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Jerry Pellegrino

Host, Radio Kitchen

Executive Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Corks restaurant is fascinated by food and wine, and the way they work in harmony on the palate.  His understanding of the two goes all the way to the molecular level, drawing on his advanced education in molecular biology.  His cuisine is simple and surprising, pairing unexpected ingredients together to work with Corks' extensive wine offerings.

His restaurant is set in a quaint 1849 rowhouse in Baltimore's Historic Federal Hill and he has transformed it into what Baltimore Magazine called "a miniature utopia for wine lovers".  But wine is just half of the equation. Corks is a restaurant where diners can be swept up in Chef Pellegrino's passion for food and wine and discover the distinctiveness of ingredients and the way they work together.

Chef Pellegrino is a member of the local board for the American Institute of Wine and Food, Vice Chancellor Culinare of the Baltimore Bailliage of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers and often featured in cooking segments on local television.  Under his guidance, Corks has been named one of Baltimore's top 65 restaurants every year since opening in 1997 and has been given "The Wine Spectator" award of excellence.

  • I’ve been lucky enough to travel in Europe quite a bit in recent years and I’ve enjoyed many wonderful meals and impressive glass of wine. At lunch time I may be tucking into a fresh tuna-salad and it occurs to me that the canned tuna I’m eating is really good. I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, is it true that European canned fish is something super?
  • So, the holidays are behind us and I’m willing to wager that one near universal resolution is to lose a little weight. In addition to hitting the gym with regularity, I would suggest adding more vegetarian dishes to your diet. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, if you do it right, you’ll never begin to think you’re depriving yourself of anything.
  • Not all holiday feasts have to center on platters of roasted meats or poultry. There is a simpler, and in many respects, more intimate way of dining, and it involves little more than cheese and bread. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, fondue is one of the more sensual ways to dine, in my opinion.
  • Holiday season is upon us and that means we can expect lots of dinner invitations. If you’re wondering what to bring to help things along, may I suggest a home-made pumpkin pie. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees that a well-made dessert, made from scratch, is always welcome?
  • All of us want to sit down to a dinner of tender, flavorsome food, and there are many ways to pull that off. One of the most reliable is braising, which is the long, slow cooking of meat in a savory bath. It sounds simple, and if you know the tricks, it really is. So, Al is hoping that Chef Jerry Pellegrino will share with us some of the essentials of preparing a good braise.
  • Having just gotten back from a two-week trip to Portugal, and I have all sorts of stories to tell. Not the least of them are my stories about the food and wine I tasted. All of the restaurant food we ate seemed to have been prepared from family recipes, perfected by generations of grandmothers. As I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino, a few of these really stuck in my mind, and so I’m going to try them at home.
  • Chances are most of us have a younger person or two in our lives, and not all of them are adept at the ins and outs of running their own kitchen. Stocking up the pantry with the basics is a crucial step. So, Chef Jerry Pellegrino has come up with a list of helpful things we can get for these novices.
  • Thanksgiving is just around the corner and a lot of us are looking for some new ideas. Although it may not be part of everyone's traditional dinner, a lovely bowl of hearty autumn soup is a welcome idea. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino has noted, the makings for good Thanksgiving soups are all around us.
  • I would guess that in the kitchens of people of a certain age you're bound to find a cast iron skillet tucked away somewhere. Many are cherished heirlooms, while some are newly purchased, which I think is a wise investment. So, I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino what do we need to know about cast iron?
  • There is a certain restaurant in Baltimore that I like to visit for lunch, and nearly all the time I start off with the same dish: avocado toast. It's so light and tasty I can't resist it. I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino I decided I'd try to make it at home, and it turned out to be a bit trickier than I thought.