“Presentation is in my head; before I even start cooking I have a vision, a mental picture, of the way I want it to look like when finished,” explains Lovell. “Once this is done, I draw the dishes with pencils. With my art background, I can draw them up pretty nicely in a 2 or 3-D kind of picture. I then write a little description next to the drawing, so that my staff can understand what I am looking for.”

Jay Lovell, executive chef and owner of the refined Lovells of Lake Forest® has a very unusual background for a chef. He began his career as a graphic designer and illustrator in Houston, Texas. “Art was one of the only subjects in school that did not bore me. It was incredible to create new and exciting pieces, and even more incredible to see my clients’ reactions to my work,” says Lovell. If it hadn’t been for an economic downturn, Lovell might never have become the famous chef he is now. When the recession of 1984 hit, Lovell decided to quit the graphics business and to embark upon a radically new career.

“Initially I wanted to go to culinary school out of curiosity,” he says. “I loved watching culinary programs and, as an enthusiastic amateur chef, I loved to experiment with new and different foods.”

Jay took the leap by enrolling at the Culinary School of Kendall College in Evanston, Illinois, and graduated at the top of his class in 1986. Nearing completion of his degree, he sought to work under a master who could teach him the subtle nuances of becoming a renowned chef. He found that in French chef Bernard Cretier at Le Vichyssois in Lakemoor, Illinois. Cretier guided Lovell on the nuances of French preparation and presentation challenged his skills and ability and became an outstanding mentor for him.

“Still today,” says Lovell, “if I get stuck on a problem, I think about Bernard, wondering what he would do if he had to solve it. Bernard has fantastic methods and techniques and I do believe that cooking is all about mastering methods and techniques.”

Over the next few years Lovell accepted positions at prestigious North Shore venues such as the Forge Club, a private dining club where he was quickly promoted to executive chef, and the Deerpath Inn, a continental restaurant where he worked as executive chef. He also had stints as executive chef at P.J. Willikers of Lincolnshire and the Yorkshire Inn & Pub.

Little by little, Lovell began to visualize his own American inspired fine dining restaurant on the North Shore and started putting together ideas and plans. He approached his father, former astronaut and captain of the Apollo 13 mission, James Lovell, to partner in this large undertaking. Utilizing his many years as a graphic designer and prior restaurant experience, Jay Lovell worked directly with the architects and interior designer to conceive the restaurant’s beautiful dining spaces.

In April 1999 Lovell’s vision became a reality when Lovells of Lake Forest® opened to rave reviews. Since its inception, the restaurant has received numerous accolades, including being named Top 25 New Restaurants in Chicago, North Shore Magazine (2001), the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator (2003 and 2004), Tabletop Performance Award (Foodservice Magazine, 2000), and being asked to prepare and host at the James Beard House in New York in 2002.

In addition to his numerous awards, Lovell makes a point to participate and contribute to numerous charities throughout the Chicago area including the Make-a-Wish Foundation Annual Gala, March of Dimes Benefits, the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Annual Gala, and St. Jude Hospital Annual Fundraiser.

“I love cooking with fruits,” explains Lovell when describing his favorite ingredients. “Cherries, peaches, nectarines, I love matching fruits with foie gras, either hot or cold, on the same plate. I also really enjoy cooking patés and I believe that one of my biggest strengths lies in wine reductions: doing sherry wine or porto wine reductions.” The restaurant’s clientele is well-experienced and expects to receive flawless service. “People coming here have often had the opportunity to try some of the world’s best restaurants,” Lovell points out. “Some of the clients remain meat and potatoes eaters, but others are real food adventurers, ready to try any new thing I bring to their table. I sometimes add game dishes to the menu, such as venison, antelope, and game birds.”

This love for game meat dates back to Lovell’s first trip to Africa, back when he was 16. “I spent 3 months on a game reserve in Mozambique and actually did some hunting there,” Lovell tells. “I ate zebras, elephants, and even one of the most poisonous snakes you could find in Africa…. A crazy story…I was taking a shower outside in the bush,” Lovell tells with a malicious smile on the face, “when I looked down and saw a snake just next to me. I jumped out of the shower, almost having a heart attack. A guy from the restaurant quickly came, killed the snake with a machete, chopped it up and we had it for lunch! But even if my clients are sometime audacious foodies,” Lovell says with humor, “I am not sure that snake would sell on our menu here at Lake Forest.” The best sellers remain more traditional dishes. The granny smith apple salad with Amish blue cheese, walnuts and baby field greens is on top of the list, together with the pepper crusted New York Strip steak and the Moka Moka chocolate dessert.

“A very important thing in a restaurant is to remain creative,” Lovell declares. “This is the key. Today, I am the conductor of this kitchen. As far as my staff is concerned, I like guys who have the fire, the wish to learn. I want people to prove themselves. I want to see them open a cookbook, come to me and say ‘I want to do this.’ I try to stimulate their creativity and associate them with the design of our menus because then they develop a sense of pride and build up their self-esteem. This is very important to me.”

A beautiful presentation is not the only aesthetic component Lovell requires his staff to think about when preparing a dish. “At least four other elements have to be added in the building of the presentation,” he explains. “Each dish has to be multi-colored, multi-flavored and full of various sensations for the palate: crunchy, soft, pureed, sliced, sweet, salty, bitter and incorporate different color sauces.”

When sitting at one of Lovells of Lake Forest®’s well designed tables and having all those artistic culinary creations presented in front of you, you are definitely ready for a palate’s fireworks … a trip to the stars of the finest American cuisine.

Lovells of Lake Forest® is located at 915 South Waukegan Road, just North of Route 22 and East of Highway 294. Lovells serves lunch and dinner as well as special holiday brunches on Sundays. The main dining room is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner is served every night of the week starting at 5 p.m. Major credit cards are accepted. Valet parking is complimentary. Reservations are recommended and can be made at (847) 234-8013.

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