For chef Ashlee Aubin, cooking is fueled by discovery.
Aubin remembers searching for new flavors as a child — in the spice cabinet at home, on grocery store shelves, and foraging for morels in his home state of Michigan.
As a professional chef, he finds joy in bringing those flavors to others. His latest venture, Salero in the West Loop, aims to bring the feeling and flavor of Spain to Chicago.
“We’ve always just tried to combine the flavors of Spain, which we love, with the sort of cooking which comes natural here in the Midwest,” he said.
This year’s chef battle offers an extra incentive for Aubin — he’ll once again compete against his fiance, Chrissy Camba, and it’s a challenge he welcomes. Camba won WBEZ’s Chef Battle in 2014 and Aubin won in 2016.
“Beating her is something I really relish, because it doesn’t happen often,” he said.
Chef Ashlee Aubin will be competing in WBEZ’s 10th Annual Chicago Chef Battle.
