On the dining table sits a warm plate with delicately placed food. A steaming medium-rare rib eye steak with a slab of horseradish butter sits on a bed of chopped and roasted potatoes mixed with diced and steamed red bell peppers. The dish has been drizzled over with a light coat of olive oil, the final touch being a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and chopped chives. In this planned setting, a form of art has been expressed. This attention to detail is what Patrick Stewart, the Certified Executive Chef, and professor of Culinary Arts at Elgin Community College, admires and gains satisfaction from as the plate comes back licked clean.

Going to college with art classes, Stewart came to the conundrum of figuring out what to do with his career life. One conversation led to another and he soon was making his way to becoming a chef. He loved working with and making art, and during his twenty years in the profession, he learned that food is visual art.

For centuries, the presentation of food has been valued and would often define a person of importance. An easy example is the 1500 monarchy when kings and queens demanded only the best of food both in taste and visual quality. Less dramatically, the same is true of today. High paying customers expect exquisite meals, and it is the chef’s job to make sure their patrons are satisfied.

Stewart notes that although the experience of being a chef is inspiring and hones skills into you that can be used for other things as well, that it is not family oriented. Family life is something he values very much, and after shifting into the teaching position at ECC, he was able to put what mattered most to him first.

A piece of advice he offers for anyone just starting out in the career world is to make sure it’s in demand. “Go after the dream you want, just make sure it’s a marketable skill.” Without people demanding that skill, it’ll, unfortunately, lead most people into a dead end with wasted time and money. On the plus side, “Culinary Arts is a marketable art field” according to Stewart.

Along with cooking, Stewart also carves ice for both the ECC restaurant, the Spartan Terrace, and Lincoln Park Zoo. A youtube video titled “Elgin Community College Culinary Instructor Carves Up a Dragon” features his craftsmanship. Starting in the spring semester of 2018, he will be teaching an ice sculpting class. He hopes that anyone who is interested and can safely wield a chainsaw will join.

As an end note, if interested in advice for getting ready for Thanksgiving from the Certified Executive Chef himself, e-mail Stewart at [email protected] for a full list of tips in preparing your family feast.