Art Dish Chef’s Statements: Tracey Coulliard

To cook, a chef must first carefully consider all at hand. For when it comes to making the perfect meal, one must know where one has been and where one is headed. For this month’s Art Dish, this integral concept is put on full display. 

Held within the Harrison Gallery amidst the contemplative creations of artist Quincy Owens, Chef Tracey Coulliard brings her decades of experience to the table. Constantly curious and a true lifelong learner, she has picked up insights from a variety of avenues in and outside the kitchen. With 20 years spent in the Army National Guard before her ultimate transition into the culinary arts, she has managed to make an exceptional amount of strides, having worked for numerous prestigious restaurants within the state. Even still, she notes that “there is a level of teamwork that is required to make a successful dinner,” with her devoting her time more recently to teaching and assisting others at the Junior Chef Academy at Paramount Englewood, a school on the east side. 

For though she does not currently work in a kitchen, she finds educating aspiring chefs to be just as rewarding, loving to see what lessons stick with them as indispensable truths, as well as the new ways in which they innovate and experiment. “For me, being able to share some of my knowledge with the next generation of cooks and chefs is pretty special,” she said. 

When not teaching, she spends her time developing her business, 317 Pasta. Holding on to the recipes and principles that made her such a sought-after chef in prior years, she now attempts to make something she can be proud of, something that’s approachable and affordable for a wider range of people. For, though she finds that the “bear essence of cooking is survival,” she also recognizes a more human aspect, attempting to create an inclusive community through her meals. For as she succinctly stated, “food is something that nourishes your body and the company that you share the food with nourishes your soul”.

Amidst Quincy Owens’ exhibition, Acceptable Decorations, which will see mirrors and fluid, resin-coated color field pieces placed pervasively around the gallery, the importance of the community and individuals therein will be all the more elevated as the reflective surfaces ready the senses for a closer examination of the people present and the meal that joins them together. Thus, though this is one of numerous times Chef Coulliard has cooked and created at Art Dish, it will be unquestionably unique, as cuisine works to influence the company that find themselves so poignantly placed within such a sphere of culture.  

There, in a formal array not unlike the setup of the table, the guests of the dinner will be in a constant physical and intellectual dialogue. To a certain degree, they themselves might be Owens’ acceptable decorations as they languish in their chairs or sit straight-backed like a painting mounted to a wall. All will come into question, and the elusiveness of answers will only heighten the enjoyment of the experience. For as all good meals do, this Art Dish will assuredly stir the pot of human emotion.