Patch Picks: Top Chefs

If youʼre a food lover, youʼll be happy to know there are great chefs working in nearby establishments. Here are our picks for the area's top chefs, and below see their answers to five questions.

John Schlitz, Lake Elmo Inn, 3442 Lake Elmo Ave. N., Lake Elmo, 651-777-8495. 

Ron Bohnert, Dannyʼs Bar and Grille/StoneRidge Golf Club, 13600 N. Hudson Blvd., Stillwater, 651-436-GOLF.

 Marc Paavola, Current Restaurant/ Afton House Inn, 3291 St. Croix Trail S., Afton, 651-436-8883.

Ben Bruno, St. Croix River Inn, 305 River Street Osceola, WI, 715-294-4248.

Steve Conway (pastry chef), , 710 Commerce Drive, Suite 100, Woodbury, 651-731-3323.

Oakdale Patch asked each of the chefs five questions. Here are their answers:

Oakdale Patch: Whatʼs your favorite guilt food?

• Schlitz: “Haagen Daaz chocolate-chocolate chip ice cream.”
• Bohnert: “A Chicago Dog with jalapenos, cheddar cheese and kettle chips.”
• Paavola: “A tortilla with cheese and any random filling I can find in the fridge.”
• Bruno: “In-N-Out Burger, their Double Double with grilled onions. The good news is this chain is only on the West coast for now, so I donʼt have access to them on a regular basis!”
• Conway: “Any chocolate, but preferably, warm chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven.”

Oakdale Patch: Ingredient or cooking utensil you would never go without?

• Schlitz: “Mother nature gave us three wonderful things: butter, cream and salt. These things, used in moderation, can greatly enhance foods.”
• Bohnert: “Kitchen tongs and cracked black pepper.”
• Paavola: “Oil, salt and pepper. I know thatʼs three, but I use them more as one, all the time.”
• Bruno: “Extra virgin olive oil.”
• Conway: “Flour and sugar.”

Oakdale Patch: How long have you been in your current position?

• Schlitz: “Iʼm in my 28th year at Lake Elmo Inn.”
• Bohnert: “I have been at StoneRidge Golf Club since 2000.”
• Paavola: “Been at the Afton House Inn since 2010. My first chef position was in the early 2000ʼs at the Vintage Restaurant and Wine Bar. Iʼve been in the kitchen for over 20 years now.”
• Bruno: “I am the owner and executive chef at the St. Croix River Inn for over eight years now.”
• Conway: “At Dorothy Annʼs for 29 years.”

Oakdale Patch: Favorite food and drink pairing?

• Schlitz: “Diet Coke and anything.”
• Bohnert: “Grey Goose vodka on the rocks with seared Ahi Tuna served rare.”
• Paavola: “I love to finish meals with espresso and Grappa. Itʼs such a classic finishing statement.”
• Bruno: “Last summer I made white wine Mojitos and paired it with southwest salmon cakes and chipotle aioli. It was over the top!”
• Conway: “Grilled steak and shrimp with an icy cold beer.”

Oakdale Patch: What is your most memorable chef moment (good or bad)?

• Schlitz: “When I first started out in my career, I was working for Hyatt Hotel Corporation as a chef. At the young age of 25, I received the Hyatt Hotels Don Pritzker Award of Excellence, which is top award. For a young American, working in a corporation filled with award-winning European chefs, to win it at such a young age was a real honor.”
• Bohnert: “I was the chef at Curt Carlsonʼs 50th anniversary, cooking for 6,000 people. Bob Hope was the entertainment.”
• Paavola: “Setting up the Landʼs End kitchen in Homer, Alaska, with my now sous chef, Ryan Kaliher, and John Bruce Hasslet. The hotel set out about two miles into the Kachemak Bay off the Cook Inlet. Salmon, halibut and oysters anyone?”
• Bruno: “I catered a grooms dinner the first week of October that was outside in a tent. As luck had it, we had an early snowfall. Grilling salmon filets and bacon wrapped tenderloins with flakes falling, keeping the food and guests warm and ice cream bar cold was ʻextremeʼ catering!”
• Conway: “Hosting Michele Bachmannʼs campaign kick-off. It was an honor and thrill to host a congresswomanʼs entourage. The national coverage we are still receiving from that visit (as they show dated clips of her), is amazing.”