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Jackie Shen |
Jackie Shen says with a laugh, “As a little girl, I hated cooking. I told my Mom, ‘I’ll do the dishes.’ In college, I told my roommates, ‘I’ll clean up.’” When Shen was 29, she finally learned to cook. Did she ever. After buying a north side snack shop called Uncle Pete’s, she apprenticed with chef Jean Banchet at La Mer restaurant, and eventually ran her own place, Jackie’s, on Lincoln Avenue, from 1982 to 1995. She is now executive chef at Lawry’s The Prime Rib. “I want to offer fresh fish not just as a secondary item but comparable to the prime rib,” she says. “I play with presentation, the blending of favors, be it a crab mousse, scallops or rock shrimp. I also play with desserts, like my signature chocolate bag.” Known for “giving back” through philanthropic activities, she supports such charities as Share Our Strength (benefiting the hungry and homeless) and the Esparanza Community Service for mentally retarded children and adults. Shen arrived in the U.S. from her native Hong Kong in 1976, attended a junior college in Ottumwa, Iowa, and hotel management school at the University of Houston. She loves her adopted city – the lakefront, the convenient transportation. “It’s big enough for everybody, and small enough for people to communicate. And the restaurants now have much more variety. I just love the entire uniqueness.” |