--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Chicago is a lot of my background as a…" description: "\"Chicago is a lot of my background as a chef.\" — Jose Garces" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/jose-garces-31811_backgrounds_chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-c_1147372.jpg" --- # Chicago is a lot of my background as a chef. ![“Chicago is a lot of my background as a chef.” quote by Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/jose-garces-31811_backgrounds_chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-c_1147372.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/jose-garces-31811_backgrounds_chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-c_1147372.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/jose-garces-31811_backgrounds_chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-c_1147372.jpg) > “Chicago is a lot of my background as a chef.” [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chicago heavily influences his culinary background, shaping his cooking style and identity. **In simple terms:** Chicago shapes his chef identity. Key Takeaway Leverage local culture in your craft. Themes cuisine heritage influence Mood proud creative Type personal professional When to use this quote - restaurant menus - food festivals - career storytelling - local sourcing Key Concepts city background chef flavor Questions to Reflect On - How does Chicago inspire your cooking? - Can you blend other regional flavors? A Different Perspective Local influence may limit broader exploration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Background](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/background/) [Background Chef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/background-chef-3227321/) [Backgrounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backgrounds/) [Chef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chef/) [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) [Chicago Lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago-lot-3227322/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) ## Related quotes > [Atlanta is definitely where it's at. I still go back to Chicago a lot though, I got family there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-durk/atlanta-is-definitely-where-it-s-at-i-still-go-back-to-chicago-a-lot/) [Lil Durk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-durk/) > [The biggest mistake you can make is assuming that creativity will hit you all at once and the muse will carry you to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/the-biggest-mistake-you-can-make-is-assuming-that-creativity-will-hit/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [My background is in health care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/my-background-is-in-health-care/) [Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/) > [I am a committed observer. I like staying in the background and seeing what's going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-trierweiler/i-am-a-committed-observer-i-like-staying-in-the-background-and-seeing/) [Valerie Trierweiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-trierweiler/) > [Making improvements to our background check system and cracking down on illegal gun trafficking are common-sense ways to prevent violence without punishing law abiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heinrich/making-improvements-to-our-background-check-system-and-cracking-down/) [Martin Heinrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heinrich/) > [I come from a pretty tough background and I learned a long time ago not to be bothered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ainsworth/i-come-from-a-pretty-tough-background-and-i-learned-a-long-time-ago/) [Bob Ainsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ainsworth/) > [I'm a New Yorker. My background is in theater, so staying here, I have the opportunity to get back to that, which I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valorie-curry/i-m-a-new-yorker-my-background-is-in-theater-so-staying-here-i-have/) [Valorie Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valorie-curry/) > [In order to change a color it is enough to change the color of its background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-eugene-chevreul/in-order-to-change-a-color-it-is-enough-to-change-the-color-of-its/) [Michel Eugene Chevreul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-eugene-chevreul/) > [No matter what their background, the southern French are fascinated by food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mayle/no-matter-what-their-background-the-southern-french-are-fascinated-by/) [Peter Mayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mayle/) > [My family background is Mexican, and I was born in Chicago. It's pretty much family tradition every time we get together for Christmas and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ailyn-perez/my-family-background-is-mexican-and-i-was-born-in-chicago-it-s-pretty/) [Ailyn Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ailyn-perez/) > [My background is deep and set in deep time, and in a narrow space, oral traditions going back a long, long time, which I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-garner/my-background-is-deep-and-set-in-deep-time-and-in-a-narrow-space-oral/) [Alan Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-garner/) > [I'm of Arab background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-thomas/i-m-of-arab-background/) [Helen Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-thomas/) > [I'm inclined to think that a military background wouldn't hurt anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/i-m-inclined-to-think-that-a-military-background-wouldn-t-hurt-anyone/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [I was not put here to be a background character in someone else's movie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breaux-greer/i-was-not-put-here-to-be-a-background-character-in-someone-else-s/) [Breaux Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breaux-greer/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) ## More by Jose Garces > [Some of the best cooks that I've cooked with, whether it's in New York or Chicago or even here in Philadelphia, are actually Ecuadorians.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/some-of-the-best-cooks-that-i-ve-cooked-with-whether-it-s-in-new-york/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [If you were a Colombian, you would have your version of an empanada. If you are an Argentinean, you might find a dough that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/if-you-were-a-colombian-you-would-have-your-version-of-an-empanada-if/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [I have experienced a tremendous amount of personal and professional growth, and I feel incredibly lucky that I'm able to make a career out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/i-have-experienced-a-tremendous-amount-of-personal-and-professional/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [I'm a huge fan of burgers, and they're not my wife's favorite, so we don't cook them at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/i-m-a-huge-fan-of-burgers-and-they-re-not-my-wife-s-favorite-so-we/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [As long as you remember what you love and why you love it, it will never be far from your heart - or your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/as-long-as-you-remember-what-you-love-and-why-you-love-it-it-will/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [Don't be afraid to adapt new ingredients into your own techniques, and traditional ingredients into new recipes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/don-t-be-afraid-to-adapt-new-ingredients-into-your-own-techniques-and/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [There a great ethnic cuisine available to you in Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/there-a-great-ethnic-cuisine-available-to-you-in-chicago/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [My family came from Ecuador.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/my-family-came-from-ecuador/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [From the time I was 8 until now, I've been working. My Social Security is looking solid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/from-the-time-i-was-8-until-now-i-ve-been-working-my-social-security/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [Being Ecuadorian is, I don't want to say it's tough but it's... something special to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/being-ecuadorian-is-i-don-t-want-to-say-it-s-tough-but-it-s-something/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [I spent several years cooking on a line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/i-spent-several-years-cooking-on-a-line/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [Positivity, that's one of the things I try to spread throughout my company and really anyone I come in contact with. Because as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/positivity-that-s-one-of-the-things-i-try-to-spread-throughout-my/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [I think that a lot of us at home are iron chefs in their own right in that we have to come up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/i-think-that-a-lot-of-us-at-home-are-iron-chefs-in-their-own-right-in/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [Well, you know, for me, I think Spanish food is festive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/well-you-know-for-me-i-think-spanish-food-is-festive/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) > [I studied cooking in Spain after college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/i-studied-cooking-in-spain-after-college/) [Jose Garces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) [Explore all 16 Jose Garces quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/) ## More Background quotes > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) > [I grew up with a religious background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-caruso/i-grew-up-with-a-religious-background/) [Alex Caruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-caruso/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [The way I look at it is, cancer research is absolutely nonpartisan. Cancer is very democratic in the sense that it attacks people regardless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-h-koch/the-way-i-look-at-it-is-cancer-research-is-absolutely-nonpartisan/) [David H. Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-h-koch/) > [My first album, 'Get Lifted,' was a hip-hop soul album that had some of its roots in the church, as far as the sonic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/my-first-album-get-lifted-was-a-hip-hop-soul-album-that-had-some-of/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) > [Mark Zuckerberg is a rich white dude from a really privileged background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sunde/mark-zuckerberg-is-a-rich-white-dude-from-a-really-privileged/) [Peter Sunde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sunde/) > [Once you know the background of an individual, you can connect better with his or her music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/badshah/once-you-know-the-background-of-an-individual-you-can-connect-better/) [Badshah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/badshah/) > [Al Jazeera is a representation of, you know, diversity in the Arab world. In our newsroom, we have every single nationality, we have every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/al-jazeera-is-a-representation-of-you-know-diversity-in-the-arab/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [I have no filmi background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wamiqa-gabbi/i-have-no-filmi-background/) [Wamiqa Gabbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wamiqa-gabbi/) > [I have a crazy background in music, both as a performer and writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-itzler/i-have-a-crazy-background-in-music-both-as-a-performer-and-writer/) [Jesse Itzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-itzler/) > [Maybe it's just my improv and sketch background, but I'm a lot more comfortable in a group. I like sharing focus and populating an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mantzoukas/maybe-it-s-just-my-improv-and-sketch-background-but-i-m-a-lot-more/) [Jason Mantzoukas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mantzoukas/) > [I started my cycling academy to try and get more people from a BAME background into cycling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kadeena-cox/i-started-my-cycling-academy-to-try-and-get-more-people-from-a-bame/) [Kadeena Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kadeena-cox/) > [A coach's role, effectively speaking, is to stay in the background and let the onus be on the players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shastri/a-coach-s-role-effectively-speaking-is-to-stay-in-the-background-and/) [Ravi Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shastri/) > ['Billy Elliot' embodies the idea that anyone can achieve anything regardless of their socio-economic background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-fellner/billy-elliot-embodies-the-idea-that-anyone-can-achieve-anything/) [Eric Fellner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-fellner/) [Browse all 698 Background quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/background/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Chicago is a lot of my background as a chef.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jose Garces" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-chef/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Background" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-chef/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/jose-garces-31811_backgrounds_chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-c_1147372.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/jose-garces-31811_backgrounds_chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-c_1147372.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/jose-garces-31811_backgrounds_chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-c_1147372.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Chicago is a lot of my background as a chef.” — Jose Garces", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jose Garces", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-garces/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Chicago is a lot of my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-chef/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-garces/chicago-is-a-lot-of-my-background-as-a-chef/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```