Great Lakes Whitefish

Chef Jack J. Delby

Executive Chef, Renaissance Schaumburg (Illinois) Hotel and Convention Center

Jack Delby’s culinary career began very modestly as a bus boy at a local tavern/restaurant in his home town—Forest Park, Illinois. From there to Executive Chef of a major property has been a long journey, but hasn’t taken him far from home.

He got his break as a cook at 16 when the chef was short-handed one night and offered him a cooking position the next day. From there, he says, he didn’t look back. He figured he’d never go hungry and never get cold; could even work in a soup kitchen if necessary. 

After some years at various small establishments, he got a job at a Hyatt Hotel in Oak Brook, Illinois, where someone suggested that he go to culinary school. And go he did… to Chicago’s Washburn Trade School.

With in depth cooking experience there and his school credits, Chef David Russell hired him into the Marriott group and mentored him for seven years, after which he did a six year stint in Troy, Michigan.  Then Delby became the first Executive Chef at the brand new Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Center, site of the American Culinary Federation’s Midwest Regional Conference in 2009.

Did hosting 300 culinary colleagues intimidate him? Not a bit. Actually, he says his wife is his toughest critic. “Before I was a good cook she was listening, so if she says it is not good, I’m not serving it to anybody. If she says it’s good, I know it’s cool to serve it to just about anybody.”

How does Great Lakes whitefish fit into his menu? He says, “We have the Great Lakes right in our back yard. So if we’re not using products like that, we’re stupid. I think the freshness and quality of what we do here is what helps us be successful in what we do, and I think whitefish is part of it. And here is something I can put on my menu that is not going to be too expensive, so then it is a value item for the hotel, especially in these times.”

He prefers to keep it simple, accentuating the delicate flavor and texture of the species.  
“Anything you can do with any other fish you can do with whitefish. It is a versatile fish. I’ve made fish cakes with it. It’s light and flaky, so it’s perfect for a summer salad. You can stuff it, roll it, poach it, and broil it. I also like the way it smokes and cures. And it tastes good…it is not a fishy fish, so even people who think they don’t like fish find it tasty.”

He served the chefs a seared piece of whitefish with a little fresh dill and a warm German potato salad made with different colored fingerling potatoes. He used a warm vinaigrette roasted on the potatoes and a lemon rémoulade on the plate with it.

But his real secret ingredient is his approach. “It is important to do what you love and enjoy it. When you’re happy, everyone else is.”

Try Chef Jack J. Delby's Seared Whitefish Recipe