Jane Says

When WCIU asked me to host the cooking segments for the morning show I was thrilled!  I love to cook and I love to eat… I consider myself a pretty good home cook and it’s something I really enjoy… not to mention I’m Greek, so it was a natural fit. 

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and in my case it’s true! Cooking has always been in my blood.  During World War II, my Dad was the first officer to go to Cooks and Bakers School.  He ended up retiring as a full Colonel but waaaay before he flew up the ranks, the commanding officer took one look at my Dad’s last name, recognized it as Greek, and threw him in the mess tent.

My Grandfather owned a restaurant on Chicago’s South Side which my Dad took over after the war.  The restaurant was at 63rd & Kedzie and was called The Wheel Inn Cafe. 

Both my Dad and Mom were excellent cooks.  They were creative in the kitchen, we always sat down at the table for dinner and they loved to try new recipes.  My mom was even featured in the local newspaper for a great recipe she submitted…I was fascinated with the photographer and media even then.  When I was growing up my Dad cooked weekday meals and my mom the weekend so I can remember spending a lot of time in the kitchen with both of them.  The grocery store was a daily stop for my Dad and my mom worked hard to create a monthly menu planning calendar for the family. 

When I was 7 years old my parents had me in cooking classes and I continued cooking because I saw the joy it brought people (and I knew one day I actually might have to cook for my own family).  I’ll let you in on a little secret, my reading material of choice is…a cookbook!

The Chefs we work with on these segments are true professionals and we are lucky to get their top secret recipes.  It may look like I get to eat all of that food they show us how to make but most of the time it’s just a bite.  So when do I get to eat?  After I make the recipe at home and, you best believe, I eat.  My goal, to give you my experience, tips, and how to’s making these recipes from a home cook perspective. I look forward to sharing with you For the Love of Cooking. So be sure to check out www.wciu.com/jane for all the recipes and demo videos and remember to tune in to WCIU “The U” channel 26 every Wednesday morning at 8am.