Jerry Pellegrino
Host, Radio KitchenExecutive Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Corks restaurant is fascinated by food and wine, and the way they work in harmony on the palate. His understanding of the two goes all the way to the molecular level, drawing on his advanced education in molecular biology. His cuisine is simple and surprising, pairing unexpected ingredients together to work with Corks' extensive wine offerings.
His restaurant is set in a quaint 1849 rowhouse in Baltimore's Historic Federal Hill and he has transformed it into what Baltimore Magazine called "a miniature utopia for wine lovers". But wine is just half of the equation. Corks is a restaurant where diners can be swept up in Chef Pellegrino's passion for food and wine and discover the distinctiveness of ingredients and the way they work together.
Chef Pellegrino is a member of the local board for the American Institute of Wine and Food, Vice Chancellor Culinare of the Baltimore Bailliage of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers and often featured in cooking segments on local television. Under his guidance, Corks has been named one of Baltimore's top 65 restaurants every year since opening in 1997 and has been given "The Wine Spectator" award of excellence.
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As a whole-hearted supporter of local Maryland food and cooking, I not only cherish the food we grow, but I also truly honor the champions of the eat local movement. Chefs like Nancy Longo and Spike Gjerde have been promoting the regional scene for decades, but there is one fellow we would like to single out. And that would be Chef John Shields. -
If you stop to think about it, we probably enjoy pasta all year long. As one of the most versatile foods in the world, you can take pasta in an endless number of directions. The trick is in the sauce and what sort of additions you throw in. And Chef JerryPellegrino will tell you; it wouldn’t be wrong to say “summertime is a great time to enjoy pasta”. Here are a few ideas Jerry came up with: -
One of the stars of our Farmers Markets these days is the summer squash. Green ones, yellow ones, green and yellow ones, big ones, little ones… you get the idea. With all of this delicious produce at hand we thought we’d share a few ideas for fixing it at home. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino, the summer squash is nothing if not versatile. -
Not that many things in life are irrefutable, but there is one truism that stands up to scrutiny. And that would be “bacon”, as in “bacon makes everything taste better”. Kids love it, grown-ups love it, heck, even dogs love it. So, there’s something going on there that we should look into. Our friend Chef Jerry Pellegrino has been contemplating the true nature of bacon. -
It’s the middle of Spring and our farmers markets are in full swing now. I visited our local market in Waverly last weekend and was struck by the sheer abundance of everything. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, everywhere you look you see amazing possibilities. -
For the last few weeks, we’ve been concentrating on a whole slew of savory dishes that celebrate Spring. Today we thought we’d delve into something on the sweet side, and indeed, we have settled on a well-known dessert that should be a staple in everyone’s kitchen. I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, where would the Blues be without mention of the good old Jelly Roll? It would be a poorer place, he replied. -
Wrapping up our coverage of the culinary possibilities of Spring cooking, we thought we’d offer some odds and ends ideas for the most iconic ingredients of the season. I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino if we could whip up something with lamb, asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb, spring potatoes. Probably very difficult he said, so let’s just take it one ingredient at a time. -
Last week we talked all about Spring-time’s signature vegetable, the asparagus. As it turns out we barely scratched the surface. Spring is also the season for the king of mushrooms, the noble morel. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you that asparagus and morels are natural partners. Whereas both are earthy, one has a sweetness to it and the other a nuttiness of flavor. -
As it happens, Maryland, and in particular the sandy Eastern Shore is Nirvana for asparagus. This time of year, always brings a bumper crop of these delicious spears to the marketplace. And every year we try to find new ways of cooking them. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino, says it’s not too hard to find new ideas for this versatile veg. -
Natives to these parts are well aware of a member of the onion family that seems to be virtually unknown more than 100 miles from the Potomac. I’m talking about “ramps” and don’t feel bad if you know the name but have never tried them. Chef Jerry Pellegrino loves them and says that our ramps are something of a regional delicacy.
