Executive Chef Christian Chiron during service at Lenoir Dining Hall (Photo By Jeyhoun Allebaugh/UNC-Chapel Hill).
Meet Carolina Dining Services Executive Chef Christian Chiron, who shares his approach to keeping our campus well fed along with a favorite recipe.
By Drew Guiteras
On a typical day during the school year, thousands of hungry Tar Heel students walk through the doors of Lenoir and Chase dining halls with appetites to match their busy schedules. As Executive Chef and Director of Culinary Process at Carolina Dining Services, Christian Chiron loves the challenge of keeping them well nourished.
“It’s breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it’s every day,” Chiron says. “I call the students ‘my kids,’ and guess what? My kids are going to come back for the next service and they will be hungry again!”
Chiron says thriving under that kind of pressure is something he realized he is suited to handle early in his career. It takes a positive attitude, with small touches like showing up at 4 a.m. with a smile and friendly greetings for the staff hard at work preparing the morning service. It also requires an ability to adapt to whatever challenge the day brings and an understanding of students’ schedules and habits.
Chiron is most proud of the occasions he and CDS staff have worked through severe weather conditions to feed people on campus. In 2014, a snowstorm shut down streets throughout the Triangle and even caused the UNC vs. Duke men’s basketball game to be postponed. But snow, ice, power outages and closed roads do not mean students suddenly stop eating.
“Well, what do we do,” Chiron asked. “How do we get workers here safely? What happens if the power goes out? How do we redirect students to our dining hall with a generator? How do we keep food safe to serve? Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts and you have to think fast. You have to understand things like if classes are canceled, a lot of students stay on South Campus. There are many, many factors.”
In a dozen years at CDS, Chiron has helped evolve offerings to accommodate student preferences and dietary needs. “Today’s students have more special requests as allergen awareness and certain diets become popular,” he said. “CDS has the pleasure to serve numerous students with dietary restrictions and very specialized needs. I have always enjoyed being able to find creative ways to make their dining hall experience nicer and the most flavorful.”
It gives Chiron and his team joy to see handwritten notes posted to a wall either thanking them or offering constructive ideas for improvement. “We take those notes very seriously,” he said. “I am honored when students recognize and give thanks to our CDS staff, even if it’s a simple thing like saying someone scoops the best ice cream.”
A Favorite Recipe
Chiron is originally from the Loire Valley region of France, and celeriac soup is a favorite recipe that reminds him of his parents’ bountiful garden. Celeriac, or celery root, is a vegetable that Chiron describes as underutilized. It can be found at Whole Foods, Fresh Market or at local farmers’ markets. Celeriac soup is a comforting and filling dish that is also low carb.
“Celeriac is this funny looking root vegetable, maybe not very attractive, but the final product is terrific,” he said.
(Photo by Jeyhoun Allebaugh/UNC-Chapel Hill)
CELERIAC SOUP
Prep Time: 15 mins.
Cook Time: 45 mins.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 60g / 4 tbsp butter, unsalted or olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 800g / 1.6 lb (peeled weight) celeriac, cut into 2cm / ⅘” cubes
- 200g / 7oz potato, peeled, cut into 2cm / ⅘” cubes
- 1.5 liters / quarts (6 cups) water or vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorn
Garnish/Toppings
- Croutons or a loaf of bread to dunk
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped (sub parsley or chervil)
Instructions
- Cook onion: Melt butter in large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes until onion is soft but not golden. Don’t rush this part – this creates an important flavor base.
- Cook celeriac and potato: Add celeriac and potato. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the outside of the celeriac and potato starts to soften. Be careful to not color the celeriac.
- Simmer 25 minutes: Add salt, pepper, and water/stock. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes (no lid) until celeriac is very soft.
- Cream: Add cream, simmer for another 3 minutes.
- Puree: Puree until fully smooth using your method of choice: Stick blender (~ 3 mins), or cool slightly and puree in a blender in batches.
- Adjust seasoning: Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Serving: Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with croutons and chives; drizzle with olive oil. Serve with crusty bread for dunking!
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