Darla Pitts of Chicago

It's sort of funny that Darla Pitts' favorite ingredient is chili pepper. Pitts, 41, is an Arlington Heights firefighter, so she faces the heat on the job and in the kitchen cooking with Anaheim, Poblano, Serrano and jalapeño peppers. "Chile peppers are so versatile," the Chicagoan said. "You can roast them, dry them, or just add them raw to so many recipes. I really love to roast them and make pasta sauces. It just takes the flavor to a whole new level."

Pitts wanted to be part of the Daily Herald's Cook of the Week challenge for her sheer love of cooking. "I have no classic training and learned how to cook from many different avenues, which I think gives my food a unique flavor," she explained. "I would love to represent the Arlington Heights Fire Department, too, which is where I first gained interest in cooking."

Most of her culinary time is spent at the firehouse. "We always talk in the morning about what we would like to eat and dietary needs of the people on shift that day.

So my menu planning is always different. Some days we will smoke a roast for six hours, and other days when we are super busy, it will be something much more simple like an all-in-one crock pot recipe." Pitts is planning to open her own eatery in Chicago soon, so cultivating new recipes during the contest and watching diners' reaction to her edible inventions will be an opportunity to streamline her menu.

Pitts is always up for trying a new hot sauce and any pepper, and she counts salmon and gourmet cupcakes as two of her favorite food items. She has her fingers crossed that she's not tested with having to prepare an odd animal part. "I would have no idea how to prepare something like a cow's tongue," she winced. "That would definitely be a challenge."

- Jacky Runice