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 […]

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!