preserving the tradition of making pasta by hand. She began capturing this culinary this culinary history on vide...

The Joy of Cooking is a treasured cookbook with millions of home chefs following the recipes and creating taste memories for their families. As many of you know, I have been on a quest through Kitchen Chat to understand my father’s joy of cooking. Speaking with John Becker (the great-grandson of Irma Rombauer) and his wife, Megan Scott was a milestone in this journey and a hug from heaven. They ar...

The Joy of Cooking is a treasured cookbook with millions of home chefs following the recipes and creating taste memories for their families.

Chef Michael Kornick is a successful restaurateur, active in supporting the community. His 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 ta...

As we know, charity begins in the kitchen. On today’s Kitchen Chat, we are featuring Chef Didier Durand, Executive Chef of Marchesa ( https://www.marchesachicago.com )and Chef James De Marte, Chef/owner of Pisolino ( http://pisolinochicago.com ) along with his business partner, Rachel De Marte. These two chefs joined Chef Jaime Laurita ( https://www.instagram.com/jaimelaurita/?hl=en ) and me in th...

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. Their restaurants are participating in CHILL on November 14, 2019...

On November 8, Chef Jaime Laurita ( https://www.instagram.com/jaimelaurita/?hl=en )and I will emcee the Celebrity Chef Ball for Meals on Wheels Chicago. ( https://e.givesmart.com/events/dRy/) It’s extra special this year as the organization will be honoring the legendary Ina Pinkney. ( http://www.breakfastqueen.com/) Ina is a dear friend and mentor. Her experience as a restaurateur, cookbook autho...

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 woman entrepreneur is impactful. Ina's passion to share her knowledge with oth...

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 and Cheese from their new cookbook Hero Dinners: One-pan Meals that will Save the Day. Their recipes will make you...

“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 Nathan at Les Dames d’Escoffier conference in Washington, D.C. and d...

"If you preserve the food, you preserve who your family is." This poignant quote by Joan Nathan ( http://joannathan.com ), an award winning author of eleven cookbooks including her latest King Solomon's Table: A Culinary Exploration of Jewish Cooking from  Around the World, ( http://amzn.to/2xyOAfZ) truly captures the essence of why recipes matter. > It was an honor to meet Joan Nathan at Les Dame...

Do your New Year's resolutions include eating healthy?  If so, you will enjoy my kitchen chat with Chef Dave Choi ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/plant-base-chef-dave-choi-76936349)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 inflammation.  He says...

Chef Dave Choi 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 inflammation. He says, “After three days ask yourself, do I feel better?” His message to eat what is grounded to the earth is truly his life choice. Chef Choi opened the first vegan restauran...

A visit with Anne Willan in her kitchen. Anne Willan ( http://lavarenne.com/about-anne/)is an icon in the culinary world. As founder of Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne ( http://www.lavarenne.com/) 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 offer simultaneous instruction in French and Engl...

With over 30 books, Anne Willan is truly one of the world’s preeminent authorities on French cooking and she is one of the nicest and most gracious people you will ever meet. I first met Anne at the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference in Chicago during 2014 at a book signing for her outstanding memoir One Souffle at a Time. In February 2015, Chef Jaime Laurita and I enjo...

"A lot of people think that baking is exacting. I challenge that. It's not really." Chef Jim Dodge ( http://kitchenchat.info/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/BC8383A6-6EC6-4F7F-B880-2BB7DB82FB01-651x750.jpeg) Chef Jim Dodge ( http://www.chefjimdodge.com ) 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....

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.  Although he didn't stay in the family business, Chef Dodge continues the art of hospitality with his impressive pastry chef career.   I first met Chef Dodge at the...

Over 16 million children in the United States experience hunger.  Common Threads ( http://www.commonthreads.org ) is helping lead the way to empower and educate children across the country.  Recently, Linda Novick O’Keefe, the founding CEO of Common Threads joined Chef Jaime Laurita ( https://www.instagram.com/jaimelaurita/?hl=en ) and me for a Kitchen Chat in the Middleby Residential Showroom ( h...

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 O'Keefe, the founding CEO of Common Threads joined Chef Jaime Laurita and me for a Kitchen Chat in the Middleby Residential Showroom in Chicago's Merchandise Mart. Linda shared with us her passion for educating school a...

“Anything you can do in the kitchen, I say you should do it on the grill.  It always tastes better.” Chef Matthew Eads Do you want more confidence at the grill? Today’s guest, Chef Matthew Eads ( https://www.grillseeker.com ) shares recipes and tips from his cookbook Grill Seeker: Basic Training for Everyday Grilling ( https://amzn.to/2JGascI ) As a U.S. Marine for thirteen years, Chef Matt knows...

Do you want more confidence at the grill? Today's guest, Chef Matthew Eads shares recipes and tips from his cookbook Grill Seeker: Basic Training for Everyday Grilling As a U.S. Marine for thirteen years, Chef Matt knows firsthand about basic training. He recently joined Chef Jaime Laurita and me in the Middleby Residential showroom at the Merchandise Mart for a Kitchen Chat.