Schaumburg - Live, Work, Play - November/December 2008 - (Page 33) you’re keen on something more composed, go for Gulf Shrimp and Bay Scallop fettuccine, a San Francisco style seafood stew or baked shrimp puffy with Blue Crab stuffing. Wild seafood gets its own list of options and the wild mixed grill is a good buy at $29.95. It features three fish items and a serving the restaurant’s signature crème brulee. All dessert items are made in-house from scratch. Sweets sporting simple presentations as well as those with a hip cachet are equally impressive. Fresh vanilla bean crème brulee doesn’t disappoint no matter how many times you’ve surrendered to it and an Upside-Down Apple Pie marries Mom’s best baking with a walnut praline crust, caramel sauce and a cinnamon ice cream escort. No worries, chocoholics – there are at least three luscious options to feed your addiction. Tell everyone who loves a great deal about McCormick and Schmick’s fabulous Happy Hour menu, when you can net popcorn shrimp, steamed mussels or a crab sushi roll for $4.95; shrimp quesadilla, blackened fish tacos or Buffalo wings for $3.95; and trio of chicken satay, catfish bites or a half-pound cheeseburger with fries for an absurd $1.95. (Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. to close). Chef’s Corner Carlos Farias, Executive Chef in Schaumburg, finds his professional and personal life going swimmingly thanks to McCormick & Schmick’s. Young Farias worked in all areas of his father’s restaurant in their native Peru, from working the cash register to kitchen duty and eventually he attended Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in Lima where he graduated in 2000. His big break came just the next year when he accepted a position at McCormick & Schmick’s in Boston, the land of chowder and lobster rolls. By winter 2001, Farias moved north to the restaurant’s Chestnut Street location in Chicago where he rocketed from line cook to line supervisor and then Sous Chef. Farias is just as keen on the business side of the restaurant, from budgeting to forging relationships with staff and working with outside vendors. He met the love of his life, Beth, who was a hostess at the downtown location, and they were married two years later. In 2007, Farias was promoted to Executive Chef at McCormick & Schmick’s Schaumburg, where his day begins at the crack of dawn receiving orders, checking for freshness, prepping for lunch, then cooking for the lunch crowd. Then, it’s onto getting the line ready for dinner service, prepping and cooking yet again. “It’s a long day and the work is really hard,” Farias explained, “because everything’s fresh and we take a lot of pride in what we do, looking for the very best for our customers because we want them to come back.” We’re talking about 30 different species of fresh fish and shellfish every day to be made into uncompromisingly fresh and distinctive creations. One of Farias’ favorites is grouper. “You can grill it, bake it, steam it, make ceviche with it and it picks up flavors,” Farias said. If you’re always ordering the Tilapia, Farias suggests opting for Sea Bass once in a while. “It’s sweet, almost like lobster, and we get it from Iceland where it won’t be over-fished.” Chef Farias enjoys down time with Beth, just hanging out and watching TV, and his work is ultra satisfying, too. “Schaumburg customers are tough – they like everything perfect so it keeps us working hard. But, I still get pleasure from every minute of it,” Farias said. “The best thing for me is to hear servers tell me that our diners sent compliments to the chef.” • november/december 2008 Page 33 http://www.masters.robertmorris.edu http://www.masters.robertmorris.edu
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