Kendale McCoy never tasted fish tacos until they were prepared by Chris Yen, his Oak Park-River Forest wrestling teammate.
“He made them on our senior trip with cole slaw and another salad,” McCoy said. “It was some of the best food I’ve ever had. He’s a real talent.”
When he isn’t wrestling, Yen spends his time indulging in another passion, cooking. OPRF’s 170-pound senior wrestler hopes to be a chef someday and plans to attend Johnson & Wales College of Culinary Arts in Providence, R. I.
“My mom (Catherine) told me about it. She recommended it to me. We heard about it as one of the top culinary programs in the U.S.,” Yen said. “I took a trip and loved it.”
Both of Yen’s parents cook and are a big influence on his career plans. His father, Scott, is Chinese and specializes in cooking Asian food for the family.
Chris Yen said he has been cooking as long as he could remember. He recalled visiting his grandmother in New Jersey when he was in second grade and watching her fry eggs.
“It mesmerized me,” Yen said.
Yen missed the Oak Park-River Forest Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 23, after injuring his left shoulder in practice, but plans on returning Feb. 6 for the Class 3A Glenbard West Regional.
The Huskies scored 312.5 to win the team championship, while McCoy (14-8 at 195) was one of 10 OPRF champions.
Before the season, Yen prepared a dinner for the wrestling team and is already planning on another meal for after the Class 3A state dual-team meet on Feb. 27. Yen said he will wait until the season ends because the Huskies must maintain their weights through the wrestling postseason.
Yen said he will cook up many of the same dishes that were a hit at the first team dinner: hot wings, brisket, crispy pork bellies, grilled chicken, cole slaw with Asian vinaigrette and chickpea salad. He still hasn’t finalized the menu, though.
“He made a team dinner with a lot of meat,” junior Christopher Middlebrooks said. “He made it look like it was not too much work. It was really good.”
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Yen said he received a sausage maker for Christmas and has been eager to use it to make a meal for his teammates.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to do this,” Yen said. “I will cook for anybody — my parents, my sister (Erin), family, friends and teammates. It’s an awesome feeling, cooking something and seeing their faces light up.”
McCoy, Yen and several other OPRF wrestlers attended the team’s annual senior trip last summer in Louisville, Ky., to help Habitat for Humanity with a housing project. The Huskies stayed at a local church and when Yen learned it would have a kitchen, he brought his cutlery kit and cooked meals for the volunteers.
“It was the coolest thing,” McCoy said. “He brought a case full of different knives. He brings his own knives. That’s crazy, I thought.”
McCoy is one of Yen’s biggest fans. They’ve known each other since kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary in Oak Park.
“Chris Yen wants to be the best chef in the world,” McCoy said. “I am 100-percent certain he can do that.
“Chris is making stuff all the time. This week, I told Chris I’m five pounds under (weight). He went to a butcher shop in Oak Park, where they have some good stuff, and an hour later he comes back with a whole chicken. If we need food, Chris Yen is there to make it.”
Twitter @geomwilcox
Chris Yen’s favorite recipe
LO BAK GO
(Radish cake)
Daikon or white radish grated
Chinese sausage, ground
Dried shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped
Rice flour
Salt
Pepper
Water
Oil
Take the grated radish, ground sausage, mushrooms, salt and pepper, and begin to stir fry in a pan with oil. How much radish sausage and mushrooms you are you using will determine on how large of a pan you use. Stir fry until radish is softened.
Begin to add rice flour and water until it begins to form a cake batter-like substance. Once formed into cake batter, pour into an oiled baking pan.
Steam 20-30 minutes then let cool for one hour.
To serve, remove from pan and cut into small strips. Pan fry strips until golden brown and serve with dipping sauce.
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