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One thing you don't know about me is that I never set long-term goals. I'm grateful for all the good luck that befalls me as I let life happen.
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I'm most proud of the balancing act I do with owning restaurants, being an executive pastry chef of notoriety, writing cookbooks, doing TV [Food Network's Sweet Dreams] and generally being happy with my work, which earned me a James Beard Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef. Oh, and I do all that while raising a family and having a loving marriage.
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My fondest food memory is sneaking into my grandma Elsie's freezer in the basement and eating frozen oatmeal cookies.
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If there were no fried chicken, I'd have no reason to live.
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My greatest inspiration is penny candy and ice cream novelties.
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If I were on death row my last meal would be heirloom tomato slices with burrata and basil, frisee salad with lardons and a poached duck egg, cold fried chicken, braised celery root, some Brillat-Savarin, a glass of sparkling rose, buttermilk pie with raspberry rhubarb compote, a root beer float and a cup of tea with milk.
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The thing I hate most about this business is misspellings on menus.
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If I could change one thing about me I'd love to be thin or tall or both.
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My idea of a perfect day is waking up my family with the smell of bacon. We'd have homemade blueberry buttermilk pancakes, poached eggs and fresh-squeezed juice. Then I'd buy ingredients for a picnic lunch at the beach on Lake Michigan. At home I would cook dinner with my kids and then take a walk in our woods.
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If I could do it all over again I would live in France for a year or two rather than a few weeks at a time.
Gale Gand is a partner and executive pastry chef of several restaurants, including Tru in Chicago.
