Your Chicago / CONVERSATION
Girl and the Kid
She may be the celebrichef behind three of Chicago’s top restaurants, but Stephanie Izard’s recipe for motherhood—a heaping portion of quality time, a sprinkle of swimming lessons, and a dash of crispy duck—is the one she’s most proud of.
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NICOLE SCHNITZLER • PHOTOS BY LUCY HEWITT
TEPH A NIE IZA RD DOESN’T sit still
for long. After winning season four of Bravo’s Top Chef (and being dubbed “Fan Favorite”), she opened Girl and the Goat in Chicago’s West Loop, the adventurous eats destination that has earned her a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes. Next up was all-day breakfast spot Little Goat Diner in 2012, and in 2016 came Duck Duck Goat, where her clever takes on dim sum reign. Two months after that opening, she and her husband Gary Valentine, a beer consultant, had even more news—they’d become first-time parents to a son, Ernie. “That’s the thing about opening a restaurant when you’re seven months pregnant,” says Izard. “I was so stressed about getting everything done that I completely forgot how uncomfortable it was.” Today, she maintains that life-on-the-go attitude as a full-time mom and chef but is quicker to pump the brakes when need be—which is usually for breakfast. “We either cook breakfast all together at home and hang out for a couple of hours, or we come to Little Goat,” she says. “Breakfast and the mornings are really important to us.” Here, Izard discusses the myths of momhood, the perks of delegating wisely, and why pancakes—and dance routines—save the day. Even eight years after its opening, Girl and the Goat is still one of the toughest tables to land in the city. Did you ever anticipate it becoming as big as it has? I don’t think so. I’m not one to think ahead, honestly. I know people do the whole five-year and 10-year goals thing, but I mostly just think about getting through the week and making each day better. I’m pleasantly surprised that 38 M AY/J U N E 2018 M A K E IT B E T T E R
it continues to be as busy and fun as it always has been. I was just at Daniel in New York, which has been open for 25 years, and I was like, “Do I want to be open for 25 years?” It’s a little scary to think too far in advance, so for now, we’ll keep doing what we’re doing. Within eight years you’ve opened three restaurants and had a baby. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned in the process? When asked about doing it all, some women might be honest when they say, “Oh yeah, everybody can do it, it’s so great.” But truthfully, it’s hard. I’m sad when I’m unable to spend as much time as I’d like to with Ernie, and I’m sad when I’m unable to give 100 percent to my restaurants. It’s about looking at every day and trying to find a balance. But I know that 20 years from now I’m more likely to say, “Wow, I wish I had spent more time with Ernie,” than I am to say, “Wow, I wish I had spent more time working.” I’ve also learned that being a parent is different for everyone, and that every parent has a different way of figuring it out. If I look around too much and start comparing my “mom-ness” to other moms who work from home or from nine to five, I start to feel like I’m doing something wrong—but we’ve found our own routine that makes sense. You have to remember it’s different for everyone. What is your routine? I try to go to the gym before he wakes up, which doesn’t always work. We’ll have breakfast, and I take him to soccer on Wednesdays and swimming on Thursdays. I can spend a few hours with him and still get to work by 9:30am and get home most days at 8pm to put