His name was Vincent Drago. He and Chef Mike met in 1988 on their fourth day at culinary school. They became great friends and as budding top-notch chefs both Michael and Vincent were passionate about food. They truly loved the craft they were perfecting - cooking - and put all their efforts, passion and love into the dishes they'd create. When either Chef Mike or Vincent would see or produce something particularly spectacular they would both pause, turn to each other and say one all encompassing word, "Love."
FOOD of LOVE was born.
Over the years, Chefs Michael & Wendy had considered writing a cookbook numerous times but were always deterred by the competitive task of getting someone to publish their book. (There are a few million people out there trying to get published!) Instead of waiting, they decided to bypass the issue and took a entirely different path.
A cookbook on disc that operates just like a website was something new.
FOOD of LOVE - a Digital Cookbook was born.
FOOD of LOVE is a compilation of recipes from the experiences of Chefs Michael & Wendy's lives. FOOD of LOVE represents places Michael & Wendy have lived or visited, mentors, people they've worked with, friends and family. It was created with the same passion for food they hope to pass on to everyone who prepares the dishes on this disc. Along with a passion for food, we enjoy an equal interest in the role both wine and beer play in any meal. We have included general suggestions for pairing these dishes with wine and beer that are simple to follow.
Creating FOOD of LOVE was an adventure. This cookbook was produced entirely in-house, including "guerilla" photography by Chef Mike. We wanted to show that cooking incredible food doesn't require a million dollar studio set. Everything you see here is what the chefs and cooks produce everyday at the restaurant. In fact, if you look closely at some, you'll notice the photos were shot in the Rosemary's Restaurant kitchen. This cookbook is incredibly user-friendly because you can view any recipe by just the click of a mouse and you can print just the recipes you need, just when you need them. FOOD of LOVE is a cookbook for the future.
These recipes are the dishes we serve our guests every single day. This is our passion.
This is FOOD of LOVE. Enjoy!
Born in 1966 in North Platte, Nebraska, Chef Mike often spent time as a child in the kitchens of his grandmothers. Chef Jordan was raised in the Midwest where food, always cooked from “scratch” was an important part of any family gathering; large or small.
As a teen, Jordan entered the food-service industry when he took his first job as a fry cook at McDonald's where he cultivated an indispensable work ethic he still invokes today. While young Chef Mike worked in a few kitchens, straying only once when he mowed lawns for a summer in Florida. When the season ended he went straight back to the kitchen and never strayed again. His culinary career began in earnest when he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY.
Chef Wendy Jordan was born in the deep South in Laurel, Mississippi and moved to Houston, Texas at the age of six. As a young woman, she left to New York City to receive her formal culinary training, also at the CIA in Hyde Park. A third-generation restaurateur, she had always longed to be a chef and have her own restaurant. At the CIA, she met her husband and partner Michael Jordan. They graduated in 1989 and left school together.
After extensive traveling through the United States and Europe, Chefs Michael and Wendy moved to New Orleans, LA. Chef Michael took a position working for Chef Emeril Lagasse that lasted for more than seven years. Eventually, his tenure with Lagasse brought him to Las Vegas, NV as the Executive Chef of Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House in the MGM Grand. Chef Wendy worked with renowned Louisiana chef Susan Spicer of Bayona, then with Chef John Neal of Peristyle. Wendy ascended to Executive Chef at Peristyle and remained there until she joined Michael in Las Vegas.
In May 1999, after a few years in Las Vegas, Chefs Michael and Wendy Jordan opened Rosemary’s Restaurant – their greatest endeavor yet. Opening Rosemary’s Restaurant was the fulfillment of a life long dream. Their mission was to create a French-inspired, American fine dining restaurant where their creative talents would be boundless, their diverse culinary backgrounds evident and their devotion to customer service would be as distinctive as the food. An evening at Rosemary’s would be an experience, not just a great meal.
Since its opening, Rosemary’s Restaurant has been featured in countless publications, including Bon Appetit, FOOD & WINE, Santé, Gourmet, Conde Nast, LUXURY Las Vegas, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal and voted "Best Gourmet Restaurant” in the Las Vegas Review Journal’s Annual Readers Poll eight years in a row.
Chefs Michael and Wendy Jordan have also been featured on both regional and national television including appearances on ABC, NBC, Discovery Channel’s “Great Chefs,” the Food TV Network’s “Lonesome Dove Trail Cowboy Cooking” with Chef Tim Love, and “Tasty Travels” with Rachel Ray.
Rosemary’s received the #1 “Top Food” rating for Las Vegas restaurants in the 2006 and 2007 ZAGAT Survey. Most recently, Chefs Michael and Wendy were voted “2007 Restaurateur of the Year” by the Nevada Restaurant Association.
Today... Chefs Michael and Wendy continue to pursue new endeavors. They are continuously testing recipes for future cookbooks - both on disc and in print. Chef Michael serves on the Program Advisory Board of Directors at the Le Cordon Blue College of Culinary Arts and with the help of their dedicated staff, oversees the day-to-day activity at Rosemary’s. Chef Wendy is an instructor at the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Las Vegas, is a contributing editor at BLVDS Las Vegas magazine.
