Stephanie Izard
Chicago
Girl & the Goat, Little Goat
Favorite foodie destination: There are so many new spots opening in Chicago all the time, so I have fun exploring my own city. Anywhere I visit, though, I like to find the hidden gems that chefs recommend.
Top chef: Danny Bowien. Great food, fun style and he’s even in a band. I just want to be as cool as him.
Surprising place to find good food: Strip malls!
Guilty pleasure: Parmesan cheese. I put it on everything, from fried rice to pastas to stir-fries.
Go-to simple dish: Kalbi beef ribs with malt vinegar, fish sauce, sambal and garlic — on a nice hot grill.
Newly discovered ingredient: I never used to put persimmons on my menu, but I started pickling them this year, and they are delicious! Pickled persimmon pico de gallo? Yum.
Currently in your fridge: Ranch, barbecue sauce, baby food and leftover fried rice.
Favorite memory: At a place in China called 99 Yurts, we ate amazing food, including a whole lamb, at an enormous round table with a lazy Susan in our own yurt.
Read this article as it appears in the magazine.
