Ingredients plus flavors equals sandwich success

How do you make a great sandwich?

According to chef Andrew Welsh of A Chef and a Loaf of Bread Catering in Elmhurst, you "use the highest quality ingredients you can find, put it with your favorite flavors, sandwich it between two slices of the best bread and enjoy."

Chef Welsh, 35, a 2001 graduate of Kendall College's School of Culinary Arts, has experience in restaurants, country clubs and catering, and acknowledges "every chef wants to have a business of his own."

Welsh realized that dream when he and partner, chef Darin Kolbe, opened their deli/catering business in July 2007.

Welsh, a newlywed, now happily resides one block from work where he strives to offer delicious, health-conscious deli fare to customers.

You've taken the typical deli menu and added your own flair. What inspires your creativity? Between Darin and I, we have 30 years of experience working in a variety of places in several states. We have pulled recipes and ideas from those experiences and incorporated them into our business.

What is the most requested item on your menu? Definitely the meatloaf. Everyone loves the sandwiches, but the dinner meatloaf is a real favorite.

Do you have a favorite kitchen task? I like presenting the salads and sandwiches in the deli case. People eat with their eyes before putting anything in their mouth.

What is your favorite cooking memory? While working on a recipe, we came up with a peanut butter and jelly chocolate cake. I suggested putting jelly between layers of vanilla sponge cake, using a peanut butter frosting and adhering chocolate chips to the outside. Most creations are successful accidents.

What is the secret to your success? I believe in making everything from scratch. We roast our own meats and use fresh produce and high-quality ingredients. I also try to use healthier, light versions of foods like mayonnaise and sour cream.

Do you cook at home? I do 99 percent of the cooking. My wife, Carrie, and I have date night and I have made everything from porterhouse steaks to stuffed pork chops. For our last date night, I made rib-eye steaks, crimson lentils and grilled asparagus. I flambéed bananas Foster for dessert.

Where do you like to eat when you dine out? Antico Posto in Oak Brook. It is our favorite Italian restaurant.

What do you like to do in your spare time? Go fishing. I will fish for anything that bites. I love walleye, perch and bluegill. I catch, clean, cook and eat them.

What do you enjoy most about being a chef? I like making people happy through food and hearing customers say, "that was the best meal I ever had."

Tell us about this recipe. Momma's Meatloaf is easy to mix up and the recipe can be doubled to yield 6 pounds. Be sure to watch the meatloaf closely because the balsamic glaze will burn.

Try this at home or at A Chef and a Loaf of Bread Catering, 416B N. York Road, Elmhurst. (866) 369-0279.

• Chef du Jour appears weekly in Food. To recommend a chef to be profiled, please send the chef's name, restaurant and telephone number to Chef du Jour, Daily Herald Food Section, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006; or e-mail us at food@dailyherald.com.

Momma's Meatloaf

Glaze

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

½ cup ketchup

Meatloaf

2½ pounds ground beef

½ cup ketchup

½ yellow onion, chopped

1½ cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs

½ bunch chopped curly parsley

¾ cup bread crumbs

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

½ tablespoon dried oregano

½ tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together glaze ingredients. If the mixture is too thick, add water by the tablespoon to thin.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all meatloaf ingredients. Place mixture on sheet pan and form into a loaf. Brush glaze over the meatloaf. Bake meatloaf for 45-60 minutes or until internal temperature registers 160 degrees on an instant read thermometer. If the meatloaf is getting too brown, turn the pan and cover with tin foil.

Serves eight.

Chef Andrew Welsh, A Chef and a Loaf of Bread Catering, Elmhurst