Michael Lalagos
32, Schaumburg
Graphic designer
What is your favorite ingredient and how do you like to use it? My favorite ingredient right now is pork. I think it’s just a beautiful animal. So many uses and so little time. I love making pulled pork, stuffed pork chops, using ham hocks in soups for flavor and of course bacon is one of my favorites. I use bacon when I make brussels sprouts and render the fat and cook the onions and garlic in it. It’s not the healthiest ingredient, but it’s got so much flavor that it’s hard not to find anyone who adores it more than I do.
Describe your style or approach to cooking. My approach to cooking is to make people happy. I have always loved to cook. When I was young and my mother brought me to the library, I would find cooking books, check them out, and write down the recipes in my notebook. I was fascinated by the photography. From then on, I would assist my mother in the kitchen whenever I could, while coaxing her to make the favorite dishes I found in the books. I constantly recruit friends and family to come so I can cook for them and get feedback on my food, and almost always make too much food ... it must be the Greek blood in me.
Why do you want to be part of the Cook of the Week Challenge? I think deep down, I’ve always wanted to try to cook in a professional kitchen. It’s romanticized on TV and has been for years with celebrity chefs, but I never wanted to do that. I just love to cook and to feed people. My current profession is sitting behind a computer all day, sometimes it can get monotonous, so if I get chosen for this challenge and can compete and prove to myself that I can cook, then it would provide the inspiration I need to go ahead and follow my love of cooking.