INSIDER INTERVIEWS: CHEF HOLIDAY FAVORITES

November 24, 2016

Our chefs are always at work preparing and creating new meals for our guests, so we wondered what kind of meals they look forward to eating (or preparing) over the holiday season. The diversity of our chefs’ backgrounds really came out in some of their answers and proves there really is nothing that compares to the warm memories and traditions of the holiday season. We asked several of our chefs, “What's your favorite holiday food tradition?”

Executive Chef Andrew Muraski at The Grain Exchange: “I LOVE to take all the fixings, made by my mother of course, and stuff them into the rolls she bakes. I’m talking turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, even the green bean casserole. I usually eat three of them on Thanksgiving Day, I usually make them for leftovers the next day. Everything my mom makes is very traditional but you can never go wrong with Ma’s cooking!”

 

 

 

 

Executive Chef Amber Dorszynski at Joey Gerard’s, Mequon:
 “My favorite holiday dish is my grandmother’s
 Polish cabbage rolls. And I always have to have hot mulled apple cider.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Executive Chef Angela Rondinelli at Downtown Kitchen: “My favorite holiday meal growing up has to be Christmas Eve dinner at my grandparents’ house. Growing up in an Italian family, it was far from traditional. We always arrived way too early in the morning to cook all day. Dinner consisted of ricotta stuffed shells, hot and mild Italian sausage, Italian slow​​​​​-braised chicken, garlic spaghetti with broccoli and pepper flakes, homemade meatballs and about five other side dishes family members would bring to pass. My mother always made about 30 different types of cookies and cinnamon pecan stollen. There was also a bottle of Mamertino sparkling wine at each table. We would rarely have leftovers as we would sit and gorge ourselves until we couldn’t move, or until Grandpa fell asleep.”