Michael Ponzio, Executive Chef of Park Ridge Park Ridge (Ill.) Country Club, fell in love with the traditional culinary experience of Italian dining at a very young age.
Ponzio, who comes from a large, Italian family, grew up in a suburb just outside Chicago. So naturally, his first inspiration in the kitchen was his grandmother. She introduced Ponzio to classic homestyle cooking and later provided guidance and instruction in perfecting the basics.
Cooking became not only his skill, but his passion.
Ponzio went on to receive his education in Culinary Arts at Kendall College in Chicago. In 2002, he joined the award-winning team at Spiaggia as a sous-chef working closely with Tony Mantuano. His skill and technique grew immensely during that time.
From there, Ponzio continued his journey in learning how to master the Chicago culinary scene at restaurants including Volare (Benny Siddu), Cenitare (Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand) and Rosebud Restaurant Group (Alex Dana); where he worked as the Director of Culinary Operations. He also consulted for a number of years for Portillo’s and sits on the Culinary Advisory Board for Smithfield Foods and a culinary school.
He has traveled all over the country and to several parts of Italy studying everything from handcrafted pastas and pizza to gelato and regional delicacies.
In 2011 Ponzio authored a cookbook, CIBO: Anybody’s Guide to Italian Cooking.
Ponzio is currently the Executive Chef of Park Ridge Country Club in Illinois. Medinah.
One of Ponzio’s strongest beliefs is that food should be real. He believes being healthy isn’t about fad diets or the latest trends, but about respecting and paying attention to the products you consume. Gone are the days when the only salumi you could find were made from cheap cuts of meat and loaded with nitrates. Fish doesn’t have to be mass-farmed and there are many great varietals to choose from every season. Ponzio believes that if we take a great piece of beef, not pumped with saline, hormones and other enhancers, pay attention to what the cow is fed and how it is raised to slaughter, we shouldn’t have to add anything but salt to make it taste fantastic. That is real food, which the Park Ridge kitchen prides itself on producing.
When he’s not in the kitchen, Ponzio spends his time with his wife and three children, going to farmers’ markets, traveling and nurturing his passion for food and wine.