Carlyn Berghoff

General Info

About

I am the CEO and founder of the Berghoff Catering & Restaurant Group. I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1982, one of six females in the class and president of the Student Body. I received my bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from Florida International University in 1983. In 1986 I opened Artistic Events, a premier off-premise catering company that I've operated ever since. In 2006, after my parents closed the Berghoff Restaurant, I purchased the assets, moved my catering company to the historic Berghoff building, and now operate the bar, dining room and café there. In 2008, I renamed my company the Berghoff Catering & Restaurant Group. I am author of best-selling cookbook, The Berghoff Family Cookbook (Andrews McMeel, 2007) and published my second, The Berghoff Café Cookbook: Berghoff Recipes for Simple, Satisfying Food, in September 2009. My 3rd cookbook is set to come out April 2013, Cooking for Your Gluten-Free Teen: Everyday Foods the Whole Family Will Love, as told from my teenage daughter, Sarah (who lives with Celiac Disease), her doctors', and my perspective. A 23-year catering veteran, my company has staged events for heads of state, celebrities, and Fortune 500 companies, so I am a seasoned “meeter and greeter”. I am also a wife to my husband Jim McClure and mother to three beautiful children. Despite my demanding schedule, I still find time to cook with my children on weekends and most weeknights. I am deeply committed to my industry, playing a lifelong role in hospitality and Chicago tourism as an active member of several industry and civic organizations including: the National Restaurant Association, Culinary Institute of America, Washburne Culinary Institute, and DePaul University College of Commerce Advisory Board. I also serve on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for Choose Chicago, The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center Advisory Board, and the Lincoln Park Rowing Fundraising Team. Specialties:restaurants, catering, hospitality, cooking, creating recipes, networking, event planning.

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