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9 recipes by Katy Sparks

• Bacon-Wrapped Tuna Steaks with Frisée and Avocado Salad
• Grilled Pork with Curried Apricots and Napa Cabbage
• Halibut with Fresh Fennel and New Potatoes
• Lamb Kebabs with Cool Cucumber Salad
• Lemony Chicken Fricassee with Shallots and Morels
• Soy-Ginger Flank Steak with Grilled Eggplant
• Sparks's Sautéed Filet Mignon with Yellow Tomato Vinaigrette
• Summer Jambalaya with Chicken and Spicy Sausage
• Swordfish with Orzo, Pistachios and Olives

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

After Quilty's closed in 2002, Katy Sparks spent two years as a restaurant consultant in New York City, then worked as the culinary director for the upscale food market Balducci's. In 2006, she left Balducci's to become vice president of culinary research for the New York City catering company Great Performances. She published her first cookbook, Sparks in the Kitchen, which F&W named as one of the 25 best cookbooks of 2006, and now runs her own business called Katy Sparks Culinary Consulting, which helps restaurants and specialty shops access local and sustainable ingredients.

Won Best New Chef at: Quilty's, New York (closed)

Background Trained at Johnson & Wales in Providence, RI. Worked at The Quilted Giraffe and Mesa Grill, New York City.

How she got into cooking After dropping out of Middlebury College, she made soups at a local café.

First food memory "Smoked octopus that my father brought back from Chinatown when I was 14."

Menu bomb Roasted squab on herb risotto with zucchini blossoms.

Ingredient pick Long Island corn.

Favorite equipment "I'm not a big equipment person. I keep my knives nice and sharp and use them instead of an industrial chopper."

Favorite cookbook Anything written by Patricia Wells.

Favorite place to eat Blue Ribbon, New York City.

Favorite cocktail Straight-up Beefeater martini with a twist.

Most tired trend "Casual American bistros, where the menus seem to be driven by price, not flavor."

Secret of her success "My husband, who's the dishwasher at home, would say I'm successful because I use every pot and pan in the kitchen."

Favorite 1 A.M. meal "Any kind of pasta; or steak if it was a really hard night at the restaurant."

Food vice Bar nuts.

Recipe tip Constantly baste filet mignon with melted butter while it's cooking to keep it juicy.

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