ECC Welcomes Back Alum Chef Doug Yeomans for Visiting Chef Dinner

Elgin Community College (ECC) alum Chef Douglas Yeomans returned to campus to offer his expertise to culinary and pastry arts students and serve the community in a special four-course meal on Thursday, October 30. 

A 2000 graduate of ECC’s culinary and pastry arts program, Yeomans was very involved and served as student council president. “I loved being a student and then to see the industry and work through it,” he said, adding that he believes his education was comparable to that of prestigious culinary schools in Chicago and New York City. 

“It was better to be a big fish in a small pond,” he said. “You go to New York, the competition is stiff. Here you get a chance to breathe. You have an opportunity to grow, and it's more user-friendly than some of those big schools.”

Yeomans, who turns 50 this year, began cooking professionally at age 15. He now brings 35 years of culinary experience to his current role managing Caputo grocery stores. He also owns a catering business and collaborates several times a month with the St. Charles Wine Exchange to create a private wine pairing dinner experience. 

His culinary journey led him to helm successful Italian and Latin restaurants, oversee steakhouses, country clubs, and suites at Arlington International and Churchill Downs racetracks. 

During his time at the racetracks, he served clients like Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock. As the manager of American Airlines' international first-class dining program, he served former President Barack Obama during his presidency. 

During his live cooking demonstration at ECC, he reflected on his time at the college, sharing that he arrived as an arrogant sous chef. He credited his culinary instructors, Chef Mark Bosonoc and Chef Maria Terry for shaping his professional discipline. Chef Bosonoc was especially tough on him, Yeomans said, but reflecting on it now, he appreciates the tough love and the feedback helped him grow.

“Being an older chef now, I appreciate that, and I needed that,” he said. “I had a lot of ego, confidence, and I needed that check.”

Chef Terry brought him on her culinary team when she led the dining for multiple Kentucky Derbys. Terry currently owns and operates the Bleuroot restaurant in West Dundee. 

“I fell in love with it more and more,” Yeomans said. “You really have to love this industry, though, it's a passion thing.”

Yeoman's main advice to students is to learn as much as they can about cooking, but once they have the cooking part down, that is just one part of the business. Managing a team and managing finances is harder, he said. 

He added that the restaurant industry is a tough business, but there are other avenues for students to go down. 

“The next culinary trend is that personal chefs are huge right now,” Yeomans said. “They’re pulling $200,000 a year.”

After giving advice and discussing his career, Yeomans began creating his first course, which he described as a “cool” tropical mango, key lime, and coconut ceviche. The “cool” ingredient in this dish was the pure lime leaf, he said. 

The next course included a crispy, fried plantain with fresh cilantro and pickled sumac red on it. He asked the students if they knew what sumac was; most nodded yes, and Yeomans explained that it was a Middle Eastern spice. The plantain included prosciutto powder for cross-utilization.

“I decided to use that [prosciutto] because I run this on salads,” he said. “I had all these crumbles at the end, so I thought, ‘Why don’t I infuse this into a sauce?’ Whenever you can cross-utilize an ingredient, that's the best possible thing you can do for a product.”

Yeoman’s menu also included black pepper-espresso rubbed braised short rib, and a spiced pavlova with brandied white chocolate crème anglaise.

At the end of the cooking demonstration, students asked Yeomans many questions, including, “What's your favorite food?”

Yeomans said his favorite food is Latin, and he really loves making soups. 

“The test of a best chef is soups and sauces,” he said. “Soup and sauces are the toughest things to execute.” 

Student Aidan MacDonald asked, “Do you miss the line [cooking in restaurant kitchens]?”

Yeomans said, “No,” with a laugh. Then, continued: “I get that thrill, and I’m still an adrenaline junkie like all the line cooks, just in a different way. My wine dinners are for 545 people. Last week, I did a grenade goat cheese salad with pickled fennel, blackberries, and fresh feta. I brûléed all the grapefruits before the service.”

“Always remember, service industry, we’re two notches above the maid, and that's what always keeps you grounded,” he said. “Were there to serve them. Keep your head in check. These are opportunities you don’t get all the time, so take them and run with them and do your best.”

For more information about ECC’s culinary arts program, visit here.