Photography by Jaimee Morse
MARK SCHMIDT
Executive chef at the Hotel Donaldson
FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA
Refrigerator staples: The things I can’t live without would be dairy products: milk, butter and especially cheese. My wife, kids and I love a nice piece of cheese and always have an interesting variety around. Being born and raised near Milwaukee, I grew up on Wisconsin cheese, and it always will hold a special place in my heart.
Cooking style at home vs. at work: Every now and again, I will cook some nice restaurant-style meals, especially if I am working on a new dish. But most of the time, we cook simple and healthy. Around the dinner hour is usually a pretty busy time in our house, so keeping it simple and healthy is our only option if we are going to eat before 9 p.m.
Quick breakfast: The kids and I like to make fried egg sandwiches. Either toasted whole-grain bread or an English muffin, a couple fried eggs, and whatever cheese we have around. The kids like ketchup with theirs, while I like some hot sauce on mine.
Busy weeknight dinner: Hot dish has become a family favorite. My wife, who grew up in the Fargo–Moorhead area, introduced me to it years ago. She makes it with tomato soup, egg noodles, veggie crumbles and corn — simple and satisfying.
Fridge organization style: With three kids around, it all depends on the day and who has gotten into the fridge. Right before and after we go shopping, it is organized. Half the time it gets a little messy, while the other half of the time it looks nice and neat.
Beverages on hand: Skim milk, whole milk, orange and grapefruit juices, a bottle or two of some sort of white wine, and maybe a six pack of good beer.
Must-have ingredient: Butter, of course! I try not to use too much at home as we use plenty at the restaurant, but sometimes it’s the difference in why “when dad makes it, it tastes so much better.”
Necessary indulgence: As much as we try to eat healthy, I love ice cream. Vanilla is my favorite.
PHIL SHIRES
Chef at Cafe di Scala
DES MOINES, IOWA
Refrigerator staples: Because I’m not home a lot, I always have fresh deli meat in the fridge for lunch. I wake up, walk the dog, exercise, make a sandwich, and I’m off to chop things up until midnight.
Fridge organization style: If I buy anything, I’m not the guy who opens it up and puts it in Tupperware marked with the date. However, I’m a Capricorn, so I’m anal and everything has its place. Meat goes in the meat drawer, the crisper is for the vegetables and the door is for the condiments. It’s kind of like my CD collection, which is organized chronologically and alphabetically.
Must-have ingredient: Well, you always need butter, right? And of course, fantastic salt. Not iodized, but some kind of kosher or granulated salt.
Beverages on hand: Vitaminwater, bottled water, Tecate and Coors Light. Oh, and did I mention that there’s a bottle of Cristal always on hand for those special occasions? (Just kidding.)
Entertaining go-to: I always like to do some kind of charcuterie. But you know, I prefer the times when everybody shows up, we all make a run to the grocery store and we make whatever people are hungry for. If that’s chili or getting steaks to grill, we’ll pick it up that day and cook for that evening.
Busy weeknight dinner: I’m short on time? I’d grab a beer and eat something later. No, I would make something quick but definitely without a microwave. I have one, but it’s strictly for movie popcorn.
Cooking style at home vs. at work: At home, I cook whatever I want to — I make whatever I want to make. At the restaurant, we cook Southern Italian cuisine and plenty of scratch pasta, but I’m actually not necessarily a pasta fan. It’s generally closer to pork tenderloin or a roast, depending on the night.
Surprising craving: There’s a place down the street where I used to work in high school, and they just do really good falafel and gyros. It’s my go-to fast-food spot.
DAVID SWANSON
Chef/owner at Braise
MILWAUKEE
Refrigerator staples: I always have eggs, English muffins, ginger jam, cheese and something pickled.
Beverages on hand: Orange juice and Aranciata soda by San Pellegrino.
Fridge organization style: Disheveled comes to mind.
Quick breakfast: English muffin with good-quality butter and jam made with fresh fruit.
Daily diet: The one staple in my diet would be coffee! Other than that, it varies. I love to have eggs in the morning. I’ll usually make a chicken sandwich or a big salad for lunch. Tacos are in the three-day rotation.
Busy weeknight dinner: When I don’t have time to cook for myself, I like to buy a rotisserie chicken from our local co-op and have that over mixed greens. It’s quick and healthy. Also, cereal is a good backup!
Entertaining go-to: During the colder months, I like to make stews and one-pot dishes for entertaining. For example, we had New Orleans–style gumbo on Christmas Eve last year. During the summer, I love to grill seafood or make big batches of paella.
Must-have ingredient: Good salt (sea), fresh spices (nothing predating the last presidency) and good vinegar (balances a dish).
Necessary indulgence: Artisan cheeses are always a necessary indulgence!
Surprising craving: My girlfriend makes me drink kale smoothies every day! Again, cereal is a weakness.
Cooking style at home vs. at work: I like one-pot classics: Indian lamb curry or roasted chicken. Similarly at Braise, I let the ingredients speak for themselves and drive a dish.
SEAN WILSON
Executive chef/partner at Proof
DES MOINES, IOWA
Refrigerator staples: I always have Duke’s Mayonnaise. You can’t get it in the Midwest, so I order it online. There are always eggs, milk, an assortment of pickles. Oh, and this is embarrassing, but I love it: Oscar Mayer thick-cut bologna — the kind with the red ring around it.
Surprising craving: I love that instant ramen inside the cup, particularly the shrimp-flavored ones. People ask me all the time if I really eat those, and I say yes! I love them! There’s one in my backpack right now!
Necessary indulgence: It’s pretty sporadic, but I’ll always keep a 12- or 15-year-old Scotch, or maybe a really nice bourbon.
Beverages on hand: It’s very boring. I keep orange juice, milk, San Pellegrino. Also a six-pack of hefeweizen from Backpocket Brewing in Iowa.
Must-have ingredient: Nutmeg. I use it whenever I cook vegetables or greens. Even with something like sautéed spinach, it gives another dimension and softens the bitter note of the greens.
Quick breakfast: Well, I’m a chef, which essentially means I’m a fat kid at heart. I take thin, crusty bread and put it in a pan with butter and fry it up, kind of like I’m making croutons. Then I’ll either poach or fry an egg and put it on top of the bread. I eat this a lot.
Cooking style at home vs. at work: What we do at work has so many moving parts and uses very high-end ingredients, but I’m a pretty simple guy when I’m at home. My wife used to work in a kitchen and is a food editor for Cuisine At Home magazine, so whenever we cook, it becomes such a project. We work opposite hours, so we do most of our cooking on the weekends.
Fridge organization style: Oh, I would absolutely say it’s disorganized. It’s like that law of entropy. The fridge is always packed full of stuff, so it’s chaos, but I still know where everything is. It’s disorganized, but there’s a method to the madness. The only things that usually live in the same spot are cheeses and condiments.
