Stephen Langlois
Encyclopedia
Stephen Langlois is a Chicago area chef
and author (with Margaret Guthrie) of Prairie: Cuisine from the Heartland (1991). As chef of Prairie restaurant in Chicago
, Langlois was a pioneer in the local food
movement.
Langlois was an innovative chef who defined American Midwestern cuisine in the 20th century. As chef of the now-closed Prairie from 1986 to 1997, Langlois showcased strictly Heartland regional fare, even steering clear of ocean fish. As Alice Waters
delineated California cuisine
, so Langlois highlighted foodstuffs of the Midwest, such as Iowa
pheasant, Lake Superior
whitefish and Sheboygan
sausage.
The food at Prairie, Langlois said, was inspired by the Frank Lloyd Wright
Prairie School
architecture of the restaurant, which was located in Chicago's historic Printers Row neighborhood.
Langlois is currently executive chef of the Hyatt
Lodge in Oak Brook, Illinois
, a facility owned by McDonald's Corp. and which caters mostly to the staff and executives from its corporate headquarters.
A graduate of the hospitality program at Triton College
in River Grove, Illinois
and the Culinary Institute of America
in Hyde Park, New York
, Langlois also worked at the Chicago restaurants Cafe D'Artagnan and Maxim's and the Hotel Pulitzer
in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
and author (with Margaret Guthrie) of Prairie: Cuisine from the Heartland (1991). As chef of Prairie restaurant in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Langlois was a pioneer in the local food
Local food
Local food or the local food movement is a "collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies - one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular...
movement.
Langlois was an innovative chef who defined American Midwestern cuisine in the 20th century. As chef of the now-closed Prairie from 1986 to 1997, Langlois showcased strictly Heartland regional fare, even steering clear of ocean fish. As Alice Waters
Alice Waters
Alice Louise Waters is an American chef, restaurateur, activist, and author. She is the owner of Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California restaurant famous for its organic, locally-grown ingredients and for pioneering California cuisine.Waters opened the restaurant in 1971. It has consistently ranked...
delineated California cuisine
California Cuisine
California cuisine is a style of cuisine marked by an interest in fusion cuisine and in the use of freshly prepared local ingredients.The food is typically prepared with strong attention to presentation...
, so Langlois highlighted foodstuffs of the Midwest, such as Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
pheasant, Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
whitefish and Sheboygan
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
sausage.
The food at Prairie, Langlois said, was inspired by the Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
architecture of the restaurant, which was located in Chicago's historic Printers Row neighborhood.
Langlois is currently executive chef of the Hyatt
Hyatt
Hyatt Hotels Corporation , is an international operator of hotels.Hyatt Center is the headquarters for Hyatt corporation...
Lodge in Oak Brook, Illinois
Oak Brook, Illinois
Oak Brook is a village in DuPage and Cook Counties, in Illinois. The population was 8,702 at the 2000 census. A suburb of Chicago, it is the headquarters of McDonald's and Lions Clubs International.-History:...
, a facility owned by McDonald's Corp. and which caters mostly to the staff and executives from its corporate headquarters.
A graduate of the hospitality program at Triton College
Triton College
Triton College is a two-year community college located in River Grove, Illinois, a suburb northwest of downtown Chicago. Triton College facilitates accredited degrees, career-oriented learning opportunities, and English as a second language and GED classes.Over 17,000 students enroll at Triton...
in River Grove, Illinois
River Grove, Illinois
River Grove is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,668 at the 2000 census.-Geography:River Grove is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of ....
and the Culinary Institute of America
Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of America is a non-profit culinary college located in Hyde Park USA, founded in 1946. The CIA also has branch campuses in St. Helena, California, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as a campus in Singapore. It is a not-for-profit academic institution of higher learning...
in Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
, Langlois also worked at the Chicago restaurants Cafe D'Artagnan and Maxim's and the Hotel Pulitzer
Hotel Pulitzer
Hotel Pulitzer is a five star hotel in Amsterdam, located on the Prinsengracht and Keizersgracht. The hotel consists of 25 historic canal houses from the 17th and 18th century, merged into one and opened as a hotel in 1970 after several canal houses were bought by Howard Johnson's.-History:In 1614,...
in Amsterdam, Netherlands.