Naperville cook's culinary education a lifelong journey
When Anthony Caragol, an IT consultant from Naperville, plugged into the Internet one day at Panera, he noticed an intriguing contest on the Panera login page. On a whim, Anthony wrote the 500 word essay that could win him an overnight with the bakers at Panera and a year's worth of cooking lessons at Le Cordon Bleu in Chicago.
“I forgot all about it and then they called!” Anthony nearly backed out when he found out what was involved: cooking, “Iron Chef”-style, in front of five judges, including the head chef from Panera and celebrity chef Tiffany Davis. Lured by the prize however, he decided to brave it out.
“I was incredibly nervous. It was really crazy. We were in a professional kitchen with these giant stoves and equipment I've never even seen before!”
The “secret” ingredient was French bread and Anthony managed to use it three ways in his Italian-inspired mushroom “meatball.”
“It was soft and meaty on the inside, but crunchy on the outside.” Apparently, the judges loved it, because Anthony took home the first-place prize.
So far Anthony has taken three of his six Le Cordon Bleu classes.
“I've been having a blast,” he exclaimed. He also spent the night shift — 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. — helping Panera bakers make breads, doughnuts, bagels and pastries.
“That was a lot of fun. They make everything fresh, every night. It was a very cool experience,” he said.
Anthony's first cooking memories revolve around his parents and a restaurant they opened.
“I remember that they were exhausted all the time and would bring meals home from work, or what meals they cooked (at home) were very simple. I started playing around at home in the kitchen and, being 9, I often made candy or desserts,” he laughs.
Despite the fact that he loves to cook, Anthony says his parents' experience kept him from the restaurant business.
“That whole thing scared me,” he said. “The statistics are terrible: 80 percent of restaurants that aren't franchises fail. It's a tough road and you put in 80 to 90 hours a week.”
Instead, Anthony embraced computers and keeps cooking on the back burner. During his bachelor days he experimented with unusual ingredients and appetizer-type foods, but now, as the father of a 2-year-old, he is more concerned with providing healthy foods for his family. A vegetarian for more than a decade, Anthony uses a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables in his cooking, but he isn't a fanatic about going organic, or cooking light.
“I do love hitting the farmers market to see what's fresh, but it's not like I'm not going to cover the vegetables in butter or deep fry them!”
It is no surprise that Anthony has recently become obsessed with bread baking.
“I have the opportunity now to learn from the bread chef at Le Cordon Bleu. I get to take classes and I'm spending more time with it; I'm learning as I go.”
For us, Anthony makes Apples Foster, a topping that his wife particularly loves.
“It's really quick to make and when you put it on French toast it's like eating an apple pie.” Sounds like a great way to start the day.