On the Record With ... Chris Solare

Solare: No. It’s funny, when I’m at home, I make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The only time I really cook when I’m at home is when I need to make a big dinner; otherwise, it’s PBJs, and I’m happy with that.

Sanchez: Cooking for the White House and being Dick Cheney’s personal cook must have been an amazing experience for you. Can you describe it?

Solare: It was crazy to be inside the White House. At the time, I had just left a country club job, and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do – if I wanted to pursue more country club or if I wanted to be on my own and be a personal chef. At the time, my ex-brother-in-law worked for the Navy, and I went to visit him. One of the master chefs from the White House said to me, ‘Hey, when do you want to come and work for us?’ … It was one of those things, like I can’t believe I’m doing this. I’m just a boy from McHenry. To this day, I keep my White House coins with me everywhere I go. They’re my good luck charm.

Sanchez: What was your relationship like with the former vice president?

Solare: When I was at the vice president’s house … he was the nicest, coolest person. He was so down-to-earth; it was like he was more happy for me to be there cooking for him than I was to be there.

Sanchez: Is there something you learned from that experience that you carry with you?

Solare: Always be creative. If you can wow someone, the expression on their face is priceless. Everybody can cook, but not everybody can put their own passion in it, and when that shows, you can see it in their face.

Sanchez: At the end of the day, is that what you want your guests at Spice to go away with? An expression that lets you know you’ve impressed them?

Solare: Yeah, I really want to be different than anything around here. I want people to walk away thinking, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I had that at this restaurant.’