Tad Markley was about 6 when his parents let him bake on his own. He was able to choose anything he wanted from their cookbooks, follow the recipes and reap the benefits of eating an entire pan of brownies, cakes, or cookies.
Since then, he's self-taught himself how to bake more complex items, including soufflé's, custards, specialty cakes, dessert bars, fruit tarts, and more.
"I found the whole process of baking such a fun science and wanted to keep learning," he said.
So, when he was 16, his parents suggested he work in a restaurant to pull in some extra cash and learn the food business. "Little did I know, they were setting me up with my career," Markley said. "I began bussing tables at a small tea house inside an old antique mall that my father used to setup and sell collectables in. I really enjoyed my time there because it showed me what life is like working in a restaurant environment. I learned that my favorite hobby could be turned into a career."
Flash-forward to 2014. Markley, now 25, is the executive chef for Conn's Cafe & Catering, Inc. He runs the kitchen, handling all food preparation and presentation, and manages the company's service at events. "I'm in charge of inventory and ordering of food and ingredients. I develop recipes for anything the client desires. I am also responsible for setting up and running the actual events," he said.
Markley, who lives in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood and is openly gay, is partnered to Alejandro Ramos Martinez for almost three years. Markley is originally from Morton, Illinois, and has lived in Chicago for six years.
"Every year for my best friends I don't usually buy them anything as a gift. Instead, I'll design and bake them unique, personalized cakes—ranging from a seven-layered Rainbow Jell-O Cake, to Fruit Loop-crusted Lemon Cheese Cake. I also recently created a Birthday Cake Oreo Mudpie Cake.
"As far as cooking goes, I really enjoy cooking authentic Mexican and Puerto Rican food. The key to authenticity is using the correct ingredients and cooking styles. Thankfully, Chicago has some great supermarkets with great varieties of ingredients."
Markley honed his cooking at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, finishing culinary school at the age of 18. He then interned at the Signature Room at the 95th at the John Hancock Center.
"They saw my potential and decided to hire me full-time, benefits and all," Markley said. "I worked my way through the ranks and ultimately came to manage the kitchen of The Signature Lounge at the 96th [floor.] I worked there for four years, then was offered my first management position at Minibar in Boystown, where I did everything [including] menu development, pricing, scheduling, placing delivery orders, and managing dinner and brunch service."
Less than a year after he started at Minibar, one of his regular customers was so impressed with what he had done for the restaurant that he asked if Markley wanted to help open a new bar/restaurant in the Gold Coast.
It was an offer Markley couldn't refuse—and he was hired as the executive chef at age 23.
"I helped in the actual construction and planning of the kitchen, ordered all the necessary kitchen equipment and created, priced and designed recipes for a modern, delicious menu. I also established a supply network for food deliveries, and hired, trained and managed the entire kitchen staff," Markley said. "I was there seven days a week to ensure food prep, lunch and dinner service ran perfectly. It was an amazing learning experience.
"Unfortunately, due to a lackluster marketing effort the restaurant was no longer profitable and I was forced to leave. Thankfully, soon after that I landed just where I wanted to be—in the world of catering."
Markley said the best part of his gig with Conn's is "making sure the clients are happy with everything from service to food quality. Seeing a smile after eating one of my meals is all I could ever ask for.
"Cooking for me is way more than following a recipe and hoping it turns out. I get a rush knowing that I put all I could into something and making someone happy just by filling their bellies."
The kitchen cleaning is, without question, the worst part of his job. "I wish dishes could magically clean themselves. Don't we all wish we had those kitchen fairies around to help out?" Markley said.
Markley will cook, or coordinate, all the food for Conn's Catering's 21st anniversary food-tasting on Saturday, Aug. 23. ( For more information on the event, or to make reservations, email Conn's at info@connscatering.com ).
"I really love the world of catering," Markley said. "It's a lot more about organization and preparation than anything. And I am very good at time management, so our events are handled with great quality."
Markley acknowledged that his long-term professional goal is to own and operate an event planning/catering company, "with a focus on high quality foods and service."
Personally, Markley said his goal is to visit Italy—and also work there, especially since he's half Italian. "I would really enjoy seeing the Italian culture from inside the kitchen," he said.
—About Minibar: "I had a great time working with such a great staff at Minibar. Everyone was so welcoming and easy to work with. I'm really thankful [for] having that position since it helped me advance into a manager position."
—Overcoming obstacles: "It wasn't easy growing up in a small town of 15,000 centered around an Apostolic Christian Church. Being gay was something that just wasn't talked about. But I was certain of who I was at such a young age and did not feel the need to hide it. So when I was a sophomore in high school, I decided to switch my sexual orientation status on Myspace to homosexual. The next day at school, the news spread like wildfire and I got confronted by so many people, some supportive, some not. I was able to tell who my real friends were, that's for sure. Being one of the three or four gay kids at my high school made me feel like a role model to those younger than me, showing them that it is OK to be yourself and to be happy with yourself."
—Brotherly love: "I would love to thank my one and only sibling, Jason Markley, who is 11 years older than me and gay, too. I couldn't have asked for a better older brother. He taught me so much about the gay life, all the do's and don'ts. He also lives in Chicago, actually only a few blocks away from me. So it's always nice to have some support so close to me."
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