Laura Frankel

LAURA FRANKEL is the chef and founder of the Shallots restaurants. Shallots Bistro is one of the top restaurants in Chicago and one of the best kosher restaurants in the United States. Frankel has training and extensive experience in both savory and pastry kitchens. After Frankel had a family and began maintaining a kosher home kitchen she found that there was nowhere in Chicago serving the quality of food that she knew she could offer. She opened Shallots in 1999, a restaurant offering kosher fine dining with a produce-driven menu. She ran Shallots NY for three years, but is now executive chef of Shallots Bistro in Skokie, outside of Chicago. She has taught cooking classes in Chicago, New York, Milwaukee, and in multiple places in California and New Jersey. Her website is Lauraskosherkitchen.com. Before committing herself to her culinary passion, she played both alto and baritone saxophone. She taught and played professionally in several Chicagoland big bands.