Pit Masters wanted![Edit]

Hi my name is Angelo, I'm a student from UIC looking for pit masters in Chicago who are willing to share with me their cooking experience for an industrial Design Project. I'm looking for people who can show me their place of work and a short interview session. In exchange I can provide digital copies of the photos I take along with a link to the website my class will be building. On top of this I may come back as a customer!

I am free
Mon 10am-Noon
Tues 1pm-9pm
Wed 10am-Noon
Thurs 1pm-9pm
Fri-Sun negotiable
Any one interested please pm me what times you may be available for interview.

[Edit]
The goal of the project is to understand the environment of a selected hobby/ or area that people enjoy being in, I need to analyze behaviors and objects that pit masters come in contact with everyday. With this information my goal will be to create a concept or product that will help these people in their everyday life.

I can also share on this forum the unique cooking styles of other pit masters.

Interview #1
Alejandro Diaz

Alejandro cooks in the peruvian style called "pachamanca."
Learning it from his brother in Peru and practicing in the U.S. for 12 years, once a year he will gather his friends and share this traditional style of cooking.
By having a pit in the ground lined with bricks a fire is started and a metal sheet place above it. Instead of cooking the food right away, they instead place rocks in a pyramid formation. These smooth lake rocks are cooked for 3 hours being sprayed with salt water every hour turning them pale while instead of black. When the rocks are ready he will dim out the fire, quickly move the rocks aside, and place the food directly into the pit.
The food is placed in order from corn at the bottom with the leaves still covering them, potatoes, and a layer of heated rocks.
After this layer of rock the pit is covered in banana leaves and huacatay leaves, in this enclosed space meat is laid out with pork at the bottom, lamb in the middle and chicken at the top, in between each of these meat layers the rest of the rocks are placed. with banana leaves covering the top of the meat layer, it is covered with an extra layer, a plastic sheet with a blanket on top.
Once everything has been set, the area is buried in a layer of dirt to keep the heat in, for 1 hour and 15 minutes. After this time they dig up the pit and check that the food is ready and serve it.

After the interview I learned that it takes 4 people during the moving of the stones to place the food, it is a quick process so that the stones may stay heated and cook the food well. He also claims that it can be done in any climate with the exception of rain and snow. When I asked him why he prefers this over a simple grill outdoors he responded in that he enjoys this long process and being able to see it succeed, it is tradition in Peru and he enjoys having a social gathering while they wait. He said that the only thing that would stop him from this style of cooking would be death.