Photo By Graham Lienhart

Michelle Brown

Like many of us, Michelle Brown grew up when there wasn't much of a food culture in America -- in the dark days before TV shows like Top Chef and Emeril Live ruled cable -- but she always loved cooking for her friends at Walnut Hills High. "A friend got me a job as a valet attendant at the Bankers Club," she says. "My first day, I clocked-in in the kitchen. I was in awe of the white chef jackets, the toques and the professionalism. I walked up to Chef Jon York, introduced myself and told him that I wanted to work in his kitchen." Six months later, he gave in to her wishes; he's been her friend and mentor ever since.

CityBeat: Where'd you have your last great meal and what was it?

Michelle Brown: One Restaurant and Lounge has an incredibly talented chef, Sean Kagy, who is very creative with flavors and whose menu changes often. He serves a Seared Foie Gras with Fruit Compote & Huckleberry Gastrique that is to die for.

CB: At Jag's, you grill a lot of steak and seafood. What kind of equipment would you recommend for weekend grill-jockeys like me?

MB: I've heard that they now have infrared home grills that get very hot, though I haven't cooked on one yet. But you just can't get a ... more flavorful grill without charcoal. We've used Weber's rotisserie attachment on ours to cook a whole sword loin with hickory chips and charcoal that turned out unbelievable.