Turning passion for food into profession as chef

Sometimes you have to wander far and wide to discover that what you wanted has been with you since the beginning.

That's certainly the way it was for David "Jake" Van Cleve.

At 47 he became certified as a personal chef, circling him back to the hobby he'd loved for decades.

He started working at restaurants at 14 years old and worked in the industry while going to journalism school at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and during his early years as a reporter.

He never lost his passion for cooking as the guy in the kitchen at dinner parties and whipping up meals for friends and private clients.

In 2007 he decided to return to his "foodie roots" and became a certified chef. He works at The Reserve of Geneva, a senior retirement campus, and plies his talents via Geneva Personal Chef Service specializing in catering, formal dinner parties, interactive cooking demonstrations and customized packaged meals for busy families and professionals.

He lives in Geneva with his wife, Nancy, and daughters Cassidy, 16, and Maddie, 14.

Describe an early food memory: My grandparents lived on a farm in Southern Illinois and it was always intriguing to watch my grandmother make egg noodles. She would have newspapers spread over every counter of the kitchen for the noodles to dry out on.

Was it difficult to go back to school? It was pretty scary to leave the financial security of working for a large corporation to start your own business, but I knew the rewards would be greater if I took the leap. I graduated from the Culinary Business Academy in Albuquerque, N.M. in 2007.

Does your work in any of your previous careers help you at all with your current duties? I've conducted upward of 10,000 interviews in my work as a journalist and an investigator, so getting information out of people comes naturally to me and comes in handy when I'm speaking with a prospective client and trying to figure out what they want for their event. I am able to discover personal tastes, favorite (or least favorite) ingredients to use, and provide a truly personalized menu that is tailored to my clients' wishes.

What does it mean to be a personal chef? Many personal chefs actually take their equipment into their clients' homes and cook a few weeks worth of meals in one day. They then package, label and freeze them for the convenience of their client. I have always worked out of a commercial kitchen, so I am able to prepare food off-site, then deliver fresh food to a client in warming trays, or have it ready to serve for parties or social functions. I like to cook, regardless of where I do it - and if someone wants me to come into their home, we discuss the logistics of how they want to achieve their menu.

What's your culinary philosophy? I guess I'd describe the cooking philosophy as "Why not?" I'm willing to try almost anything if I think it will enhance a dish or make it more interesting or exciting for the diner. The mixing and contrast of flavors can be intriguing for my clients and for myself. I tend to find complimentary dishes that provide a variety of unexpected flavors.

Any challenges cooking for more mature palates at The Reserve of Geneva? I'm the head chef at The Reserve of Geneva, which has a beautiful commercial kitchen for me to play in. It is a cooperative venture so there are about 87 owners/residents, and even though I'm an independent contractor, it is still my responsibility to make sure as many of these folks are happy as possible. Every day brings its challenges.

We try to stay within the "comfort food" range, but also try to add new twists and additions to keep the interest high. And, of course, I watch the spices and the salt level on most of the dishes, since these can have health consequences for our seniors.

I have to reel myself in quite a bit when cooking for the seniors, then when I'm doing my outside work I can really let my creative side shine through.

Name five items in your home fridge? How do you like to use these ingredients. Roasted garlic, ginger, apple cider vinegar, olive oil and soy sauce. These are all items that are not only healthy, but they add a lot of flavor to the recipe. I add at least one if not more of these daily in dishes I prepare. I can't think of better staples to have on hand to enhance any sort of dish.

Where do you go when you want to eat out? We usually stick to the restaurants in and around Geneva. Recently, I've been a fan of Bistro Thai in Geneva. For excellent meats I make the trip to Elburn to Reames Elburn Market; it has an incredible selection of meats, sausages and seafood. I'm kind of a homebody, so I'd rather cook for myself and my family rather than go out.

Do you have any cook books or chefs you admire? I can remember several years ago watching Jacques Pepin boning a chicken, and I was just amazed at how easy he made it look. He is not as flashy as some of the TV star cooks, but he has an incredible wealth of knowledge about the preparation of food. A book I would recommend for anyone considering a career in food service would be "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain. I think his description of the restaurant business, the good side and the bad side, is dead-on accurate.

Tell us about your calamari rellenos recipe. What's a calamari steak? Calamari steaks are tenderized fillets of squid. I had something similar to this recipe at a great seafood restaurant in Del Mar, Calif. with my dad about 20 years ago, and have been playing with the recipe ever since. Now that I am in Illinois, I can find the calamari steaks at Reames Elburn Market. I buy them when I can and keep them frozen for when I make a dish that requires them. They aren't very "fishy" and have a great taste and texture.

Try it at home or contact chef Van Cleve at (630) 232-2711 or jake@genevapersonalchef.com to arrange for him to make it for you.

• To recommend a chef to be profiled, write to food@dailyherald.com.

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<li><a href="/story/?id=353687" class="mediaItem">Calamari Rellenos with White Jalapeno Sauce </a></li>

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