After receiving my classical training at the Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Oregon, I relocated to Madison, Wisconsin and began working with the James Beard Foundations 2001 Best Chef of the Midwest, Odessa Piper at L'etoile. It was in Madison that I developed an avid interest in following our foods from field and pasture to plate. Madison is host to the grand daddy of Midwest farmers markets. Every Saturday from April to October, hundreds of farmers converge on the Capitol square in Madison and sell everything from fresh honey and cheeses to the best selection of produce you’ll find in the Midwest and even naturally raised beef, pork, trout and poultry. While foraging for ingredients for our dinners at the restaurant, I was able to meet many upstanding members of the Wisconsin agricultural families. From these meetings I cultivated close relationships with a handful of farmers and they allowed me to donate my time to help them with some of their farming duties. I have assisted at a free-range chicken farm, picked spinach and tomatoes, helped move cattle at a free-range cattle farm, and other agricultural venues.
After working at L’etoile, I had the opportunity to work in Santa Fe New Mexico at The Compound on Santa Fe's trendy Canyon Road neighborhood. While cooking in Santa Fe, I always yearned for the fresh and natural ingredients abundant in the Midwest. Luckily, I would soon have a great reason to move back to the Midwest. To be closer to friends and family, my wife and I moved back to Illinois when we found out that she was expecting our first child. Since returning from New Mexico, I have been a professional chef and consultant working with various organizations including; Epicurean Cutting Surfaces, Wusthof Cutlery, Savory Spoon Cooking School, Royal Prestige Cookware, Sur La Table, Heartland Meats, River Valley Mushrooms, Insignia Kitchen & Bath and The Westye Group-Midwest LLC. In January of 2004, I decided to devote my entire professional schedule to the industry leader in quality kitchen appliances. I am currently the corporate chef for The Westye Group-Midwest LLC, the exclusive Mid-West distributor of Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Best hoods. The opportunity of working for the distributor of Sub Zero and Wolf has allowed me to branch out and forge new friendships including assisting numerous charities with their fundraisers; most notably the Walter Payton Cancer Fund, Bear Necessities, DBSA, The Cradle Cares Foundation, Health and Wellness Society, Downers Grove Infant Welfare Society and Children’s Memorial Hospital. In addition to these charitable functions, I continuously perform demonstrations all over the Midwest including but not limited to Kohler Food and Wine event, Chicago Botanical Garden’s Great Chef Series, and the yearly Luxe Home Tour at the Merchandise Mart. Recently seen cooking on Channel 7 and Channel 32 Fox and hosted a Television series on a local cable Network in Naperville called “Cooking with Pete”. Written accounts of my food, travels, and cooking classes have been featured in local newspapers Daily Herald, Daily Southtown, the Chicago Tribune, and features in Gourmet Magazine, North Shore Magazine, West Suburban Living, Hinsdale Magazine, and Chicago Social. Professional affiliations include Slow Food International and the Society of Wine Educators.Recent Recipes
