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Chefs’ Choir: Celebrating Mother’s Day

At Great Performances, we believe that Life Happens Around Food®. We make that happen with delicious food, warm hospitality, and culinary creativity. At the heart of our creativity are our chefs. In this series, our chefs raise their voices in our Chefs’ Choir ™, sharing their delicious recipes, helpful tips, and inspiration for creating memorable events. We tap into their culinary genius as we plan your special events for business purposes and collaborate on your special event planning for social and entertainment purposes. Whether you need a corporate lunch, a wedding reception, a milestone celebration, or a nonprofit gala, our chefs bring their inspiration and creativity to ensure you have an exceptionally delicious event.

 

Our chefs come from myriad backgrounds and experiences, but they all share a passion for food and hospitality. We’ve asked them to lend their voices to share their Mother’s Day memories, stories, and recipes.

Chef Solanki Roy

Venue Chef, 550 Madison

My mother is a powerful Bengali woman, with modernistic views of the world, liberal at heart, intellectual, artistic and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life. On Mother’s Day, I fondly remember her and reflect on everything she has done for the family and wish to reunite with her soon for my holidays. The biggest lesson she taught me was, no matter what happens in life always remain humble. 

A sampling of Chef Solanki’s menu at 550 Madison.

The best culinary tip passed onto me is, cook from your heart and positive emotions, anything cooked with love compassion and good thoughts tastes good. 

 

Anything cooked with anger, aggression or toxic work environment translates to food. So keep kitchen culture healthy, no yelling, no throwing pots and pans or glorifying abuses in kitchen. It’s not good for anyone, the cooks, the customers or the food. 

Chef Tatiana Iglesias

Venue Chef

My mom is a strong and beautiful woman, very talented in the kitchen, and shows us love through her cooking.

The best culinary tip I got from her was to cook with heart and make others happy.

My mom’s best dish is arroz con pollo.

Chef Joe Bachman

Venue Chef, Rockefeller University

Chicken Paprikash was one of the 15 or so rotating meals that we would eat growing up.  I am particularly fond of this dish in the colder months as it always signified a changing in the seasons.

I am from Argentina and moved here a little over 9 years ago, my sister moved here back in 2012.

 

When we travel back, we always ask our Mom to make us her French Fries. There is “nothing special” about them in terms of technique, cutting, kind of potato used, etc. but at the same time, everything is special about them. It brings both my sister and myself together and brings us back beautiful memories. The fries may not be peeled perfectly, may be soggy and crispy at the same time, may have absorbed more oil than they should but all of that makes us come together.

 

My sister is 33, I’m 31 but when we ask Mom to make those fries, look at her cooking them and finally share those uneven spuds, we both go back to being kids again.

 

That is what Mom is all about to me.