Meals on Wheels honoring Barrington chef
Meals on Wheels Chicago officials say the organization's inaugural Chef Legacy Award will go to Barrington resident David Koelling.
Officials said Koelling will be recognized Friday, for his dedicated and continuous support of Meals on Wheels' 30 celebrity chef fundraisers. He'll receive the honor at the Celebrity Chef Ball at Morgan Manufacturing in Chicago.
Koelling's career has taken him across the United States, including California, Alabama and Louisiana.
In 1985, he left the prestigious Commanders Palace in New Orleans to open The Greenery in Barrington. His Barrington restaurant garnered local and national recognition for innovative cuisine and all-American wine lists.
In particular, Koelling had a way with working fresh morel mushrooms into The Greenery menu with appetizers and entrees such as grilled morels on angel hair pasta and morels wrapped in slices of beef tenderloin.
After exiting the Barrington eatery, Koelling opened Biloxi Grill in Wauconda in 1997. He closed Biloxi Grill in 2002 and now is president of Strategic Dining Services, a national dining and hospitality management company.
"Creating, preparing and serving great food to engage, challenge and delight customers and friends is what makes a chefs' professional life tick," Koelling said in a statement.
He added that he thanks Meals on Wheels "for allowing me to be a part of their amazing mission."