Perhaps no city has embraced the casual trend in dining like Chicago. But when one considers how dining trends often run amok--the way Cajun did in the '80's--could casual dining fare much better, particularly in a town that's breeding restaurants...
In New York City, where chefs are as plentiful as sardines at the Fulton Fish Market, it's hard to get noticed. But ever since 1982, when Kerry Heffernan graduated second in his class at the CIA, he's had a significant presence at such notable...
After Todd English checked out of Michela's two years ago to open his own Cambridge restaurant, we and others quickly proclaimed him a rising star for dropping Olives onto Boston's collective plate. But Michela's--which taught Boston area diners...
When Traci Des Jardin began cooking seven years ago at age 18, she hooked her wagon to a star--Joachim Splichal, regarded by many food critics as one of the most innovative and cerebral of the "new American" chefs...
Jay Sparks couldn't cut it as a rock guitarist in the '70's. He was a pretty decent musician, but just couldn't stand the smoky bars his band played in. "So what did I do? I got a job in a smoky kitchen instead," he laughs, while holding court in...
Maternal advice isn't always what it's cracked up to be. Daniel O'Leary's mother warned her son away from restaurants. A waitress, she knew hard work and lousy hours. But by age fourteen her boy was scrubbing pots anyway. A good thing, too. Had he...
It's not easy to step out from under a master's shadow. The bright lights and heat that accompany any solo effort quickly reveal whether one will flourish or wilt. Chef Marc Meyer, who worked with Larry Forgione for five years in Forgione's...
What the Mirador needed before it opened a year ago in Chicago was a chef who could bring sophistication to comfort, integrity to whimsy. Carol Brandin was the answer. "This is a very casual, informal setting. But I'm very serious about what I'm...