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StarChefs Q+A: Bailey Sullivan of Monteverde

We’re so excited to sponsor the 2022 StarChefs Rising Star Awards! The awards celebrate up-and-coming industry professionals who are trailblazing the contemporary American dining scene. Before we hit the road for this year’s events, we’re taking a look back at one of the phenomenal chefs we partnered with in 2021: Bailey Sullivan of Monteverde Restaurant […]

We’re so excited to sponsor the 2022 StarChefs Rising Star Awards! The awards celebrate up-and-coming industry professionals who are trailblazing the contemporary American dining scene. Before we hit the road for this year’s events, we’re taking a look back at one of the phenomenal chefs we partnered with in 2021: Bailey Sullivan of Monteverde Restaurant in Chicago. Read on to hear from Bailey herself, then stay tuned for Bailey’s exclusive recipe featuring our Ms. Natural fresh goat cheese!

Name: Bailey Sullivan
Restaurant: Monteverde
City: Chicago
Hometown: Chicago

What is cheese’s role in a meal?
To me – cheese can be a meal in itself! There is such a beautiful artistry in cheese making. Cheese can be funky, creamy, sharp, salty, grassy — there’s boundless uses!

What’s your favorite unexpected way to use cheese?
Love a good cheese frico! Frico is a traditional dish from Friuli Venezia Giula where typically Montasio cheese is toasted until bubbly and golden delicious in a sauté pan – sometimes with potatoes and sometimes just the cheese itself. Crispy on the outside and gooey in the center – what’s not to like?

Favorite food memory?
I was glued to my dad’s side growing up and I loved running around his Irish pub, Goldyburgers, out in Forest Park. One of my earliest food memories is prepping lots of snacks each year for the Superbowl – brown sugar bacon wrapped water chestnuts, tangy buffalo wing sauce, and Jell-O footballs!  

Culinary secret weapon?
A badass team and lots of good olive oil.

Hometown favorite restaurant or food?
My hometown favorite must be Goldyburgers – my dad’s pub! Sure – I am a touch biased but it’s the ultimate comfort food that I grew up eating and still do! I know there’s an old news article from Goldy’s past where I’m in a highchair shoveling a grilled cheese in my mouth – still holds true to today!

Favorite Cypress Grove cheese — personally, and in the kitchen?
Purple Haze, or Humboldt Fog, or Ms. Natural — okay, it’s hard to choose!  They all have such lovely flavor profiles and different application in the kitchen. I could happily eat all of them as is or build them into a dish – they’re super versatile!

We’d love to hear the inspiration behind the recipe you developed with Cypress Grove cheese!
Each year at Monteverde we put a new spin on the traditional tortelli verdi from Bologna, a spinach and parm filled pasta. When thinking about new ideas this last year I was inspired by a simple dish I always love to eat – palak paneer. A combination of flavors and cooking techniques from Northern Italy and Northern India – a beautiful egg yolk raviolo filled with garam masala spiced spinach and Ms. Natural goat cheese was born! The raviolo with a runny egg yolk center is toasted in brown butter and finished with toasted pistachio and pomegranate molasses instead of typical balsamic.

And now — click here for the Egg Yolk Raviolo recipe!

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We’ve partnered with Goldbelly!

To give you the best ordering experience possible, we’ve partnered with Goldbelly for all of your cheese needs. You’ll be able to order all of your Cypress Grove favorites via their website, and your order will still ship directly from our creamery.

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