Someone You Should Know: Hats Off To The Chef

Cooking is a family thing for resident Joel Pinnow, who got into culinary arts by watching his father and grandfather cook while growing up.

"I was inspired by them," he said. But it wasn't until the chef at an Italian steak house in Peoria took him under his wing that Pinnow realized he had a talent for it. From there, Pinnow received his associate's degree in culinary arts at Joliet Junior College. He's made a career out of cooking for the last five years.

He said he has been racking up a lot of experience with different types of cooking jobs, include working as a personal chef working in California "for a few high-end celebrities."

"I've worked for a few high-end business people (and) in hotels," Pinnow said. "I've opened two restaurants in the area as sous chef, one in Darien and one in Shorewood."

Pinnow is currently a manager for a local restaurant. His goal for the future is to open a lounge where people can go for drinks and appetizers.

"(It) would be a hip place to come where people can meet and just relax."

Soups and appetizers are his specialty, and the one he said people like the most is his parmesan cracker topped with a goat and cream cheese blend he came up with on a whim.

Playing around with different flavors and creating new recipes is one aspect of cooking that Pinnow enjoys. His culinary expertise has allowed him to take the reins of family dinners and even for some of his neighbors' parties.

Though he said he leans toward the fast-food options, the importance of family sitting around the dinner table eating a home cooked meal is something that he feels shouldn't be compromised.

One example of a special dinner Pinnow cooks for himself is "a nice steak (and) a cauliflower mashed potato, but it's done in an alfredo sauce instead of standard butter. And then usually asparagus with a hollandaise is about as fancy as I get."

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