Chef Lisa graduated culinary school at Kendall College Evanston in 2003. Before Lisa became a chef instructor at The Chopping Block, she worked in numerous restaurants around Chicago including Naha (where she met her husband), Spiaggia, Custom House and opened Acanto in 2014. When not in the kitchen you can usually find Lisa curled up with a great bottle of wine and a good book or eating out at a new restaurant with her husband.
Recent Posts
Appetizer Centerpieces
I love the holidays and planning a jolly assortment of appetizers to fill the table. Usually, I go overboard and make a huge variety of bite-sized delights. Check out my other festive holiday ...
Have you seen the purple food craze that has been all over the internet recently? From ice cream to donuts, to cakes and cocktails, very violet food creations are all the rage right now. The culprit ...
Ramen is a noodle soup dish that was originally imported from China and has become one of the most popular dishes all over the world. You may only know ramen from your college days of the instant ...
When I think of fried foods I am immediately transported to when I was a kid. The nostalgia of carnivals and fairground funnel cakes, deep fried Twinkies, anything deep fried on a stick really makes ...
When coming up with an idea for dinner or creating menus for classes, I always try and think of how to tie all of the ingredients together and nothing does that better than an awesome sauce. To me, ...
Did you know that 64% of American adults currently consume coffee every day? And that Americans drink about 400 million cups of coffee every day, which is roughly about 146 billion cups of coffee per ...
During this pandemic just about everyone jumped on the bread bandwagon. I think learning how to make sourdough bread was basically everyone’s bucket list recipe during this time - so much so that ...
I am going to let you all in on a little secret which may probably shock you: I don’t love lobster like most folks. This may be an unpopular opinion, but that is where I stand! Lobster has always ...
It seems almost every year there is a vegetable that makes it way to the spotlight. Kale and cauliflower have had their day, and I am voting to make fennel the next big trend. Who else besides me ...
I absolutely love when the Chicago weather cooperates, and I am able to cook outside. Grilling and smoking outdoors is something my husband and I are truly passionate about. If you are new to the ...
