Running kosher kitchen poses a different challenge

The chef in charge of the Northwest suburbs' largest kosher kitchens isn't even Jewish.

As executive chef of the Westin Chicago North Shore in Wheeling, Charles Phillips, 39, oversees a staff of 40, producing all the banquets and special events catered at the hotel, including those produced in the venue's two Chicago Rabbinical Society-certified kosher kitchens.

A native of Long Island, N.Y., Phillips graduated from Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts in Rhode Island in 1988, and began his career as executive chef at the Windsor House Inn in Duxbury, Mass. Afterward he spent nine years cooking for several private clubs operated by Club Corp. in the East and South, and then joined Starwood Hotels in 2002.

Starwood put him on task forces in charge of opening hotels, including the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, in Georgia; the Westin Arlington Gateway in Virginia and the Westin Charlotte in North Carolina, where he became executive sous chef.

When the Charlotte hotel added a kosher kitchen, Phillips studied with a rabbi to learn the complex rules of kashruth, the Jewish dietary laws, which include special cooking techniques, keeping meat and dairy products separated and using only approved foods.

Then he taught himself to create dishes that taste as if he had no such restrictions.

Phillips came to the Westin Chicago North Shore in 2006. He and his wife, Karen, live in Evanston.

What made you become a chef? I think it was probably my dad's influence. My dad worked for the St. Regis Hotel. Even though he didn't cook as a career, he had second jobs as a kitchen manager.

And on Sunday afternoons, my mom would always cook a big family dinner. My mom is Italian. My aunts and uncles would all come. That always stuck in my mind.

In high school, I needed a job and one of our neighbors had a restaurant. I started out washing dishes. Then I went to culinary school right out of high school.

What was working in the private clubs like? It really hones your skills on customer service. Every member, you know their name and their likes and dislikes. I get more recognition now for food now that I'm in a more public realm, but I really think we were doing food that was as good at the clubs.

So you've opened lots of new hotels? I've been with three or four task forces. It's kind of fun. It's a nice environment. Everything is new. Most people don't get a chance to go to work in a brand-new place with all brand-new equipment. Of course, there are hiccups when something doesn't show up on time or some equipment doesn't work. But I like it.

How did you wind up being a kosher chef? When we opened the property in Charlotte, the general manager was Jewish and he talked to his rabbi about the need in the market. The rabbi down there came in and did some training classes. That was my first exposure to kosher cooking.

Is it very different from what you were used to? I don't really find it different. It's the same operations, finding good food and cooking it well. We find creative ways to do things. When you can't have dairy, we might mix in some tofu to get the consistency. It's just a challenge.

Are customers booking kosher banquets looking for traditional Jewish dishes? It's mostly people being respectful to the 15 or 20 in their party who keep kosher -- even if it's an event for 200. I think the expectation is that you come to the Westin and it's going to be a real good meal.

Really, what we do is Westin-style cuisine with kosher ingredients. Of course, if someone wants a traditional meal, we can do that, but mostly we cook the same style as in the rest of the hotel, just using kosher food.

Do you have anything to do with the restaurants in the hotel? No, it's just banquets. That's the first time in my career that I've had that. It's a little different. We pride ourselves on doing restaurant-style plates for banquets, but I guess I miss a little bit of that a la carte.

Why did you decide on a career in clubs and hotels instead of individual restaurants? For me, on a professional level, if you work in the right environment, that lends security. Working for a big organization, you get good health insurance and you get to do good work. I've worked in some private restaurants and sometimes the owners can be a little fickle. From a career standpoint, there are more opportunities for growth and promotion.

On the flip side, there's maybe a slight stigma -- "well, it's hotel food" -- you have to fight against that. That's where we have to prove them wrong.

I think we've really turned the corner. We don't even have chafing dishes in this hotel. Everything's fresh. We do smaller portions and keep replenishing. We do a ton of custom menus.

How much cooking do you do at work? It just depends on the week, what's going on. I have to organize my week so I can jump in when needed.

I like the energy of all three kitchens going. I like that.

Usually, I cook about a couple hours a day, but on some days, none. I do a lot of demos. So I make one dish, show people how, get things where they need to be. I don't do a lot of production. I come up with the recipe and walk them through it.

But I still love cooking, that's for sure. That's the best part of the whole job.

What kind of cooking do you like to do? I've been experimenting with some of the Latino flavors. I love seafood. Just nice, fresh fish, with a salsa or a pan sauce -- that's my style.

Who cooks at home? My wife's a pretty good cook. She does most of the cooking at home. My wife's a pastry chef.

How do you like the Chicago area? I love the diversity of Chicago. I've been surprised -- coming from the East -- at how friendly people here are. It's a nice, refreshing environment.

If you're a foodie, there are endless possibilities here. I really enjoy ethnic mom-and-pop places. I've been enjoying the Latino restaurants.

What do you do when you're not working? When I have some spare time, I try to stay fit. I do some reading. I'm always reading trade magazines and cookbooks. I've been reading about the power of positive thinking, keeping a good attitude, choosing to have a positive impact.

Enjoy these at home or at a banquet at the Westin Chicago North Shore, 601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, (847) 777-6500.

Hamantashen -- Purim Cookies aka Haman's Pockets

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ pound butter (1 stick), cut up

teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1 tablespoon orange juice

5 tablespoons (about) ice-cold water

¿ cup filling (date, apricot, fig, poppyseed, etc.)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

With a paddle in an electric mixer, mix the flour, butter, salt and sugar to breadcrumb consistency. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the orange zest and juice and add cold water until the mixture starts coming together.

Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pull and knead by hand until it forms a rollable dough.

Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch-round cutter and cut out circles.

Place circles on a baking sheet. Place your filling on the rounds and fold up the edges to form triangular cookies with open centers. Pinch the corners of the dough to seal. Bake until golden, 12-15 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.

Makes 12 to 17 cookies.

Chef Charles Phillips, Westin Chicago North Shore, Wheeling