Originally from Montana, I attended The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, a Le Cordon Bleu affiliate school. After completing this program, I spent a season cooking in Sorrento, Italy, then moved back to Chicago, where I worked with many renowned chefs, including James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef Shawn McClain, Paul Virant of Perennial Virant and Pat and Mike Sheerin of Trenchermen.

My style of cooking leans toward towards simplicity, letting good ingredients speak for themselves. When cooking at home, I also want cooking to be quick and easy to clean up, so my pantry staples tend to be items that can add a lot of flavor with minimal effort. 

Cody's Top Six

Chicago Style Giardiniera 

I spent more than a decade living and cooking in Chicago and I love the spicy condiment. Since moving to Colorado, I have had a much harder time finding proper giardiniera, so I buy it in bulk now. It's spicy, acidic, crunchy, and adds a ton of flavor and texture to everything from a simple sandwich to soups and salads. 

Olives

Olives make a great snack or accompaniment to charcuterie and cheese, or maybe a martini (or two)? I am partial to Castelvetranos, and that is what I usually have on hand, but I like them all. 

Dried Pasta

Pasta is a huge part of what we do at the restaurant, so it's probably not a surprise that I have it on hand at all times at home as well. It's such a great vessel for produce from the farmers marker or a simple meat ragu made on a day when you have more time to prepare a meal. I rarely have time to make pasta from scratch at home, but I always have some dried pasta in the pantry. 

Olive Oil

Being a chef at an Italian restaurant, olive oil is a must have. I use it for everything from cooking to finishing my pasta. I always have a couple different varieties on hand, some for cooking, some that are sharper and peppery to finish on meats, and usually a lighter variety for fish and vegetables. Not all olive oil is created equal. 

Salt

Salt is an absolute essential in any pantry, and mine is no different. I like to use Trapani sea salt from Sicily for a lot of my cooking, but I also use kosher salt and Maldon for finishing a dish. 

Kimchi

I had to include at least one non-Italian item, and kimchi is definitely a staple in my house. I love the texture it adds to things and the spicy umami depth it lends to whatever you put it with. I eat it with riche and a fried egg for a quick dinner, or use it as a flavoring when I braise meat.