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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Homaro
4Cantu of Chicago, who passed away on April 14, 2015; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Homaro Cantu was born on September 23, 1976 and
6grew up in Portland, Oregon; he graduated from the Western
7Culinary Institute (now Le Cordon Bleu) and worked in nearly 50
8kitchens on the West Coast; he married Katie McGowan in 2003;
9and
 
10    WHEREAS, Homaro Cantu moved to Chicago, where he spent 4
11years from 1999 to 2003 working for famed chef Charlie Trotter,
12eventually rising to the position of sous chef before leaving
13in 2004 to become the opening chef and eventual owner of Moto;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, Affectionately known as "Omar" to his family and
16friends, Homaro Cantu was one of Chicago's most renowned chefs;
17he turned cooking into alchemy through his playful and
18surprising brand of molecular gastronomy; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Like his mentor Chef Trotter, Homaro Cantu
20believed in giving back to the next generation of industry
21leaders; through his involvement with ProStart, a program run

 

 

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1by the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation,
2he mentored high school students studying the culinary arts; he
3also participated in this year's ProStart invitational
4competition, where he served as the culinary judge; he was
5inspired by student talent and dedication and the students were
6in turn excited by his presence and feedback; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Homaro Cantu artfully blended science and fine
8dining at his restaurant, describing himself as a scientist at
9heart; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Homaro Cantu is survived by his wife, Katie, and
11his 2 daughters; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
13NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
14mourn the passing of Homaro Cantu, and extend our sincere
15condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved
16him; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18presented to the family of Homaro Cantu as an expression of our
19deepest sympathy.