Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Chefs for a Day, which started in Burr Ridge, opens a place for classes and summer camp.
The opening of new home for a well-known Burr Ridge cooking school was celebrated with what else—food and a cooking lesson. Chef-owner Laura Valcour demonstrated how to cook the four-course meal with wine pairings that she served, ran the event with the help of her business partner, her assistant, and at least one relative, and organized the celebration with contributions of time and marketing skills from family and friends. “Our networks of friends wanted us to succeed,” Ruby Melliza, Valcour’s business partner, said about the June 23 event. Burr Ridge resident Valcour founded Chefs for a Day in 2003, and has been giving cooking lessons and demonstrations around town, including at park district locations and schools. However it was not …
Friday, May 27, 2011
Chefs for a Day will open its doors next month in Willowbrook.
Many local residents know Chef Laura Valcour through her cooking classes at the Burr Ridge Park District and her involvement in the farmer’s market. June marks the beginning of a new business venture for Valcour who, along with best friend and business partner Ruby Melliza, will be opening a cooking school for children in neighboring Willowbrook. “It’s a dream of mine,” Valcour says. “I just have a passion to continue to teach kids to cook.” The Burr Ridge resident founded the school, Chefs for a Day, in 2003. But without an official place to call home, Valcour ran a mobile classroom and held demos in clients’ kitchens. Once the Village of Willowbrook grants final approval, Chefs for a Day will finally have a home at 858 75th St. “We’re …
41.752562
-87.942804
858 75th St, Willowbrook, IL
/articles/burr-ridge-chef-opens-new-cooking-school-in-willowbrook
/locations/4449295
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Laura Valcour started from scratch—and built her own cooking business.
The parking lot near Willowbrook’s Panera Bread is nearly full. Indoors, the bakery is noisy with the late-lunch crowd. Chef Laura Valcour enters the restaurant. She wears a pink paisley shirt and dark pants with pearl earrings. She says just came from an exercise class. She disappears into the seating area searching for a free booth, and returns a few minutes later, successful. After settling in, Chef Valcour’s confident, outgoing manner comes through immediately. One of the many aspects of her work that she enjoys is teaching individuals to care for themselves. She wants them to eat fresh foods and says that one of her “idols” is British Chef Jamie Oliver. Oliver began the TV show, "Jamie's Food Revolution," which teaches families how to…
41.75855
-87.925769
Burr Ridge Park District
15w400 Harvester Dr, Burr Ridge, IL
/articles/a-chefs-story
306600
/locations/3079471
41.72362
-87.926133
Community Consolidated School District 180
15w451 91st St, Burr Ridge, IL
/articles/a-chefs-story
1408911
/locations/3079472
