Chad Myers, Chef de Cuisine, Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa
Chad Myers, Chef de Cuisine of Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa in Galena, Ill., says he was inspired by his love of tacos to create his deconstructed al pastor variation: albondigas al pastor.
“When I close my eyes while eating it, I turn into Anton Ego from the movie Ratatouille, but instead of flashing back to my childhood, I flash to the time I was in San Diego for the Chef to Chef Conference, eating tacos in a variety of neighborhoods,” says Myers. “San Diego to me is taco mecca, and I love tacos!”
The dish, he says, is bold and balanced. “The pineapple habanero packs a punch, but the corn pudding tames it down. Along with the acidity from the onions, and the salt from the cotija, it hits you in a variety of ways.”
I fact, Myers says, he won the 2022 Iowa Pork Producers Taste competition in Des Moines with this dish.
“If anyone were to ask me to make something that shows who I am as a chef,” he says, “I would make this.”
