Interested in an Arts Metal class?

The Art Metals program opens up employment opportunities within the art industry.

Fine arts may include metal sculpture among other techniques.

Cost: $249 for 48 HRS.

For more information call 214-860-5900.

Jill Bates

When neighbor Jill Bates was a 19-year-old student at the University of North Texas, she was trying to nail down a major. “I would cook for my roommate all the time,” Bates says. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I thought, ‘I think I want to cook.’ ” Her dad advised her to earn a bachelor’s degree first. She agreed and decided that if she was still interested in cooking after receiving her bachelor’s, then she’d go to cooking school. “And I did, and I was still interested in cooking, so I finally went to cooking school in San Fran,” she says. “Then I got really homesick, plus I was really broke, so I came back to Dallas.” Although she didn’t have a lot of experience with pastries at the time, she walked into The Mansion on Turtle Creek and met Dean Fearing, who spent 20-plus years at The Mansion before he opened Fearing’s Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton in 2007. Bates followed Fearing to The Ritz-Carlton, where she works as the pastry chef.

What first piqued your interest about cooking?

When I was younger, there was always a party in the kitchen. We were always standing around in the kitchen. Everyone was talking and enjoying cocktails. Everyone was just so happy, so I always looked forward to those events.

Which reality TV cooking show do you hate the most?

All of them. I’m not a big fan because these kids come out of school, and they’re like, ‘I’m going to be on ‘Top Chef,’ and I’m like, ‘No, this is not reality.’ At first I watched them because I had friends on them, so it was entertaining. But then I was just like, ‘Why would you want to be around a camp fire, with a stick and a piece of chocolate and something else and try to figure out what else you could come up with?’ Working in a restaurant is stressful enough. I don’t think I’d want to be a Survivor Chef.

What do you think is the worst food trend in Dallas right now?

Somebody just kill the s’more dessert. I can’t stand it. Anything that’s a s’more dessert drives me crazy, and that’s been going on for like 10 years in Dallas. I know everybody is all ‘farm-to-table,’ and that annoys me. Is it really farm-to-table, or are you guys just saying that?

What’s the most essential tool in your kitchen?

You have to have a mixer and a scale.

What’s the best piece of wisdom or advice you’ve received about food/cooking?

I was in California, and I was roundsman at the time. My chef said to me, ‘You just have a knack for desserts.’ She said, ‘You’re really good at it. Master it and perfect it. If you go on this path, you will do very well.’

What is your favorite kitchen item?

When it’s cherry season, we have this awesome cherry-pitting machine. Instead of pitting one cherry at a time, we can de-stem them, throw them in there, and it pits them all at once. I only get to use it seasonally.

What is the least-used thing in your home kitchen?

I have this beautiful glass cake stand that just sits on my counter. I think I’ve used it twice this year.

What is your ideal comfort food?

Anything one-pot-wonder with braising liquids, like lamb shanks, when it’s cold outside. In the summer, I like fresh heirloom tomatoes with salt, pepper and olive oil. I love to grill steak in the summer. And of course, red wine is definitely my favorite friend. Nothing like a glass of red after a crazy day.

If you could cook for anyone, who would it be and what would you make?

I would definitely cook for Julia Child. What would I make? I have no idea. I’d try to make her the perfect sou é. A savory sou é because she’d appreciate that. She’d probably be the only person who would appreciate that. I’ve met her. I met her a couple of times when we were at The Mansion, and she was a fun lady. And hilarious.

Opposite question: If you could have a meal prepared by anyone, who would you have cook for you?

Same thing. Because it would be killer. I’d probably want her to make me something like coq au vin out of her French cookbook. But actually, I wouldn’t care; I’d love it. She could put anything in front of me. You know who else I’d like to cook me a meal? My grandmother. If they could get together and cook me a meal, I’d really be happy with that.

It’s your birthday and you are stuck in the neighborhood. What would you like to do?

I’d probably go to the FOE [Fraternal Order of Eagles]. I’d probably go swim for a bit and have drinks by the pool. Probably have dinner at the Seafood Joint because it’s BYOB, and then finish up with wine at Times Ten. There’s got to be a cocktail in there, but I love wine. I’d definitely like to be outside.

What is your favorite local wine? Times Ten. I love those guys.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever cooked?

Oh man, we tried to make a vegan cheesecake. So we tried to use tofu, and it was awful. I also had to make a cherry cobbler for this football party. So, I’m trying to do this on the fly, and I don’t have the right flour, so I’m using rice flour. I was so embarrassed. It’s so bad; you just have to laugh.

What is the strangest thing that has ever given you inspiration as a cook?

Assess Bite and Alignment Issues Early

Early orthodontic treatment, if needed, can help minimize treatment at a later date.

when: Age 7

Seek treatment earlier than age seven if your child has: difficulty chewing, open-mouth breathing, jaws that click or pop, biting of cheek or into the roof of the mouth, speech problems, grinding or wearing down of teeth, and/or an obvious abnormal bite.

how: Bite Down Early Test

front teeth alignment crossbite

What is more beautiful than your child’s smile? To assure the healthiest teeth and the best looking smile, an early orthodontic screening is recommended — around age 7. In fact, there are seven warning sign of problems to come that are very easily identified in seven-year-olds. While most kids don’t need treatment that early, some problems are best treated before all the permanent teeth are in. By doing so, we can more easily address a mis-match between the size of the upper and lower jaws, and possibly avoid removing permanent teeth in the future. Call our office if you have concerns about your child. We’d be happy to schedule an “Age 7 Exam” and let you know what we find.

Patricia A. Simon, DDS 1809 Skillman St., Dallas 75206 214.826.9000 · lakewoodortho.net

LakewoodOrtho @DoctorSimonSays

I have dreams a lot about what — like I’ll picture a plate or a design in my head. Sometimes I’ll wake up and go, ‘Oh my god, I can’t wait to put that on a plate today.’ I’ll go write it down immediately. I look at recipes a lot before I go to bed, so that has to be what triggers it.

—Brittany

Nunn

Ivan Pugh

Chef Ivan Pugh, who owns Alligator Café in Casa Linda Plaza, has always loved cooking. “I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid,” he says. His passion led him to cook for several big-name Dallas Cowboys, including Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman. He has always enjoyed soul food, he says. These days, he cooks a lot of Italian food at home with his wife, Caterina Costante. He also likes to experiment with flavors and spices.

Which reality TV cooking show do you hate the most?

‘Hell’s Kitchen’ — I hate it. He’s just an abusive jerk.

Are there any that you like?

I like ‘Top Chef.’ That’s probably the one I watch the most. ‘Anne Burrell: Secrets of a

Restaurant Chef.’ I get forced to watch some of the cooking shows, just for being married.

What’s the worst food trend in Dallas right now?

The worst food trend — not just in Dallas but in the nation — is the on-the-go food. Every once in a while, sit down and enjoy your food.

What’s the most essential tool in your kitchen?

My Scanpan. I cook probably 80 percent of my food on it.

What’s the best piece of wisdom or advice you’ve received about food/ cooking? ‘Cook what you love to eat.’ If I didn’t enjoy the cuisines that I make, there wouldn’t been a passion there.

What is the least-used thing in your home kitchen?

The hamburger patty maker. I think I used it the first day I got it and then realized it was taking way too long. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

What is your ideal comfort food?

It changes, but I would say chicken pot pie. But from scratch. I make a damn good chicken pot pie. That’s something I make when I have friends coming over.

Your wife’s family is coming in for the weekend — what do you cook?

Pasta, salad, good bread. Typically her mom will bring a bunch of Italian baked goods. She’s an amazing baker. I probably cook Italian more than anything while I’m at home. We’ve actually talked about opening an Italian restaurant.

If you could have a meal prepared by anyone, who would you have cook for you?

Paul Prudhomme. I’d let him choose what he wanted to make. He’s really the one who boosted Cajun cooking in this country. He was basically the originator of blackening, which you see everywhere now.

What would you have for your last meal on earth?

A really, really good macaroni and cheese. Ribs, mac and cheese, and mashed potatoes and gravy. No vegetables because it’d be my last meal, so I wouldn’t need them.

What dish have you created that you’re really proud of?

My crawfish enchilada.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever cooked? Well, there are two answers to that question: There’s failed recipes, and every chef has a hundred of those. And then there’s the ‘you screwed up and you’re embarrassed about it.’ That’s usually early in your career. One time, I cooked swordfish for like 250 people, and swordfish can become very dry. I believe I grilled it, and I had done several pans of it. After serving about half of it, I tasted one of the pieces, and it was so dry. The bad thing was that it was for Jerry Jones and a bunch of his friends, and nobody ever told me it was bad. I don’t think I’ve cooked swordfish since then. I’ve never been able to get over that. But those are the experiences you learn from.

What is the strangest thing that has ever given you inspiration as a cook?

Probably eating rattlesnake when I was a kid. Having eaten all the weird things in life — that one thing in particular — I realized everything can be eaten. —Brittany Nunn

Megan Foley

“Eventually

When Megan Foley, the executive chef at HG Sply Co. on Greenville, graduated from high school, she just needed a job. She landed a job as a cook at a small Italian restaurant in Deep Ellum. “I was taking college courses here and there for other things, but I just kept getting sucked back into the kitchen,” she says. “Eventually the job became a career and a passion. I think it chose me.”

Which reality TV cooking show do you hate the most?

I think ‘Hell’s Kitchen.’ I think the contestants are under-qualified, and I think they pick under-qualified chefs so that they can make them look stupid.

What’s your favorite food trend in Dallas right now?

I like the food truck trend. I think that’s cool.

What is a food you love, and what’s the trick to making it perfectly?

I love wild mushrooms. Every summer I go up to Colorado and forage for wild mushrooms, morels being my favorite. I grew up mushroom hunting with my family. We used to travel a lot, and that was our family vacation — hunting mushrooms. The trick is to sauté them in salt and butter. Don’t overdo it.

What’s the strangest request or complaint you’ve received from someone dining at your restaurant?

I have honestly been asked for an eggless omelet. Or, ‘I’m allergic to the color yellow.’ I could probably think of more. People are funny.

What are some things that are always on your grocery list?

Cilantro and scallions.

So do you cook a lot at home?

I do, actually. In general, I enjoy cooking at home.

What is your favorite kitchen item? A hand-held immersion blender.

What is the least-used thing in your home kitchen? The microwave.

What would you have for your last meal? Morel mushrooms. Back to that again. As a hobby, I really enjoy going up to the mountains to forage mushrooms. It reminds me of my dad. And they’re the most delicious things ever.

It’s your birthday and you are stuck in the neighborhood. What would you like to do?

Probably just meet some friends at the Truck Yard. Just catch up, grab drinks, have a bite.

Is there something you don’t enjoy cooking?

I can’t stand cooking pig heads. I’m not squeamish about anything, but cleaning a pig head … it’s just gross.

What is the strangest thing that has ever given you inspiration as a cook? A Styrofoam cooler. I MacGyvered a cold smoker out of a Styrofoam cooler.

You just received a $1,000 bonus and two consecutive days o . What’s on the agenda?

I’d go to the lake house, and I’d buy some good steaks. My in-laws have a lake house. It’s a really nice house, and every once in a while I get some time o and I get to go out and enjoy it. I’d go fishing.

—Brittany Nunn