FSR July 2023

CHEFS & INGREDIENTS CHEF PROFILE

ing in the front-of-house. When college came along, Goudie’s interest in food hadn’t faded, but she was also curious about the world of journalism, so she earned a degree from the University of Missouri in communications and food science with a focus in hospitality. “From there, I was like, ‘I still want to do culinary school, it’s still kind of my calling,’ so I went out to California to Napa Valley and went to the Culinary Institute of America and did kind of a fast-track program,” says Goudie, who completed a 10-month intensive kitchen program where she mastered classic culi nary techniques and honed her skills—

which quickly paid o . In what felt like a dream sequence, Goudie was then hired by Chef omas Keller to work in his restaurants— rst as sous-chef at Ad Hoc and then at the three Michelin-starred French Laundry, which has won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation. Keller is the rst and only American-born chef to hold mul tiple three-star ratings from the presti gious Michelin Guide, as well as the rst American male chef to be designated a Chevalier of e French Legion of Honor, the highest decoration in France. “With the full intention to come back to Chicago, which is where I’m from, I kind of took the job on a whim. And it really changed my life and the trajectory of my career,” Goudie says. In 2019, she went on a year-long international culi nary expedition to Thailand, Sweden,

and Italy, where she developed her love for di erent cuisines and cultures. While in Italy, Goudie was asked to teach at a cooking school in the famous Umbria region, which was a special experience. “I take little tidbits from everywhere I go. I’m French-technique trained, which always stays super strong within me,” she notes. “I’d never call myself a fusion chef by any means, but little ingredients, dif ferent spices or seasonings nd their way into my food. I more so get inspired by various ingredients I see that are not nec essarily common to food here in the U.S.” Invigorated and “in love” with worldly foods and different culinary cultures, Goudie then had the opportunity to return to Illinois at 27 years old and cre ate her own restaurant—Scratchboard Kitchen, which she opened in April 2020 in Arlington Heights. “Coming from one

CHEF GRACE GOUDIE

“The most rewarding thing is seeing the effects your creation has on others, and the joy and community it can create. The one universal language we have in the world is food.”

LXMGMT

FAVORITE SPICE AT THE MOMENT: Sumac or zaatar POST-SHIFT DRINK OF CHOICE: Aperol spritz or something bubbly FAVORITE RESTAURANT OUTSIDE OF YOUR OWN: Monteverde Chicago GO-TO MEAL ORDER: Definitely sushi always BEST MUSICAL ARTIST TO COOK TO: I'm a Taylor Swift fan, any album; I love "Lover," her current album, the old ones— just depends on what mood you're in GO-TO COOKING UTENSIL: Probably the rubber spatula—got to get everything out of the pot

SCRATCHBOARD'S FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH FEATURES PIMENTO CHEESE AND PICKLED ONIONS ON A BRIOCHE BUN, WITH THE OPTION TO MAKE IT SPICY OR 'DANGEROUSLY' SPICY.

SMITHFIELD CULINARY

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FSRMAGAZINE.COM

JULY 2023