J’ADORE MAMA: 10 Chicago Chefs Dish Out Their Favorite Memories On Mother’s Day

Mothers are many things but we like to think of them as metaphors. For instance, if you had to pick one room in your home your mom most symbolized, you would probably say the kitchen (or if it was our mom, the rusty, old shed in the backyard but that’s a long story).

Considering their culinary prowess, it does seem perfectly fitting, if rather cliché, that we honor our matriarchs on Mother’s Day through the sweet act of reciprocation – staging a meal of spectacular proportions, whether it be ten courses at one of the city’s finest dining meccas, served up picnic-style on deliciously-luxe cashmere blankets overlooking Lake Michigan, or hosted at the family dining room table bedecked with glowing candles, heirlooms and her favorite treasures.

This year, instead of spotlighting hundreds of holiday dining specials at restaurants around the city, we’re going straight to the source. We caught up with ten of Chicago’s most provocative chefs who shared fond memories of their first culinary mentor, toughest critic and favorite foodie as well as the treats they’re serving up this Sunday.

Gregory Ellis
2 Sparrows

I had been cooking professionally for a few years when I went home to my parents house for a weekend off. I decided that I was going to cook pot roast for my mother since she had done it for me so many times before. When I started, she just looked at me and said, “What are you doing?” I replied, “Making pot roast.” She thought I was doing it all wrong. I wasn’t, I was merely taking steps to improve upon her great recipe. Right then, she put her apron on and told me I was going to teach her my way to make it. It made me feel good that my mother was asking me for cooking advice, which hasn’t stopped since that time. The pot roast turned out great and my mother absolutely loved it. From then on, she makes it my way and keeps me updated every time she prepares it.

Bill Kim
bellyQ/Belly Shack/UrbanBelly

It was 1996 and I was the sous chef at Trio Restaurant in Evanston. This was also my first experience cooking brunch in my career. My parents joined us for Mother’s Day brunch and it was their very first fine dining experience. My mom loved the food! She experienced caviar for the first time and we served her a lobster cocktail in a mango vinaigrette. My dad had pheasant for the first time. My parents would later confess that they did not feel very comfortable in a fine dining setting. So, that would be their last time at a fine dining restaurant.

This memory also served as inspiration for me to open UrbanBelly. I wanted to have a place where my family would have an opportunity to enjoy my cooking in a more casual setting. My wife and I always said we wanted to create a restaurant that was a reflection of dining in our home. As is the norm in our business, we make a lot of sacrifices. We don’t get to spend time with our loved ones on the days that most celebrate special occasions and holidays. For the majority of my career, I worked 16 hour days, 6 days a week. My parents worked a similar schedule because they owned a dry cleaning business and their only day off was Sunday. This is a lasting memory because its a reminder of the sacrifices one makes for their career and how valuable time spent with loved ones is.

John Manion
La Sirena Clandestina

Years ago, when my parents moved into their new home, I did a big churrasco for my mother’s birthday. Most of their friends from our time living in Brazil were in attendance. Gulf shrimp, chorizos, whole filet on the grill, short ribs with grilled green onions, black beans and rice…the works. I even brought farofa down in my carry-on. My poor mother had no idea the workout I would give the kitchen. We had an all-family chimichurri-making session which involved the peeling of an ungodly amount or garlic and the chopping of even more parsley. When she saw the state of her new kitchen floor, I thought she was going to cry. A few caipirinhas and a concerted scrubbing effort later, all was well in the world again. Friends and family gathered around a table sharing platters of food, stories and laughter – it’s what she taught me that this is all about. I owe her more than she will ever know.

Matthias Merges
Billy Sunday/Yusho

When I was eight, my mother bought Time Life’s “Foods of the World” series. I was transfixed and couldn’t put the books down. For Mother’s Day, I decided to make sukiyaki, a popular Japanese dish and a major undertaking for someone my age. But I was determined to pull it off with my brother’s help. We made our lists and I asked my father to take us shopping. In 1974, there weren’t many ethnic produce markets to be had in Middletown, NJ. It was a very long day of shopping for all the necessary products needed for sukiyaki – tofu, miso, ginger root, shiitake mushrooms, and fresh herbs. This was the moment when I found a deep connection with cooking and product and it would stay with me all of my life. To be able to bring a recipe to completion and then share it with people you love is, and continues to be, why I cook today.

Ryan Poli
Little Market Brasserie/Tavernita

I had just gotten home from living in Spain for a year and was staying with my parents for a few weeks until I figured things out. I woke up one morning and wanted to eat something that reminded me of Spain. I made a simple breakfast of tortilla española (spanish omelet). When my mother came upstairs, we sat down and ate breakfast together for the first time in over a year. The meal had taken me no time to prepare but for her, I knew it meant the world.

Tony Priolo
Piccolo Sogno

My grandmother had a great passion for baking. After she passed away, my mother wanted to prepare her mother’s cranberry cake but could not find the recipe. Having spent so much time in the kitchen together, I was able to recreate my grandmother’s signature dish from scratch. The flavors were spot on and it made my mother so happy.

Giuseppe Tentori
GT Fish & Oyster

2008 was a very special year for me. In August, I went to Italy to celebrate my mother’s birthday. We grilled up an American-style barbeque because I wanted to share a piece of my new life in the United States with my family back home. Now, when I grill, I always think of her. I also took her to Rome because she wanted to meet the Pope Benedict XVI for her birthday. This was my mother’s last birthday and I’m happy I got the chance to share those moments with her.

 

 

 

 
Jared Van Camp
Nellcôte/Old Town Social

It was a tasting menu when I was sous chef at Blackbird. I invited my mother and father who had never done a tasting menu or really any fine dining. It was all very new to them. I worked with the sommelier to make it special and having never fathomed something like it, they ended up having a great time. It was very memorable.

 

Jason Vincent
Nightwood

The most memorable dish my mom makes is her lasagna. She adds a couple of layers of pepperoni that really sends it over the top. It was so popular in our house that she always made two and stuck one in the freezer for a rainy day. We almost always ate dinner together but when she served her lasagna, no one ever asked to be excused. We would sit around the table and talk for hours. I’ve tried to recreate it but it’s never the same. I guess I’ll keep her around.

Lee Wolen
The Lobby at The Peninsula

When I was 14, I made dinner for my mom on Mother’s Day: pierogis and lemon chicken that I pounded, breaded and prepared with capers and lemon juice. My mom taught me the lemon chicken recipe, it was something we ate frequently when I was growing up. Now I make it for my girlfriend and serve it with an arugula salad – she loves it!

Restaurants

2 Sparrows
553 W. Diversey Parkway
(773) 234-2320
Website 
Serving regular menu and Mother’s Day specials.

Billy Sunday
3143 West Logan Boulevard
(773) 661-2485
Website 
Serving regular menu.

GT Fish & Oyster
531 N. Wells Street
(312) 929-3501
Website 
Serving regular brunch menu.

Little Market Brasserie
10 E Delaware Place
(312) 640-8141
Website
Serving 4-course sharing menu; one brunch cocktail/juice bar.
Special gift for mom.
$35 per guest (pricing excludes tax and gratuity).

Nellcôte
833 W. Randolph Street
(312) 432-0500
Website 
Serving regular menu and Mother’s Day specials.
Portion of the proceeds from brunch cocktails will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

Nightwood
2119 S. Halsted Street
(312) 526-3385
Website 
Serving regular menu.

Old Town Social
455 W. North Avenue
(312) 266-2277
Website 
Serving regular menu and Mother’s Day specials

Piccolo Sogno
464 N. Halsted Street
(312) 421-0077
Website 
Serving regular menu and Mother’s Day specials.

Tavernita
151 W. Erie River North
(312) 274-1111
Website
Serving 4-course sharing menu; one brunch cocktail.
Special gift for mom.
$35 per guest (pricing excludes tax and gratuity).

The Lobby at The Peninsula
108 E. Superior Street
(312) 337-2888
Website 
Serving Mother’s Day brunch buffet.
$144 per person;  $42 for guests 12 years old and younger (pricing excludes tax and gratuity).

Yusho
2853 N. Kedzie Avenue
(773) 904-8558
Website 
Serving regular menu and Mother’s Day specials.
Moms enjoy a special gift – housemade honeycomb brittle.

Kerry Shorr, 24/7 Contributing Writer
Co-Founder, Luxe File Chicago