Peter Glatz

When I was 20, I crossed the burning border / I came to find the good life / And brought my daughter here … We came for democracy and hope / Now all we have is hope … My daughter is a Dreamer … The rapturous applause at Rockford’s historic Coronado Performing Arts Center had […]

It is 7:30 on a Saturday evening and I’m at Vele, an upscale restaurant in downtown Springfield. It’s a busy night and the dining room is nearly full. I, however, am not among the diners. I’m working in the kitchen, trying to keep up with all the orders coming in. I’ve been on my feet […]

I recently had to spend an unanticipated couple of days in Memorial Medical Center. Aside from the unpleasant and painful circumstances that precipitated my visit to the ER, my experience was actually quite pleasant. In contrast to the pale, green sterile drabness of my hospital rotation in dental school 40 years ago, Memorial felt more […]

I’ve always wondered how the large, pendulous purple orb, called an aubergine, melanzana or brinjal in other languages, came to be known as an “eggplant.” It turns out that the variety grown in Europe during the 18th century was off-white and resembled goose eggs. The first plants to reach the American colonies were grown as […]

When I was growing up Sunday dinner at home was nothing special, just a bit fancier than the TV dinners in compartmented foil pans that we had on most weeknights. Sunday dinner at my wife’s grandmother’s house, on the other hand, was always like a scaled-down version of Thanksgiving. At the center of the meal […]

Despite our president’s suspicion that global warming is a hoax, all-time high temperatures are being recorded across the world, from Denver to Montreal to Scotland to Oman to Pakistan. Temperatures in Northern Siberia have been soaring 40 degrees above normal. As I write this, the temperature outside is 96 degrees. On days like these, I […]

I’ve had some pretty amazing dining experiences in my life, like the time I had a 14-course meal at Chicago’s top-rated Alinea. I don’t remember much about the first 13 courses, but I do remember the finale: a helium-filled balloon made of banana taffy. I was told to “kiss” the balloon; the warmth of my lips melted a hole in […]

From every restaurant in which I’ve apprenticed, I’ve walked away with at least one “pearl” of kitchen wisdom that has helped me up my cooking game. Sometimes I learn a clever little trick to improve my speed and efficiency. Sometimes I learn a new knife technique that increases my precision. Sometimes I learn to cook […]

I have been very fond of the Magic Kitchen’s tiny fried eggrolls and accompanying peanut sauce as long as I have lived in Springfield. In fact, I am so much in love that I never share my order. I want a whole order myself and any of my dining companions who want eggrolls need to […]

I dearly love asparagus – but I only allow myself to enjoy it in the spring and early summer, when local asparagus becomes available. After a winter of trying to come up with interesting and varied ways to prepare cabbages and root vegetables, those first fresh green shoots are the official prelude to the new […]

I was traveling recently and needed to stop for a dinner break while en route. I found an attractive looking restaurant that specialized in “fusion” cuisine. I ordered a grilled chicken Banh Mi and Korean Kalbi baby back ribs. Though both dishes were tasty, the Banh Mi was merely a grilled chicken sandwich with carrot […]

It was the middle of the afternoon of my second day staging at the celebrated new St. Louis restaurant Vicia. (It’s pronounced “stah-jing. That’s French for voluntarily working your butt off for free.) I’m stemming and slicing a huge box of shiitake mushrooms as fast as I can with my brand new razor-sharp carbon steel […]