Fiscal Responsibility

Carl Tannenbaum - Page 1

"The joy I take at being in the kitchen is not just the anticipation of enjoying the food but having friends and family around to enjoy it with us," says Carl Tannenbaum. "I know it sounds really corny but for me there are few greater joys than sitting at the table watching people that you care about enjoy your food."

As the chief economist at LaSalle Bank in Chicago, Carl jokes, "I'm one of the 'evil' people who figures out how much we should offer on certain certificates of deposit and the like." Though he loves his work, the kitchen provides something that work cannot. "It provides a relaxing alternative to what I do professionally. When you are an economist you work on something and it might be a very long time before you know whether you were right. And there might be lingering debate as to whether you are right. Whereas, when I cook, I go into the kitchen and an hour or two later I have a result. I feel as if, in the kitchen I have control whereas in the corporate world very often you're buffeted about by the markets or your colleagues or whatever. The kitchen just gives me a great feeling."

Carl has tried to pass that great feeling on to his kids. "All three of my children clamor to get into the kitchen and help out when we are cooking," says Carl. "Danielle (17), as a high school senior is busier than she used to be but her thing is risotto. She loves to make risotto. She just likes standing there and stirring. She has the patience." His youngest, Veronica (8), goes for the sweets. "If there is any chocolate involved Veronica will be in there whizzing her finger around." His son Nicolas (12) is taking home economics at school and his assignment over the holidays was to cook something for the family. "Nicolas and I decided we would make one of his favorite dinners, which is Wiener Schnitzel. We did roasted potatoes, green bean casserole, breadsticks, and he did the whole thing. He had a great time and the food turned out really well. His confidence is soaring."

Living in the suburbs and working in downtown Chicago leaves little time for cooking. Ever the analyst, Carl found a unique solution. "I will cook all the meals for the week over the weekend and that's partly because I love to do it and partly out of practical reality because everybody is busy toward the dinner hour. So what we will do is plan out the menu for the week and shop for the fresh ingredients Friday night or Saturday morning and within two or three hours, everything will get cooked and put away in the fridge." He comes up with a pretty good menu each week. "The things that dot our menu are things like chicken paprikash, I did an osso buco this past weekend, or something like lemon-pepper tilapia." Carl does admit that fish is one meal he prepares day of, "But other things, especially in the winter when you are into slow food, really store well and arguably, in many cases, get better after a couple of days in the fridge as the flavors and the sauce continue to negotiate with one another."

Continue >>

Article:
  Harry Zeeve: Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3
  David Walker: Page 1 - Page 2
  Alison Acosta Fraser: Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3
  Belle Sawhill: Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3
  Chris Swann: Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3
  Carl Tannenbaum: Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3

Recipes:   Lemon Chicken | Rachel's Omelet | Corn Pudding | Marinated Filet Mignon | Asian Pork Tenderloin and Coconut Jasmine Rice | Grilled Chicken Breasts | Steak au Poivre | Pretzel Salad | End of Spring Beef Stew | Chicken Tarragon | Roasted Sweet Potatoes | No Bowl Cake | Chris and Aunt Mary's Stromboli | Aunt Pat's Pizza Meat | Cracchiola Family Sauce | Chris's Baked Ziti | Aunt Eleanor's Spedini | Post-Thanksgiving Gumbo | Singapore Rice Noodles | Red Chili and Orange Barbecue Sauce | Tandoori-style Grilled Chicken