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[The Celebrity Burritos] [ The Chefs Bios ]

Chicago's noted chefs gather with Gregory Schulson, president of Burrito Beach, to kick off the 2003 Celebrity Chefs Burrito campaign. Proceeds will go to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. From left to right: Gregory Schulson, President, Burrito Beach; chefs Paul Kahan, Blackbird; Jennifer Newbury, Fortunato; Michael Foley, Printer's Row; Priscila Satkoff, ¡Salpicón!; Jimmy Bannos, Heaven on Seven; François de Melogue, Pili.Pili; Erwin Dreschler, erwin; John Hogan, Keefer's; John Coletta, Carlucci; Michael Mulqueen, Executive Director, Greater Chicago Food Depository; and chef Shawn McClain, Spring. Chef Michael Kornick, mk, is participating in the program but not pictured.
Eleven of Chicago’s most acclaimed chefs will lend their talents and fresh flavors to help the fight against hunger by creating signature gourmet burritos for Chicago’s own Burrito Beach – the premiere fast-casual Mexican Grill. Each month from August to next June, Burrito Beach will feature a different chef’s unique burrito at all five Burrito Beach locations.

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A portion of the proceeds
from the chefs’ creations will benefit
the Greater Chicago Food Depository.



François de Mélogue - Pili.Pili
Grilled chicken marinated in Moroccan seasoning with couscous, grilled vegetables, guacamole, black beans, cheddar cheese, crisp romaine lettuce, harissa salsa and sour cream.

John Coletta - Carlucci
Grilled adobo marinated veal skirt steak smothered with roasted poblano peppers, white rice, black beans, white jack cheese, cilantro, crisp romaine lettuce and tomato, rolled in a warm flour tortilla.
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Shawn McClain - Spring
Grilled vegetables with tandoori spices served with jasmine rice, crisp romaine lettuce, fresh herbs and Indian-spiced yogurt sauce, rolled in a warm red pepper tortilla. 

John Hogan - Keefer's
Seasoned duck confit, white rice, shredded white fresh cabbage, lentils, tomatoes and red onions, rolled in a warm flour tortilla.
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Jimmy Bannos - Heaven on Seven
Shrimp Creole with red rice, black beans, crisp romaine lettuce and mozzarella cheese, rolled in a warm red pepper tortilla.

Michael Foley - Printers Row
Thinly sliced pot roast with white rice, crisp romaine lettuce, white jack cheese, sweetened with a mushroom-chipotle aïoli, rolled in a warm flour tortilla.

Jennifer Newbury - Fortunato
Citrus marinated catfish with white rice, grilled scallions, caramelized tomato relish, crisp romaine lettuce, tomato and guacamole, all rolled in a warm flour tortilla.

Paul Kahan - Blackbird
Garlic marinated chicken with white rice, posole, black beans de hoya, whole cilantro and green pipianes, rolled in a warm flour tortilla.
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Priscila Satkoff - ¡Salpicón!
Slow-cooked pork shoulder prepared in chef Satkoff's achiote marinade with white rice, black beans, crisp romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and Salpicón onions, rolled in a warm flour tortilla.

Michael Kornick - mk
Grilled basil marinated salmon with lime, cilantro rice, sea salt, cured tomatoes, charred red onions, spicy serrano chile, tomatillo salsa, rolled in a warm flour tortilla.

Erwin Dreschler - erwin
Grilled skirt steak with roasted poblano chili crusted onions, black beans, cheddar cheese and chipotle barbecue sauce, rolled in a warm red pepper flour tortilla.
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Pili.Pili – August French-American François de Mélogue, executive chef of the new Pili.Pili showcases the cuisine of Provence with other Mediterranean influences. Having spent his childhood summers in Marseilles, France, he is quite at home with this vibrant and colorful food, featuring fresh seasonal ingredients and natural flavors.

de Mélogue's career began in Chicago where he worked with notable chefs Louis Szathmary at The Bakery and Terry Meynier at Le Ciel Bleu. He then relocated to the East Coast, where his reputation grew. In 1990 de Mélogue was awarded the coveted "Grand Award" at the Taste of Vermont cooking competition. He became Chef de Cuisine at the Relais and Chateaux-designated Old Drovers Inn in Dover Plains, NY, a country-style inn frequented by many international celebrities.

With such a stellar reputation, he joined Le Margaux in Chicago where he became co-owner and chef de cuisine. de Mélogue received wide praise from local critics, including Chicago Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, and Crain's Chicago Business.

With great passion for culinary tradition, de Mélogue is bringing a shining light to Pili.Pili, one of Chicago's hottest new restaurants.

Pili.Pili
230 W. Kinzie St.
Chicago, IL
312-464-9988

Carlucci - September John Coletta grew up around food. As the son of an Italian chef, he learned a profound respect for food at a very young age. Having gained an enthusiastic following as executive chef of Caliterra in Chicago, Coletta joined Carlucci in November 2002, where he is preparing innovative and creative Italian cuisine using ingredients from passionate artisan growers and producers.

Coletta built his career on three continents. He has worked with master chefs in some of the finest institutions in Europe, Asia and North America: the Four Seasons Restaurant and Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. He has served as executive chef in such first class hotels as the five-star Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore and Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Coletta also worked with Alain Ducasse at Louis XV in Monte Carlo, Joel Robuchon in Paris and master chefs Pierre Wynants and Pierre Romeyer in Belgium.

Coletta was an individual gold medalist in the 1984 Culinary Olympics and a Bocuse d'Or finalist in 1994. He was named one of the "Fifteen American Rising Star Chefs" for a PBS television series. Coletta considers Carlucci to be a perfect platform for creating dishes that reflect his childhood immersion in Italian cooking, his classical French training and the culinary knowledge gained through his numerous global forays.

Carlucci
6111 N. River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
847-518-0990

Spring - October Chef/Owner Shawn McClain opened Spring in June 2001 to extraordinary critical and consumer acclaim.  Formerly executive chef at the four-star Trio, McClain has received numerous honors for his artful New American menu at Spring. In 2001, Esquire Magazine's noted restaurant critic John Mariani honored McClain as his choice for the esteemed "Chef of the Year" award and Spring was nominated by the James Beard Foundation as the "Best New Restaurant in America." 

In February 2002, McClain was named the "Rising Star Chef of the Year" at the inaugural Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence.

Spring
2039 W. North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
773-395-7100

Keefer's - November Chef John Hogan is considered as one of the best craftsmen in the kitchen. At Keefer's, he applies well-honed techniques to create refined Chicago-style cuisine. The restaurant earned three-star reviews from the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune and was named "Best New Restaurant" in Chicago Magazine.

Hogan, virtually a self-taught chef, has showcased his personal style and favorite foods at Kiki's Bistro, Park Avenue Café, L'Escargot, Le Perroquet and Everest. In 1995, he was among the first American chefs to be inducted into Euro Toques, a prestigious international group of chefs.  Hogan is best known for his restaurant Savarin, which opened in 1998 and was named "Best New Restaurant" by Esquire. 

Keefer's
20 W. Kinzie St.
Chicago, IL 60610
312-467-9525

Heaven on Seven - December Chef Jimmy Bannos opened the critically acclaimed Heaven on Seven, featuring spicy New Orleans-style food, in 1980. With four successful restaurants in Chicago, Bannos is one of the most popular chefs in the city. Heaven on Seven is the best bet for those looking for a quick meal in a casual New Orleans setting. The favorites on the menu include Po' boy sandwiches, andouille sausage, soft-shell crab, and down-home sides like collard greens, cheese grits and corn muffins.

Bannos' best selling book, The Heaven on Seven Cookbook - Where it's Mardi Gras All the Time, features spicy southern recipes and an extensive collection of hot sauces. Recipes include crawfish and gumbo.

Heaven on Seven
600 N. Michigan
Chicago, IL 60611
312-280-7774

Printers Row - January Chef Michael Foley is an ambassador of American cooking. Owner and chef of Printer's Row since its establishment in 1981, the restaurant has received local and national awards, including Restaurant & Institution's "IVY Award" and the prestigious "DiRONA." 

Foley is known to be on the forefront of the American cuisine movement and his accolades include awards such as Food & Wine magazine's "Top 25" and the Golden Plate American Academy award for Lifetime Performance. He is the author of two books; the first one, featuring American cooking and the second one, memories from his travels to over 40 countries. 

Printer's Row
550 S. Dearborn St
Chicago, IL 60605
312-461-0780

Fortunatos - February Chef Jennifer Newbury has made a triumphant return to the kitchen with Fortunato, Chicago's favorite venue for gloriously straightforward Italian country cooking. The widely praised Fortunato's menu focuses on local and fresh products and simple presentations.  Newbury's goal is to recapture the simple, ingredient-driven approach to cooking that exemplifies Italian cuisine. 

In 1984 at the age of 23, Newbury opened her first restaurant, Amerique.  In 1985, she closed it to open Sole Mio, Chicago's first trattoria.  Newbury later accepted the challenge of the position of General Manager at the Harbor Grant Hotel in Michigan.  Her love for restaurants brought her back to Chicago in 1992, launching the private dining program at Blackbird. With Fortunato, Newbury has brought Italian hearth cooking into today's culinary environment. 

Fortunato
2005 W. Division St
Chicago, IL 60622
773-645-7200

Blackbird - March Chef Paul Kahan is the executive chef and partner of Blackbird, Chicago's esteemed West Loop restaurant.  Serving contemporary American cuisine, Blackbird was named "One of the 50 Best Restaurants in the Country" by Gourmet Magazine (2001) and Food & Wine named Kahan "Best New Chef" (1999). 

Kahan says it was an encounter with chef Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, that inspired him to take up cooking. He went on to study under some of Chicago's best chefs at Metropolis Cafè, Metropolis 1800, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, before going into business with restaurateur Donnie Madia at Blackbird. 

Blackbird
619 W. Randolph
Chicago, IL 60606
312-715-0708

¡Salpicón! - April Chef Priscila Satkoff was honored by Today's Chicago Woman as one of the top hundred women making a difference in Chicago. As chef and owner of the acclaimed Salpicón restaurant and host of the Food Network's "Melting Pot," Satkoff knows the importance of fresh and authentic Mexican cuisine. Pat Bruno, restaurant critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, declared "Salpicón boasts the best upscale Mexican fare in the city."

Salpicón offers upscale and traditional contemporary Mexican cuisine, as well as an impressive wine and tequila lists. In addition to the delicious food, Salpicón is known for its colorful, art-filled dining room. A native of Mexico City, Satkoff is frequently seen around town cooking at various charitable functions and philanthropic events. 

Salpicon
1252 N. Wells St.
Chicago, IL 60610
312-988-7811

mk - May Chef Michael Kornick is a nationally recognized leader in the culinary arts.  Founder and owner of mk and mk North, Kornick uses the freshest seasonal ingredients to create dishes that combine subtle flavors and textures. mk North offers a casual, family friendly yet sophisticated environment that encompasses the elegance of the original mk restaurant. 

Kornick has worked with some of the most influential chefs and restaurant operators in the United States, including: Barry Wine at New York's legendary Quilted Giraffe and Gordon Sinclair of Gordon Restaurant. He also served with Richard Melman's Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises on various themed restaurants and served as executive chef at the Four Seasons in Boston.

Kornick then moved back to his hometown (Chicago) to open Marché and Red Light, where he served for five years as managing partner and director of restaurant operations.  Both restaurants received critical national acclaim in magazines such as Esquire.  In 1998, Kornick opened mk, which was named one of the "hottest restaurants in the world" by Conde Nast Traveler.  He is also partner-consultant for restaurant Nine, with locations in Chicago and Las Vegas.

mk
868 N. Franklin
Chicago, IL
312-482-9179

erwin - June Chef Erwin Dreschler invented the term "urban heartland" to describe his cooking style, which presents fresh Midwest ingredients to an urban clientele. His restaurant, erwin, opened in 1993 and shortly thereafter was named "Best New Restaurant" by Bon Appetit. The restaurant received three stars from the Chicago Tribune and described as one of the top 10 restaurants by the Chicago Sun-Times. 

Prior to erwin, Dreschler and his wife, Cathy, owned Metropolis 1800, a contemporary American restaurant with an eclectic menu and offbeat atmosphere. Dreschler is one of those talented chefs who have turned a cooking hobby into a laudable professional career. Having building an impressive career in education as a full-time schoolteacher, he honed his cooking skills with part-time chef positions at various Chicago restaurants. Whether in the classroom or kitchen, Dreschler's goal is to "to make a difference in the world." 

erwin
2925 North Halsted,
Chicago, IL 
773-528-7200