| Mennonite, Amish kin
taught him benefits of hard work on the farm
By Laura Bianchi
Posted Wednesday, April 20, 2005
John Anderson
Adelle's Fine American
Fare
From working on his aunts' farms in Indiana as a youngster to
living off the land for 18 months after high school, John Anderson
learned firsthand an appreciation for food and self- sufficiency.
He began cooking on his own at age 11 or 12, but his first
professional training began after high school at a local Holiday
Inn. Later he moved to Chicago where he worked at Genesee Depot,
Monique's Café and Hotel Nikko.
Anderson was opening chef for Adelle's Fine American Fare in
Wheaton, where he has worked since February 2004. Today he talks
about his Mennonite roots, his close encounters of the famous kind
and his prescription for the care and maintenance of a chef's feet.
Tell us about your childhood: My relatives on my mother's
side were Amish and Mennonite. When I was young I helped my aunts on
the farm during the summer, learning how to can, clean chickens and
make apple sauce. They were very self-sufficient. To me it was work,
but now I appreciate it.
What did you learn? Organization. On a farm everything has
to be done at a certain time.
Did you like to cook? Yes. At 11 or 12 I made a stuffed
tomato with tuna salad for my cousin. I looked at pictures of food
in Good Housekeeping magazine and I baked cookies and bread. I was
the first boy in my high school to take home ec back in 1972. I got
ribbed by all the jocks, but I said, "Look dudes. I'm in with all
the girls."
What happened after high school? I bought 3 1/2 acres of
land in West Virginia with a couple of friends. We lived in a teepee
and we lived off the land for a year and a half. We had no
electricity, no phone. We chopped our own wood, grew our own
vegetables and bartered. We dug holes for outhouses, we grew garlic
and sold it. We were vegetarians; we raised chickens for eggs and
goats for milk. I cooked on a wood-burning stove.
What was the impact of that lifestyle? It was a
life-changing experience. I learned how to take care of myself and I
became very spiritual. I really found God, living and being that
close to nature.
What did you learn about cooking? How to come up with
crazy dishes. I did a lot of one-pot stews. That's when I learned to
season things.
What has been your proudest moment? During my nine years
at Hotel Nikko I was doing dinners for the Starlight Foundation, the
Michael Jordan Foundation, for Oprah Winfrey and the Mike Ditka
Foundation. That was very rewarding.
Any celebrity stories? Back in the early 1990s Oprah
rented out the full ballroom (at Hotel Nikko) for a New Year's Eve
party for 100 people. We brought in a staff of about 50 and before
dinner she brought the whole crew out and personally gave everybody
an envelope with some cash in it. That was a smart move on her
behalf. It gave us the incentive to do the best job we possibly
could.
Did you ever eat anything unusual? Live grasshoppers in
Mexico. They were so good, I was blown away. At first they're
crunchy, and they have a sweetness. In West Virginia I ate baby
groundhog. It was a delicacy.
Physically, what's most challenging? Standing on your feet
constantly. Your feet will ache. I highly recommend good shoes. I
have three kinds: Pumas for comfort, clogs and a closed-heel
clog-type shoe.
How do you treat your feet? I get pedicures every three
months. The first time I got one I was living with a couple of guys,
and one of them was gay. I was always complaining about my feet so
he recommended a pedicure. I was shy about going; I didn't think it
was for guys. But I went, and I was hooked. I also get foot massages
from my wife and I soak them in Epsom salts.
What's your greatest challenge as a chef? Educating
customers. People are afraid to try new things. We opened (Adelle's)
with comfort food like pot roast, meatloaf and chicken pot pie, but
I put some zingers in there like striped bass with roasted tomatoes,
fennel, shiitake mushrooms and pineapple. That's a combination some
people would be afraid of. But I think I have succeeded in
overcoming that.
Tell us about this recipe: Meatloaf with Chipotle Ketchup.
The veal gives it a really great taste, and any home cook could
create this.
Try this at home or at Adelle's Fine American Fare, 1060 College
Ave., Wheaton. (630) 784-8015.
• Chef du Jour, compiled by Laura Bianchi, appears weekly in
Food. To recommend a chef to be profiled, please send the chef's
name, restaurant and telephone number to Chef du Jour, Daily Herald
Food Section, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006; or e-mail
us atmailto:%20food@dailyherald.com
• Email
story to a friend
• Print
story
• Return to Food
front |
