Michael R. Morrison

MICHAEL R. MORRISON
PRESIDENT AND SENIOR EXECUTIVE CHEF
FLAVORCHEFS LLC, BORDENTOWN, NJ
CHEF MEMBER

It takes more than just a culinary degree or a food science degree on its own to put together good food in the prepared food industry. A big advantage that Culinology® has given me is not just the ability to create a product, but an understanding of how to translate that to manufacturing the finished product in the most effective way for a particular manufacturer’s process. I am able to be very efficient and eliminate unnecessary reformulation steps in the product development lifecycle because of my combination of skills. Those skills also enable me to work closely with food scientists and other technical and culinary positions to resolve any R&D or manufacturing issue that comes up.

My feeling is that, in the future, more employers will demand that their chefs have Culinology training, particularly in a weak economy where companies are focused on efficiency.

BIRTHPLACE: Trenton, NJ;

SCHOOL DAZE: Johnson & Wales University (1991);

CAREER MOVES: Cooking in restaurants since the age of 13;

EARLY INSPIRATIONS: Cooking with my mom, and at age 6 asking Santa for an Easy Bake Oven;

TOUGHEST MEAL I’VE PREPARED: Getting the flavors of Asian food to taste authentic has always been a real challenge;

FAVORITE INGREDIENT: Cheese is versatile enough for every course—from baked Saga with a raspberry mint and pistachio filling to dark-chocolate fondue with aged white Cheddar to dunk;

FAVORITE KITCHEN TOOL: Tongs get me out of a lot of jams, and not just in the kitchen;

FAVORITE DISH TO PREPARE: Grilled marinated shrimp tacos and all the trimmings;

BEST PART OF MY JOB: Seeing my creations make it all the way to market—I love walking into a supermarket and pointing out to my boys the items I created;

MOST-INFLUENTIAL PEER: Bill “Pops” Hahne always supported me, inspired me—his passion for food, the RCA and his friends drove me to create better food;

EARLIEST FOOD MEMORY: Visiting New Orleans at age 6 and tasting oysters for the first time, and I could not get enough;

FAVORITE FOOD PRODUCT AT THE GROCERY STORE: Fresh berries ... I could eat pint after pint;

FAVORITE JUNK FOODS: Nachos or a hot fudge brownie sundae;

FANTASY FOOD SPLURGE: Unlimited caviar tier at Tru;

FAVORITE RESTAURANT: Reef Grill, Juno Beach, FL;

FAMOUS PERSON, ALIVE OR DEAD, I’D LIKE TO COOK FOR: Julia Child;

FAVORITE FOOD CITY: Chicago;

IF STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND, I’D MISS: Pot roast, mashed potatoes and lots of gravy;

FAVORITE MOVIE: “Fletch”;

FAVORITE MUSIC: Jimmy Buffet;

PETS: The best dog that ever lived, Kelsey, a black Lab/Dalmatian mix—she has been with us for 14 years.