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Chef credits classic cooking shows for career

Growing up in Mount Prospect Joe Plucinski was like a sponge when it came to culinary knowledge.

He'd watch cooking shows on WTTW Channel 11 and cook alongside his grandmother at her "drinking establishment."

"Every Christmas I would help her create a huge Polish smorgasbord in which she would offer to her customers at no charge," says Plucinski, now chef at Marriott Lincolnshire. "It's my earliest memory of preparing large quantities of food and probably created my first desires of wanting to be a chef."

After graduating from Prospect High School he attended culinary school at Kendall College "to see if I liked cooking."

It turns out he did. He worked for Marriott at the Chicago Magnificent Mile and O'Hare properties before being promoted to top toque at the Lincolnshire resort earlier this month. He oversees kitchen operations for the Greatroom, Fairfield Inn and catered events.

He lives in Mount Prospect with his wife and two dogs.

Any early influences or mentors you credit? WTTW Channel 11; on weekend afternoons I'd watch what are now considered classic cooking shows.

What's your culinary philosophy? Simple, chef-crafted, local, seasonal food.

What inspires you to create new dishes? I really like to work with whatever is local - I do this by talking to my local farmers and walking the farmers markets.

Do you have a favorite ingredient and how do you like to use it? Fresh-squeezed lemon juice to finish off a dish.

What was the last meal you cooked at home? Chicken and dumplings.

What three things should no home kitchen be without? A good quality knife, a versatile saute pan and fresh herbs.

What do you like about the hotel side of the industry? I enjoy the opportunity and challenge to create dishes to fulfill the needs of a diverse customer base.

What was the last good book you read? "The New Organic Grower" by Eliot Coleman.

If you weren't a chef, what do you think you'd be doing for a living? Farming.

Tell us about this recipe: Curried Chicken Salad. When preparing chicken at home I like to make extra so I can use it the next day to make something. One of the easiest things to do with this chicken is to make chicken salad. The slight addition of curry and touch of honey separates this chicken salad from most you may have tried.

Try this at home or at Marriott Lincolnshire, 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire. (847) 634-0100.

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

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