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Member Spotlight
| Chef Christopher Koetke |
| Christopher Koetke |
| CEC CCE |
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| NAME: |
Christopher Koetke |
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CEC CCE |
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ckoetke@kendall.edu
(708)524-8408 |
| Christopher Koetke, CEC CCE
Dean, The School of Culinary Arts
Culinary Arts
Christopher Koetke has been a culinary instructor at The School of the Culinary Arts of Kendall College since January 1998. In 2002, he was named Associate Dean of the Culinary School. Along with the move to the new Riverworks campus, he became Dean of the Culinary School in 2005.
Christopher began cooking professionally in 1982, starting at local restaurants in his hometown, Valparaiso, Indiana. He soon moved to Chicago and procured a position at L'Escargot on Halsted. Eager to expand his knowledge of fine cuisine, Christopher traveled to France where he worked in some of the country's finest kitchens: Pavilion Elysees, Pierre Gagnaire, Taillevent and Pierre Orsi. While there, he also made time for his second passion, wine. In Paris, he studied at L'Academie du Vin and with L'Association des Sommeliers de Paris. The last term of his European employment was spent honing his pastry skills at Patisserie Mage in Geneva, Switzerland. Upon his return to the United States, Christopher began a 5 year tenure at the world famous Le Francais in Wheeling, Illinois. During this time, Christopher finished third in the U.S. finals of the Bocuse d'Or culinary competition.
In 1992, Christopher became the Executive Chef of Chicago’s Les Nomades restaurant. During the 5 years at Les Nomades, the critics and the public responded favorably to his cuisine: 3 stars--Chicago Tribune; 19.5/20--Sherman Kaplan; 26 points for food (excellent to perfect)--Zagat Survey; twelfth restaurant in Chicago--Gourmet magazine; ninth restaurant in Chicago--Wine Spectator; and 3 stars--Chicago Magazine. Also during this time, Christopher was voted Chef of the Year (1997) by the Chicago chapter of The International Food and Wine Society, and was the national winner of the Mapleleaf Duck Competition (1997).
Christopher is a noted ice carver and was associated with one of the nation’s foremost ice carving companies, Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures, for 16 years. He has also consulted for companies such as The Soyfood Council, Todd and Holland Tea Merchants, The Pampered Chef, Char Broil, and the Turover-Strauss Group. Christopher co-founded www.ChefTalk.com and for 4 years was a contributing editor to Chef, Fancy Food, Culinary Educator Today, and Local Palate publications. He has a B.A. degree in French literature from Valparaiso University and a Certificat de la Langue Francaise from the Sorbonne in Paris. He is currently pursuing a MBA.
Christopher is a frequent speaker at a wide range of forums. Most recently, he has given presentations for the American Cheese Society’s national convention in Louisville, International Association of Culinary Professional’s national conventions in San Diego and Montreal, the Chicago Dietetics Association, the Ohio Dietetics Association, and the Ecole Hotellier de Marseilles/Provence, the national American Dietetics Association conference in San Antonio, the international Research Chef Conference in Montreal, the national American Culinary Federation conference in Orlando, and as part of the Iowa Department of Agriculture visit to Tokyo Japan. He is a weekly guest on WGN TV in Chicago and a frequent guest on Chicago’s WGN food time radio show. |
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