Getting to know your neighbor….Carol Mackey
Contributed by: Cassandra Young
As you walk into Carol Mackey’s house, an incredible aroma takes over. “What are you cooking?” is the natural question. “Chicken Enchiladas,” Carol says, a favorite dish of her family. We all wish we were able to cook a great dish, but many of us were never bit by that particular bug.
It bit Carol early on. When she was single, living in the city, she ate out at a variety of restaurants, trying to master the perfect sauce. “That’s really the basis of many great dishes,” admits Carol.
So with the goal of perfecting the art of cooking, she enrolled in the Cooking & Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC), one of the premier cooking schools in America. After graduating 1st in her class, Carol worked for a number of catering companies, restaurants and gourmet take-outs, all the while honing her culinary skills. She continued to work as she and her family moved for her husband’s hockey career: from Minnesota to Vancouver to Milwaukee, Peoria, St. Louis, Orlando, Washington state and finally, Tower Lakes, Illinois.
The family, which includes twin boys (now 18) moved to Tower Lakes in 2007 after a recommendation from another neighbor. Carol started driving around the lake and fell in love with the community. She appreciates the diversity, richness and social nature of the area.
Today, Carol continues to cook the perfect dishes and now combines it with affordable DIY projects. “There are many people who do the same thing, but I stress affordability,” says Carol. In doing so, she repurposes items to create upscale, sophisticated entertainment. Her goal is to create a book for others to learn.
In the meantime, many of her tips have been shared in the Tower Lakes News “Carols that Cook” column andwith a larger audience on WGN TV. This month, Carol will be creating a “Cinco de Mayo” theme. You can watch her on Thursday, April 30 at 11:40 am. So until next time…Bon Apetit!
Also: Watch Carol on WGN May 21 for Graduation Party Ideas