Chef Abraham Conlon first learned to cook as a young kid with his grandmothers. He started off small. “I was the mixer,” Conlon said. “And if I was nice, I got to lick the batter off the beater.”

As he got older, Conlon started experimenting with recipes he saw on television cooking shows like Yan Can Cook as he waited for his mom to come home.

“[My mom] was shocked and probably horrified that I turned the stove on or held a knife,” he said. “But she thought it was okay. We looked at each other and said, ‘Hey, you might be a chef someday.’ And here I am.” 

Now, Conlon is executive chef and partner of Fat Rice in Logan Square, plus Fat Rice Bakery and The Ladies’ Room cocktail lounge. He’s garnered accolades from the food world by focusing on the modest culinary traditions of Macau.

While cooking, Conlon thinks of the warmth and hospitality his grandmothers shared. 

“I think that our role as hospitality professionals is really to embody that sense of home,” he said. “Ultimately, that’s where all of this comes from.”

Chef Abraham Conlon will be competing in WBEZ’s 10th Annual Chicago Chef Battle.