Culinary Specialist Guy Klinzing

Meet Taste of Home Culinary Specialist Guy Klinzing!  Guy conducts Cooking School shows throughout the country, focusing primarily on the Colorado, Dakotas, Montana, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska areas. When asked about what his favorite part of the Cooking School experience is, Guy replied, “Meeting so many enthusiastic fans of Taste of Home.  They inspire me with their love of cooking and support for our program.”  Guy continues and says, “I love being able to share practical information with the attendees that they can go home and use the next day. They energy and fun at these events makes all the preparation worth while.”

Guy currently resides in the Chicago area with his wife.  Guy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Performing Arts from Northeastern University and an MBA from Dominican University. He has worked in the snack food and chocolate industry for over 34 years. During his long career with a major candy company, Guy not only built and managed large candy production facilities, but he also served as a corporate media spokesperson in the Midwest. Guy has also conducted many seminars and training sessions on food related topics including chocolate, candy, food safety, sensory, and raw ingredients.  While not entertaining thousands at Cooking School shows with his singing, acting, and cooking abilities, Guy enjoy tornado chasing, wilderness fishing, traveling, and being surrounded by his children and grandchildren.

To learn more about Guy, take a look at some of his answers to questions below!

If we were to open your refrigerator at home, what would we find?  You would find every type of breakfast food ingredient.  I love breakfast!  Eggs, breakfast meats, fresh jams, a freezer full of our own home-grown berries, and lots of fruit juices (especially Apple).  Somewhere on the lower shelves you will also find some pieces of leftover Chicago Pizza. The vegetable drawer will have an eclectic mix of fruits and vegetables as I like to make my own vegetable juice drinks.

How did you develop your passion for cooking/food?  My Grandmother lived in rural Michigan where she planted beautiful gardens of vegetables and berries.  Everything was made from scratch including grinding her own meats for making sausage.  She always involved us in meal preparation especially when it came to baking.  Some of my fondest childhood memories are from the kitchen making coffee can bread and cinnamon rolls together.

What is the best thing you ever ate?  Lean baby back ribs with a sweet BBQ sauce and hand cut potato fries followed by two of my Grandmother’s cinnamon rolls.  My career in the chocolate industry also provided me with the opportunity to sample some of the best chocolates from all over the world.

Tell us about a funny or memorable moment that has happened at the show:  Last Spring I was doing a show in Casper,Wyoming.  It was a big show with a very enthusiastic audience.  They even had sign language interpreters on each end of the stage that “signed” throughout my show.  I was preparing a mushroom dish and had my large pan on the burner filled to the top with fresh mushrooms.  Mrs. Wyoming (the pageant winner) was onstage with me and I was so taken by her grace and beauty I accidentally turned and bumped the handle of my mushroom pan sending the entire pan and about 200 mushrooms bouncing all across the front of the stage.  My round pan quickly became football shaped after hitting the stage and there were mushrooms everywhere.  The crowd roared.  What could I do? I went and to the front of the stage and the two sign interpreters and I proceeded to describe and act out how the recipe would have been prepared had I not spilled it all over the place.  We had the loudest applause after that recipe!  Taste of Home audiences are the best!

When did you start cooking? Who taught you to cook?  My Grandmother and my Mom always brought me in the kitchen to help and learn.  Many of their dishes became my favorites and I often cooked for them when I was in my teens.  My technical food education came from a long career in the “snack food” industry and from taking classes on different food related topics.