Bannos to talk, cook at ECC
Jimmy Bannos, chef and owner of Heaven on Seven, is the next guest chef for Elgin Community College's 2007-08 Distinguished Visiting Chef Series.
Bannos, owner of four Chicago area restaurants known for the best Louisiana cooking outside of New Orleans, will visit Tuesday in Spartan Terrace Restaurant in the Culinary Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. A 6:30 p.m. wine and hors d'oeuvres reception precedes dinner at 7 p.m.
The reservation deadline is 5 p.m. Saturday.
Since 1980, Bannos' bustling New Orleans-style restaurants have become some of Chicago's most popular eateries. His formal culinary education at the famous Washburne Trade School, along with years of working alongside such prominent New Orleans chefs as Paul Prudhomme, Frank Brigtsen and Emeril Lagasse, has culminated into a highly personalized interpretation of New Orleans and Southern cooking. Bannos has reinvented his food and his restaurant over the years to keep his concept fresh and vibrant. Today, he marries Latin, South American, Asian and Western European methods with New Orleans techniques and ingredients.
Just this year Bannos was selected by the American Culinary Federation Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Association as its second inductee into the Chicago Chefs of Cuisine Hall of Fame and Culinary Museum.
His other culinary challenge has been as author, and to date he has written two books -- "The Heaven on Seven Cookbook: Where It's Mardi Gras All the Time!" and "Big Easy Cocktails, Jazzy Drinks and Savory Bites." Both books invite food lovers into his kitchen where he shares some of his favorite down-home recipes.
What separates Bannos from the rest of the culinary world is his ability to season aggressively without overpowering the palate, according to many culinary experts. While he uses cayenne-spiked seasoning blends and red chili pepper sauces, he also incorporates milder, well-rounded seasoning agents. The result is a complex layering of flavors that is consistent with New Orleans cooking principles, while bringing the region's food into the 21st century.
Bannos will spend the day lecturing and working with students of the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Institute of Elgin at ECC to prepare an elegant dinner open to the public based on the upscale menu he has created especially for the evening.
Bannos has planned a menu to give students a broad-based education from appetizers to desserts.
The evening's fare includes a starter of chicken and andouille sausage gumbo; creole caesar salad with creole caesar dressing; orzolaya; an entree of grilled shrimp and andouille skewers with creole mustard cream; jerked pork and portobello stack with jerked cream sauce; and for dessert, blueberry bayou corn blasters.
Reservations are $50 per person and available by calling the ECC ticket office at (847) 622-0300. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted. Visit www.elgin.edu/spartanterrace to learn more about culinary study options at ECC.