Chef/owner's zest for cooking evident in every dish at Al's Cafe

From humble beginnings as a kitchen helper in his native Holland, it wasn't long before chef Tony Jamin fell in love with the craft and creativity of the cooking world. The Arlington Heights resident and his wife of 25 years, Patricia, serve up classic European cuisine as owners of Elgin's Al's Café & Creamery and cannot imagine any other lifestyle fitting quite as right.

How did you get into cooking? I have always loved it and went to culinary college for four years in Holland and two years in Germany. Actually, I met my wife at cooking school, so that must have been a sign.

What was your first cooking job? When I was 15 years old, I worked as a kitchen helper at a restaurant in Holland. I did all the little things that no one else wanted to do like peeling potatoes. I fell in love with it very quickly.

What is the best part about your job? I love seeing how happy people are when they eat what I cook. I also like putting together new menus and dishes. I also enjoy seeing how everyone who works in the restaurant, front of house and back, come together to make it work.

Describe your cooking style. I tend to follow the older generation of chefs and look up to them. I would describe my cooking as the new bistro style. Now that it is winter, I serve a lot of German fare, such as schnitzel, and sauces and pork. I also make homemade spaetzle and everything from scratch.

I made the decision a few years ago to only serve foods that have no trans fat and that I know precisely what is in them. When you make something out of a can, who knows what half of those chemicals in the ingredient list even are. It's an old-fashioned way of cooking but, in a way, very current in the way people want to eat now.

What are your most trusted ingredients? Fresh vegetables and herbs, seafood of all kinds, salt and pepper and fresh cream. I try to stay away from flour and only work with natural and fresh ingredients.

What is your workweek like? I put in about 65-80 hours a week at the restaurant, but I get so much enjoyment from it. It truly is a lifestyle. It is challenging and very satisfying.

What do you do in your free time? I read quite a lot and like to look into new trends to use at Al's. I also like to bicycle and swim, but I don't get too much of that in now that it is cold.

Do you have any future plans? I'd like to build up Al's as much as possible and maybe one day open a second location that focuses more on dinners.

Tell us about this recipe. Pork tenderloin with red pepper sauce has been on our menu for about two years, and it is very popular. It is simple to make and has a lot of flavor without losing the integrity of the product. It's hard to believe that something so delicious can be made in 15 minutes, but it's true.

Try it at home or at Al's Café & Creamery, 43 Du Page Court, Elgin. (847) 742-1180.

Pork Tenderloin Medallions With Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

3 small pork tenderloins

3 tablespoons trans-fat free vegetable oil

flour to dust

Fresh ground black pepper

Kosher sea salt

Sauce

1 small diced onion

1 small diced sweet red pepper

1 cup sliced mushrooms

4 cloves minced garlic

½ tablespoon Hungarian paprika

1 cup diced tomato

2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup white wine

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Clean pork tenderloins by removing all excess fat. Slice tenderloins into ½-inch medallions and season with fresh ground pepper and kosher salt. Dust them with flour.

Heat oil in a large skillet and brown the pork medallions on one side only. Turn the medallions over and place the skillet in the oven for five minutes.

For the sauce: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic stirring until light golden brown. Add paprika and stir briefly (not too long or the paprika will burn and turn bitter). Add heavy cream and diced tomatoes. Let simmer on low heat until slightly thickened.

Remove skillet from the oven and transfer the pork tenderloins to a warm plate. Carefully drain excess oil from the skillet, preserving the pan drippings. Add one cup of white wine to the pan drippings and stir on medium heat until wine is reduced by half. Transfer reduction to the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer pork medallions to the sauce and let simmer for approximately one minute.

Fan medallions over mashed potatoes and serve with your favorite fresh seasonal vegetables.

Serves four.

Chef Tony Jamin, Al's Café and Creamery, Elgin