Tim Kirker is Chef and Partner of Bistrot Zinc in the Gold Coast area of Chicago. Raised in Maine, he headed to Minnesota, planning on a teaching career. That soon gave way to the allure and excitement of a professional kitchen. Cooking became his window into regional and world cultures, helping feed the same curiosity that led to a history degree at Carleton College.
Kirker went on to the Culinary Institute of America, then moved to Manhattan to work at the Waldorf-Astoria after graduation. Early in his career, he sought the range of experiences and locales afforded a young, nomadic line cook hoping to broaden his craft in a variety of kitchens. He has worked in luxury hotels, including the Peninsula Chicago, as well as dynamic, à la carte operations such as San Francisco’s Bacar, Tabla and Peacock Alley in NYC, and Domaine Chandon in the Napa Valley. He even did a season as chef of a fly-fishing camp in the Yukon delta.
See Chef Kirker as he demonstrates how to make chocolate mousse, here.
