Rob Benes

Will the fact that Rob Benes has a Culinary Arts degree and is a Content Strategy professional for the food service/hospitality industry help him in the Cook of the Week challenge?

Only the weeks ahead will tell, however, he is sure that his love for cookery comes from his Czechoslovakian grandmother, Marie, who was always busy in her kitchen cooking or baking delights from the old country.

"She always cooked from scratch and rarely, if ever, followed a written recipe," the 55-year-old said. "I guess it's in my DNA." He was crazy about her traditional Czech sweet bread made during the holidays called houska, which he makes, too. "My baking record is 45 houska during one marathon Christmas baking season. I give them to neighbors and friends."

Then there was granny's Svickova - braised beef served with scratch-made bread dumplings and sweet-sour cream sauce. Benes likes to cook with farm-raised whole chicken "because it's a blank canvass that can take on so many different flavors."

The Glen Ellyn resident does lots of grilling and works with fresh veggies and salads during the warmer months, and turns to braise root vegetables and baking when the chill sets in.

"I also shop at different stores. I go to a butcher in Wheaton for meats; my garden for vegetables; specialty stores for unique ingredients; and online for items that I can't find locally," he said.

When traveling with his family, you'll find him stopping to buy eggs directly from the farm. "The different colored eggs are so neat to look at, and they are richer in color and taste and creamier."

His family has definite favorites from dad's repertoire.

"My 8-year-old son likes my German puffed pancake, my 11-year-old daughter likes my risotto, and my 13-year-old daughter likes my smoked baby back ribs, smoked in my dad's 1965 Weber Westerner grill, and my wife likes my marinated flank steak served with chimichurri sauce."

Even though he has rubbed elbows and shared food with some of the world's renowned chefs like Charlie Trotter, Emeril Lagasse and Grant Achatz, Benes always wanted to enter a cooking competition himself, and the Cook of the Week Challenge seemed like a perfect opportunity.

"I hope to challenge myself in creating unique recipes with unknown and, perhaps, new ingredients for the home cook. And, I hope to win and take home the big wooden spoon trophy!"