Gary Walker
Private Chef, Cheflove
Some Favorite Places to Dine in Chicago: Frontera Grille, Girl and the Goat, Chilam Bilam
Food Philosophy: Keep it simple, use local ingredients, be respectful of the season and serve with love

“I credit my mother for being a model of strength, humor, and a survivor against all odds. I am, who I am because of her,” says Private Chef Gary Walker.

Faced with tragedy early on with the passing of his father at eight-years old, Walker and his three other siblings were raised by a unit of strong women, including his mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. His mother was a model of character for him growing up, but she was also a model of cooking — a trait that he admired and made his own when the role of cooking for the family fell to him at the young age of 12, after his mother returned to the work-force to provide for the family. Walker recalls Sunday dinners as somewhat of a “mini Thanksgiving” with roast chicken, gumbo, potato salad, yams, and green beans. He said food aromas filled up the house by mid-morning and a couple hours later, everyone started rolling in ready to eat up.

A four-week living abroad experience is one of the most standout experiences of his growing up. He traveled to France at the age of 16 and cohabited with a French family just outside of Paris, where he was exposed to a whole new world of different foods and culture, and entranced by the French way of life.

“The family consisted of Marguerite and her son Francois. We lived 45 minutes outside of Paris and every day the three of us would venture into the city by train and spend the day sight-seeing. We would always lunch in the city, but coming home meant stopping by the butcher, the produce stand, and a race to the boulangerie to grab the last baguette of the day,” he says.

He recalls several meals that were particularly unforgettable, like tartare de cheval, braised rabbit, homemade pasta, and chocolate flourless cake. Walker was fascinated by the blend of French culture and food.

“Every meal would have the obligatory flight of French cheese,” he recalls with a smile. “I was immediately hooked on the French joie de vivre attitude toward food and life. I literally ate it all up. She [Marguerite] was thrilled that such a young American would have such a love for French cuisine.”

Living in New York was also a notable experience for Walker. He moved to the Big Apple upon finishing Wayne State University, working as a French interpreter for Northwest Airlines in hope of enrolling in the Institute of Culinary Education. Just like many who arrive in New York to live out their dreams and desires, Walker eventually did so after coming to his wits end in his travel career.

“I was pretty fed up with the travel business. The Internet had really affected the way people were buying tickets and I knew that my days would soon be numbered. Most of my friends in the city were artists, people who lived through their passions,” he says. It was then that he came to the realization that his passion and creative outlet was food.

“The idea of starting out with basic ingredients, transforming them into something that upon eating would make you feel good, was exactly what I realized I was born to do,” he comments.

Working full-time, in addition to his work-study as an intern to pay for culinary school, he finally entered the professional program at the Institute of Culinary Education (from which he received a diploma in Culinary Arts), and has been cooking ever since.

Yet, his stay in New York was short-lived as was his traveling hiatus, as he eventually found his way back to Chicago and started his own Private Chef Company, Cheflove, leaving the restaurant side of the business for home-style cooking and traversing the globe.

Outside of his own success as a personal chef and living out his passion through food, Walker has taken the time to share the love with others. In Chicago, he was extremely active when it came to volunteer work, where he used his knowledge and abilities to uplift women and their families, as well as being a role model for youth, encouraging positive activities.

“I volunteered at Housing Opportunities for Women, an interim housing group for low income women,” he says. “I taught their first Peer Chef program cooking classes designed to empower these women to find healthier ways to feed themselves and their families. I also spent a few years being a mentor for high school students at Chicago’s Perspectives Charter School. Every winter term, I’d spend a day a week working and training with a high school student in my kitchen. These opportunities were awesome and I felt honored to be a part of them.”

And despite what skeptics might think, love truly does extend outside of the kitchen for Walker. Just as something universal like music or art creates a bridge between people, Walker sees food having that same power.

“Food is truly one of the few things that unite people across the world. Despite age, race, income, or any other ways of dividing us, food really is the link. I feel honored and blessed to be able to work in this field,” he says.

Around the World in 80 Plates airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Bravo. Check local listings for channel numbers. Catch up on past shows at www.bravotv.com.

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