If your job gave you access to the finest purveyors of the freshest, highest quality food on a daily basis, where would you buy your groceries on your day off?
We asked that question of Chicago-area chefs, hoping we would gather a wealth of hidden culinary gems. What we discovered was that chefs, like the rest of us, look for good food at a good price. And if that food happens to come with a smile and a friendly chat, all the better.
Moreover, while our research reinforced our grudging acceptance of the fact that finding good food is only the first step to eating well (the second step, of course, being knowing how to prepare it properly), at the same time it cheered us to have chef after chef affirm that good, fresh food is in abundance, sometimes no further than our local chain grocer.
“You can go to Dominick’s, Jewel, Whole Foods, Sunset Foods,” said Roland Liccioni, executive chef of Wheeling’s landmark Le Francais, “and they all have good-quality produce.”
“Generally speaking, it’s like anything else, where some stuff is better than others,” agreed Robert Lang, executive chef of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Chicago, and a regular shopper at many local supermarkets, including area Jewel and Dominick’s. “But with all the variety in the supermarkets you can find anything you’re looking for, pretty much.”
It is no secret that in the 40-odd years since Julia Child first awakened the sluggish American palate to the glories of well-considered and expertly prepared food, the average consumer has become more demanding of the local grocer. Between the broadcast bombardment of food-related programming and the incessant nattering of self-appointed health gurus, the quality of the food available has skyrocketed. Even enormous warehouse stores, typically perceived as low-cost provisioners for large families, are now stocking fish and choice-grade meats that excite even the most demanding culinary professional.
Steve Chiappetti, executive chef of Le Coq in Oak Park and scion of the family-run meatpacking firm Chiappetti Lamb and Veal, loves the idea that restaurant-quality goods are now available to the public. Mention Costco, in fact, and he speaks with an appreciation that borders on reverence.
“It’s a chef’s haven in a lot of ways, across the board,” he said. “From the choice meats and seafood, from the lamb down to the king crab claws, it’s an amazing amount of freshness that goes on in that operation.” Chiapetti exhibited a similar enthusiasm for Trader Joe’s, the Los Angeles-based specialty grocery chain with 12 Chicago-area locations, particularly the selection of cheeses and wine.
“We’re talking some premier picks of wine, over-the-top nice stuff,” he said. “And what’s great is that both Costco and Trader Joe’s are places that absolutely anybody can go to.”
As good as the large chains seem to be at providing high-quality ingredients, however, one thing they can’t offer is produce that is literally “farm fresh.” Many chefs do their summer and fall shopping at the farmers markets and seasonal stands that dot the region. These operations also offer something every chef craves: the opportunity for an intimate knowledge of the food they buy, down to the person who pulled it from the ground.
“I’ve gained a real appreciation for these relationships,” said Michael Maddox, chef/co-owner of Le Titi de Paris, “and it’s nice to be able to walk into a place and see a familiar face.”
Maddox looks forward to the yearly opening of Krueger’s Vegetables, a family-run farm market in Lakemoor that operates only from July through October.
“I take my kids there and you can talk to the people who grow the vegetables,” Maddox said. “And I’ll bring back to them stuff that I’ve made from their produce, like gazpacho or pumpkin pie.”
Getting to know the purveyor, the farmer, is a theme constantly revisited by chefs. For many in food retail on the other side of the counter, these relationships are an integral part of their business.
“That’s the one thing that keeps us separate from the big chains,” said Joe Lane, manager of Casey’s Market in Western Springs. “That personal attention is why people come here instead of a chain store.”
Certainly, it keeps customers like Paul Virant coming back to Casey’s full-service meat counter and deli.
“It’s an institution,” said Virant, chef/owner of Vie in Western Springs. “Plus, they make their own sausages, so it’s a great place to pick up a brat.”
Jeremy Lycan, executive chef of 302 West in Geneva, has his pick of friendly, locally owned markets. Two of his favorites are Blue Goose and La Huerta Mexican Supermarket in St. Charles.
“The Blue Goose has everything you can imagine: high-quality produce and meats, and their butchers tend to do all the cutting on-site instead of bringing in precut meats,” Lycan said.
La Huerta is a family-run market specializing in Hispanic foods, including a full selection of chilies, hard-to-find Latin American spices and produce, and a complete butcher counter.
“We get in whole pigs and take them all the way down to pork chops,” said manager Lazaro Marquez, whose parents opened La Huerta 25 years ago.
Like so many of his fellow chefs, though, Lycan prizes the atmosphere of the market.
“It’s a family business with the father around and the son running things,” Lycan said. “And they’re happy when we come in, they’re happy having people that aren’t just from their culture.”
While it is not uncommon for chefs to look outside their own culture for culinary inspiration, many of the rest of us tend to be parochial in our shopping habits.
“Many people are afraid to go into ethnic markets until they’re recommended by somebody else, and that’s cuckoo,” said Melina Kelson-Podolsky, chef/instructor at Kendall College and owner of Edible Complex Catering.
Kelson-Podolsky shops regularly at Lincolnwood Produce, which specializes in ethnic foods from Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Along with imported, typically Eastern European items such as preserves and pickles, Lincolnwood carries an enormous array of canned and fresh fruits and vegetables.
“What I like is that they have lots of interesting canned things like jack-fruit, palm kernels and macapuno [shredded, jellied coconut],” Kelson-Podolsky said. “Then, if you go there in the fall, they’ll have 15 varieties of Michigan apples.”
And who can argue with variety, particularly with chefs whose home cupboards aren’t as well-stocked as their restaurants? An interesting vegetable or a new ingredient can make all the difference.
“When I’m at home I don’t have the oils and the stocks and the tons of different kinds of flavorings that I have in the restaurant, so cooking at home tends to be much simpler, more personal,” said Kevin Shikami, chef/owner of Kevin.
The challenge of preparing good meals with fewer ingredients sends Shikami to the Indian markets on Devon Avenue, to Mitsuwa Marketplace, the Japanese market in Arlington Heights, and to the Argyle neighborhood for Vietnamese markets such as Viet Hoa or Broadway Supermarket.
“I make different things at home because it’s just for me and my girlfriend,” he said. “But, if I like it, I’ll bring it in and amend it to make it restaurant-style.”
While it is fun to picture top chefs scurrying home from the neighborhood market with bags full of goodies, keep in mind one more common observation among those tireless kitchen professionals concerning their personal shopping: They often don’t shop.
“I’m here 24/7,” said James Lovell, chef/owner of Lovells in Lake Forest, “and if I ever get a day off, my wife does the shopping so I can just sit at home.”
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Chefs’ picks
Ask 100 chefs and you’ll get 100 answers as to where they like to shop. Here’s a sampling of recommendations from chefs we talked to:
Blue Goose Super Market
164 S. 1st St. St. Charles
630-584-0900
www.bluegoosemarket.com
– Specialty foods with a full butcher counter, deli, daily fresh fish and on-site bakery.
Broadway Supermarket
4879 N. Broadway
773-334-3838
– Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai foods along with some Japanese and Korean, including fresh produce, live crabs, lobsters and fish.
Casey’s Market
915 Burlington Ave. , Western Springs
708-246-0380
– Full-service meats with homemade sausage, fresh sea-food and a deli.
Dicola’s Seafood
10754 S. Western Ave.
773-238-7071
– Fresh seafood and shellfish, raw or cooked to order for carryout; also sauces, pastas and other dry goods and shelf-stable items.
Koenemann Sausage Co.
27090 Volo Village Rd., Volo
815-385-6260
koenemann-sausage.com
– Housemade European-style sausages, bacon, ham, along with European items and imported and domestic cheeses.
Krueger’s Vegetables
28572 W. Rte. 120, Lakemoor
– Open July through October, this farm stand offers a full line of vegetables, including beets, beans, cabbages, tomatoes, sweet corn, pep-pers, apples and a pick-in-the-field pumpkin patch.
La Huerta Mexican Supermarket
580 S. Randall Rd., St. Charles
630-587-0549
– A great selection of Hispanic foods in the western suburbs, featuring a butcher department, taqueria and classes in authentic Mexican cooking.
Lincolnwood Produce
7175 N. Lincoln Ave., Lincolnwood
847-329-0600
– Eastern European and Middle Eastern foods, including an enormous selection of fresh and canned produce, a large deli and an in-house butcher.
Marketplace on Oakton
4817 Oakton St., Skokie
847-677-9330
marketplaceon
oakton.com
– Ethnic foods from the world over with loads of produce and a full deli and butcher counter.
Mitsuwa Marketplace
100 E. Algonquin Rd., Arlington Heights
847-956-6699
mitsuwachicago.net
The Midwest’s largest Japanese supermarket featuring food, books, sake, appliances and dishware along with a large food court.
Viet Hoa Plaza
1051 W. Argyle St.
773-334-1028
– Vietnamese, Chinese and Filipino foods with a large array of Asian produce and seafood, and fresh pork butchered on premises.
–James P. DeWan
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Do you have a favorite market? E-mail us at ctc-goodeating@tribune.com.
