Chef Rick Bayless fires up grill, audience at Round Lake Area Library
By YADIRA SANCHEZ OLSON
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You would think that the man chosen to be the guest chef at the White House for the May 19 visit of Mexico President Felipe Calderon would be much too busy to stop and chat with his fans.
But just one day before leaving for Washington D.C., chef Rick Bayless did just that.
On Saturday, May 15, the Round Lake Area Public Library hosted the famous chef/restaurant owner/author's presentation for more than 500 people at the Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center.
Bayless' sold out appearance brought together fans of different genders, ages and ethnicities to the event, where they were treated to a cooking demonstration and a frank talk about his humble beginnings – beginnings that have led him to become one of the most recognized faces in the culinary world.
"I felt like I was in the right place for me. I felt more alive than ever," Bayless said of his first visit to Mexico City when he was 14 years old.
It was then and there that he said he fell in love with Mexico's food, its people and their culture.
"I couldn't get the thought out of my head, that people in the United States had to try this food," Bayless recounted.
And the Oklahoma City-born chef has built an empire based on that very thought.
From his more than half a dozen books, including his latest, Fiesta at Rick's (out this July), to his TV show on PBS, "Mexico - One Plate at a Time," and his three restaurants, Chef Rick Bayless has been an instrumental figure in introducing to Americans the many flavors of the Mexican cuisine.
"His food is phenomenal!" said Mary Sanchez of Waukegan while sipping drinks with her friends during the reception.
Sanchez carried a picture of her, her friend, Sandra Mendez of Mundelein, and Bayless at his restaurant, Frontera Grill.
"It was taken last year on my birthday," Mendez said. "He made it memorable."
During the presentation, Bayless also spoke about the evolution that his Chicago restaurants, Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and XOCO, have gone through, and what it was like to win Bravo's first season of Top Chef Masters last summer.
Bayless confessed that although it was one of the most amazing experiences he's ever had, because of the pressure, the only fun thing about it was getting on the plane to go back home.
But his hard work paid off because, besides bragging rights, he was awarded a $100,000 cash prize that went to the Frontera Farmer Foundation, a charity he founded with his wife Deann and his restaurants' staff in 2003.
The nonprofit organization provides capital development grants to sustainable farms in the Midwest.
"He seems so nice," said Debbie Ryan of Round Lake Park. Ryan is a fan of Bayless' TV show and was accompanied by her three daughters and her granddaughters.
"We just had to come see him," Ryan said.
At the end of the presentation, where he showed the audience one way to make tamales and the importance of authentic ingredients, he took a few questions.
The first question was what would be on the menu for the Presidential visit. With a chuckle, Bayless said that he was asked by the first lady to keep it a secret.
At the end, fans lined up for the chef's book signing. For more than an hour, Bayless signed cookbook after cookbook and posed for pictures with his fans.
The books had been sold earlier, during the reception, by the RLAPL's Friends of the Library.
"This was a phenomenal opportunity," said Jim DiDonato, executive director of the Round Lake Area Public Library District. "This was a chance to let our patrons know that we bring quality to our diverse population."
With his work, Bayless has inculcated the idea that through an open mind and an adventurous heart, you can erase border lines and get down to the delicious ways in which we can all connect - through our appetite.
He has made authentic Mexican food an attainable treat for all of those who have not traveled there.
"We are not only preserving Mexico's cooking, but bringing communities together," Bayless said.
To find out what other events and programs the Round Lake Area Public Library has, visit their Web Site, www.rlapl.org.
