Welcome to Viking in a Chef Coat
Welcome to Viking in a Chef Coat! My name is Jarrod and I am a classically trained chef that has thrown my life to the wind in search of major change. I will use this first entry to introduce my background and give a clear image of what this is all about.
I began my restaurant career fresh out of high school back in 2004. I worked at an amazing little restaurant in my hometown of Racine, WI named Waves. It was by far the best culinary learning experience that a newbie could ever have. I’ll be covering more about this set of experiences in a later blog. After my summer of culinary hits and misses at Waves I packed my bags and moved to Chicago, IL where I attended culinary school at the Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago. I graduated with high honors in the summer of 2006 with an Associates of Applied Sciences degree. During my last quarter of culinary school I externed at Bacchus – A Bartolotta Restaurant in Milwaukee, WI under (now) James Beard award winning chef Adam Siegel. After graduation I paid my dues and spent another year working at the sweat shop, big name restaurant. After this not so amazing experience I moved along to the Woman's Club of Wisconsin where I worked as a banquet/small events cook until I was promoted to sous chef at the age of 23. By 27 I had returned to my hometown to run the kitchen at a local restaurant where I stayed up until my decision to abruptly overhaul my life this past spring.
An itch to be my own boss and not have to please an owner forced me to move to Illinois in an attempt to create a “perfect” job scenario. So, here I am. When I was in culinary school, and for a duration of time afterwards, I played around with being a personal chef. It was a priceless learning experience. It was my first time constructing and executing my own menu items without supervisor intervention. It taught me professionalism as a small business owner, organization, and financial responsibility. I am beyond excited to be back doing what at one point truly made me happy.
When I relocated I ended up on a mini organic farm in Plano, IL named Wolf’s Hollow Farm. This is truly a 180 degree change. I’m a city boy. I love convenience. Now I’m learning about organic farming, raising egg hens, meat birds, and turkeys. “What in the hell am I doing?!?” I ask myself almost daily, but it has all led me to this. Viking in a Chef Coat is my attempt to stay connected to an industry that ruled my life for twelve years, while trying to do it my way. I’m focused on raising high-quality ingredients to supply my clientele with the best meal possible.
This blog will follow the farm’s development, highlight beautiful ingredients, and monitor the evolution of my personal chef adventure. I appreciate all of you for tuning in and for joining me on my new life adventure. Stay tuned!
