Originally from Cincinnati, Executive Chef Ethan Snider graduated with honors from The Culinary Institute of America in 2004.  He has spent the last 4 years as the Executive Chef for The Boca Grande Club in Boca Grande, Florida and recently returned to Cincinnati. Chef Ethan is excited to be a part of The Polo Grille family and we are happy to add such great talent to our team.

We sat down with Chef Ethan and asked him a few fun questions to get to know him a little better.

1. What inspires you when you’re cooking?

 What inspires me the most when I’m cooking is the ability to be creative and making something out of nothing. I have been cooking since I was a little kid and growing up as the only child with a working mother, I learned how to be creative at an early age. I would go through the cabinets trying to find what I could create out of ingredients that we already had. It’s the same creativity I use when I’m writing a menu or coming up with new specials.

2. What is your favorite thing to make?

 People ask me that question all the time! I’m not sure I can give you one single answer. Again, I love being creative so my favorite thing to make is something that is innovative, creative and different.

3. If you had to eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

 Cheese and crackers. I love all sorts of cheeses and it’s usually what I eat when I’m at home. I would say that about 90% of the time I have a plate in the refrigerator with five or so different cheeses on it and when I get home I just pull it out, pour some wine and that’s my meal.

4. Why do you like working at The Polo Grille?

 One big reason I like working here is because everyone on the Polo Grille team is great. Everyone works so well together and we have a fantastic team, which can really make all the difference in a work environment.

5. What is a simple yet important cooking technique or tip you can give us?

 Put the recipe book away. Put down the measuring cups and spoons and just start creating dishes on your own. I feel that when you get so technical, it’s easy to screw up.  When you just follow your instinct and hope for the best, a lot of times it will go really well.