Chefs who shaped the work.
“Mike’s an extremely talented guy. I love the surge of flavors in his food. He’s also highly organized which makes him a great manager and makes my job much easier.”
Charlie Palmer
Charlie has been the most influential figure in my professional culinary career — innovation in the kitchen and as a businessman. Over a decade at Aureole and Metrazur, I still draw from those kitchens.
Gerry gave me my first job at East Hampton Point after the CIA. I credit him with opening the professional world — sauce, the hot line, fine dining in New York. He pushed me to cook in Manhattan and introduced me to Charlie Palmer.
“Michael has a calm and steadfast approach to running a kitchen that results in flavorful, well-executed cuisine.”
Geoffrey Zakarian
Working with Geoffrey at The Plaza — hyper-focused on the food being the best it can be, pushing to improve every day.
I worked for Laurent at Peacock Alley. He taught precision, technique, and working with the finest ingredients at their peak.
My time with the Troisgros chefs was a lesson in cuisine, tradition, and culture. We marked thirty years with three Michelin stars while I was there — a tribute to their pursuit of perfection.
Working at Le Cirque meant cooking for high society in a kitchen that had everything — the best ingredients, the Cadillac of kitchens.
Lineage
“Cuisine that is simple, sincere, and true — never hiding the product under sauce or decoration.”
Jean-Baptiste Troisgros · Maison Troisgros
On the record
“His approach is global — he evaluates the entire production system, then fixes not just what is broken but the cause of the break. He understands food, and more importantly he understands the people who produce it.”
Paul Neuman · President, Neuman’s Kitchen
