 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
Brian A. Roland CCC
Chef Brian Roland's introduction to the restaurant industry began at a young age. Born in South Brunswick, NJ, he began working in a small Italian restaurant at age 14. After 4 years, his love of food and cooking fueled his decision to enroll at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. During his time at the CIA, Brian was inducted into the International Gastronomic Society called The Chaine Des Rotisseurs as a "Rotisseur." Brian graduated with honors from the CIA in 1999, and traveled through Europe on a 1 month culinary expedition. It was during this adventure that his eyes were opened to all the different cultures, ingredients and possibilities that awaited him in his chosen profession.
After returning to the U.S., he started his "professional" career at The TPC at Jasna Polana in Princeton, NJ. Training under macrobiotically known Executive Chef Patrick Verre for 2 years, it was here that Brian learned the 'science of food,' and how food effects the body, mind, soul and spirit. His experience working with Chef Patrick, transformed his love for food into a true passion.
In 2000, Brian returned to his internship site Maxwell's on the Bay, and completed a second season with the team. This was the basis of his culinary ground, and working with Chef Eddie Marchese, he learned what it was like to create great food, in a high volume capacity.
Brian then worked for world renowned Executive Chef Daniel Boulud at Cafe Boulud and Restaurant Daniel in Manhattan, in 2001 .This experience broadened his vision of quality and consistency, and gave him the opportunity to work with some very talented people, utilizing amazing ingredients from around the world. This was also the experience that truly gave him an understanding of the love and effort needed to be put into each and every ingredient and component of a dish, in order to create "art on a plate."
In 2001, Brian was recruited to be a part of the opening team for "Chops City Grill" in Bonita Springs, Florida. Chops was recognized as "Best New Restaurant in SW Florida" in 2003, and received accolades in Wine Spectator, as well as many local magazines. He was named Executive Chef in 2004, and took the restaurant's reputation to an even higher level. Always desiring to better his knowledge and performance, Brian continued schooling and was awarded the certification ranking of Chef de Cuisine by the American Culinary Federation.
He was then asked by a friend and colleague, to join the team of chefs at Cru, Lush Wines and Pure Food, in Ft. Myers, FL, to help in preparing a meal at the James Beard House in NYC, during the summer of 2006. Later that year he was offered the Executive Chef position, where he remained until summer 2008 before leaving to take over the reins of The M Waterfront Grille in Naples.
Brian's vision for M, formerly known as Maxwell's on the Bay, is 'Cutting Edge Continental Cuisine' which he describes as a 'getting back to the basics' of his classical training, while keeping the foundation of his cuisine firmly planted in the new and exciting styles of preparation and presentations of today's market.'
Brian is also the Executive Chef of one of the Internet's hottest online lifestyle magazines, Gourmet Girl Magazine.Com, where he is the head of all things culinary for the publication. In addition to overseeing all that has to do with cuisine, he leads a full staff of culinary experts from pastry chefs to a chocolatier, he writes an instructional cooking column called Chef's Corner, and is the host of Chef to Chef, an interview segment that finds him in the kitchen chatting with some of the most well renowned chefs of the world. With an eye toward America's passion for watching chefs on TV, he can be seen monthly as a guest chef on a local morning show cooking segment in Florida, Fox 4 Rising, preparing the magazine's 'Recipe of the Month.'
|
|
