Behind the Line
Topic: Off the Clock
Holidays: How Food Figures in For You
Take a yule-time trip down memory lane. Gingerbread, caroling and cocoa ... what are your best Christmas food/drink memories?
- Gerard Craft
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Niche Restaurant and BRASSERIE by niche
- St. Louis, MO
Every year in our neighborhood a horse drawn carriage comes and all of the neighbors drink spiked hot chocolate (the adults), eat gingerbread cookies, and get on the carriage and sing carols. Sound...
more »
- Susan Goss
- Executive Chef/Owner
- West Town Tavern
- Chicago, IL
I have eaten apricot nut loaf every Christmas morning of my life. I am sure Mom found the recipe on a box of dried apricots or in a women’s magazine but she adopted it as her own and made it every ...
more »
![Melissa2_web[1]](/system/avatars/1174/thumb/melissa2_web[1].JPG?1320965073)
- Melissa Trimmer
- Pastry Chef
- Le Cordon Bleu Chicago, Pastry Chef Instructor
- Chicago, Illinois
Every year when I was a kid we spent Christmas on my Aunt and Uncles dairy farm in Amish country in western Pennsylvania. We had fresh milk and cream in all of the food and my Aunt would make cara...
more »
- Hugh Amano
- Chef
- Food on the Dole
- Chicago, Illinois
Growing up in the mountains in Colorado, I always loved when we'd fill the thermos with hot chocolate and snowshoe way out in the forest to cut a tree for Christmas (legal, of course!). It's so dry...
more »
- Jeremy Kittelson
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Denver, Colorado
The eggnog of course. I like it spiked with booze now.
- Kevin Nashan
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Sidney Street Cafe
- Saint Louis, Missouri
The morning of Christmass day with an empanadita that my mom made. Antelope, lingua, pinon, carmelized onions, and mace. She would fry them and serve them with hot cider. I can't wait for Christmas...
more »
- Josh Galliano
- The Libertine
- Clayton, MO
My best friend's mom introduced me to eggnog, and her favorite brand was Pennsylvania Dutch Eggnog.
- Sandra Holl
- Pastry Chef/Owner
- Floriole Cafe & Bakery
- Chicago, IL
I always loved my grandmother's pepperkauker (sp?) Swedish spice cookies.
- Craig Harzewski
- Pastry Chef
- NAHA and Brindille
- Chicago, IL
Salerno brand jingles cookies. I would ask Santa for them for christmas and would stretch them out until the end of February.
- Toni Roberts
- Pastry Chef
- State and Lake Chicago Tavern
- Chicago, IL
Where to begin!!!
First up, cookies:
There must be a giant table with raspberry walnut thumbprints, peanut butter Hershy's kiss cookies, Margaret's horns, and chocolate crinkle. They whole tow...
more »
![Pastry chef patrick fahy b-w[1]](/system/avatars/146/thumb/Pastry Chef Patrick Fahy b-w[1].jpg?1319823449)
- Patrick Fahy
- Pastry Chef
- Sixteen
- Chicago
I remember making eggnog with my brothers at christmas. We would throw a couple of raw eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla, and nutmeg in a blender and drink it. I also remember getting what I asked fo...
more »
- Chrissy Camba
- Chef
- Bar Pastoral
- Chicago, IL
I just absolutely love Christmas time! My favorite times were when my brother and I were younger and there was so much food on the table, lots of gifts under the tree and the extended family would ...
more »
- Nathan Sears
- Executive Chef/Owner
- The Radler and D.A.S.
- Chicago, IL
The crazy canned cranberry sauce. I love it.
- Carrie Nahabedian
- Executive Chef/Owner
- NAHA and Brindille
- Chicago, IL
wHEN WE WERE YOUNG KIDS, WE USED TO GO ICE SKATING AT A BIG PARK NEAR OUR HOUSE ON A FREE FORM RINK. It was nothing fancy, but to us, it was the coolest thing! The best part was after all the fun, ...
more »
- Sean Sanders
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Browntrout
- Chicago, IL
I used to love stealing my uncles boozed up eggnog when I was a kid.
- Geoff Rhyne
- Sous Chef
- The Ordinary
- Charleston, SC
sneaking egg nog was always a good time. Also, my mom would make these sausage/cheese puffs and cream cheese blintzes that I would devour before others could get any
- Jill Barron
- Executive Chef/Owner
- MANA food bar
- Chicago, IL
thinking about what we would make as christmas entree- bone in prime rib, mashed potatoes, creton- a french canadian pate, and when my brother in law came into the family we incorporated tons of s...
more »
- Troy Graves
- Chef/Partner
- Red Door
- Chicago, Il
My mother makes the best oyster stew, and she only makes it Christmas Eve.
- Tony Priolo
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Piccolo Sogno
- Chicago, IL
Eating dinner with my family
.jpg?1314897290)
- Steve McDonagh
- Owner
- Hearty
- Chicago, IL
My mom would bake a traditional English Yule Log each Christmas. A chocolate cake that she'd make in a jelly roll pan. She'd roll it up with berry jam, ice it in a light cocoa icing, carve out the ...
more »
- Paul Fehribach
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Big Jones
- Chicago, IL
Egg nog, hot cocoa, and if we were lucky enough to have a white Christmas, snow ice cream. We always celebrated Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day was very lazy, sitting around reading the newspaper,...
more »
- Jason McLeod
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Box Tree Restaurant, Inc
- San Diego, CA
Waking up really early and seeing lots of friends and family.
- Paul Virant
- Executive Chef/Owner
- Vie and Perennial Virant
- Western Springs, IL
Drugs, sex and rock and roll
kidding!
my mom used to make this home made hot cocoa mix growing up that was crazy delicious, we would have all over the holiday season along with an array of Xmas...
more »
- Cary Taylor
- Executive Chef
- The Southern
- Chicago, IL
Waking up and opening presents. I think my Dad was as happy giving them to us as we were reciving them