Famous Chef Interviews!

Executive Chef Randy Morgan

by Elliott Graham

Chef Morgan wasn't always planning to be a high-powered chef. But his love of cooking came early in life. Growing up in Norwood, a dicey suburb of Los Angeles, he channeled his energies into indoor activities. "There was a lot of gang activity and there was a check cashing place a block away that was constantly getting robbed." Randy explains, "All the time there was police copters overhead, searching for people." His Dad and Grandfather both worked the night shift at a tire plant in LA, so he and his Mom would often go to his Grandmother's place for companionship and security. It was there, in his Grandma's kitchen that he connected with food. "She was from the south and she had a huge cooking background," remembers Chef Morgan. "I was too young to cook but when we went over there I was always helping out. That's where I really learned about food." He was too young as well, only 8 years old, when his Grandmother passed away.

Soon after that, Randy moved with his Mom to Carson City, Nevada. Industrious and not afraid of work, he became a paperboy there to earn extra money. And that's when fate stepped in thanks to a newspaper contest. The prize was 2 free tickets to a Bon Jovi concert. Young Randy didn't win, but he did come in second place, which netted a free music tape. Just one problem, this would be Randy's first album at age 11 and he had no idea what to request for his prize. So they gave him a Bon Jovi "Slippery When Wet" tape (how appropriate, given his future in fish!). "It just blew me away!" says Randy. Bam, the music world opened up and he fell in love with rock 'n roll. Randy got a guitar and listened to rock music every chance he could. He focused all his energies on being the best guitar player in Carson City. A major influence was David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. "I just loved it when killer guitarists blended the soulfulness of blues and rock," Morgan explains. "Guns and Roses lead guitarist Slash was a big hero of mine. His image was cool, the way he connected with the music . . . [Slash] played with a lot of passion and soul."

Fast forward a few years to high school graduation. Randy already had his own apartment ("There was no conflict, I was just very independent and my Mom respected that.") At 18, he was an accomplished guitar player and had his sights set on becoming a rock star, he just didn't know how to get there. A friend who had moved up to Seattle, Washington knew of his guitar talents. "My buddy had been following an up and coming band in Seattle called Thread when they lost their lead guitar player." This friend sent him a CD of the band and urged Randy to come up to Seattle to try out. That independent nature and burning desire to succeed put him on a plane immediately. Randy couldn't legally get in the club where they were playing, being underage and all. But he managed to slip in early before the show started. What he heard and saw that night inspired him to go up to the lead singer after the show, congratulate him on a great concert and declare that he was ready to audition. No one knows what made that seasoned rocker size him up and decide there was killer lead guitar talent inside this young kid but Randy got the audition and like that, he was in the band. Thread proceeded to tear up the Seattle scene and went on to open for major acts, tour and make quite a name for themselves in the Pacific Northwest. "I really got into the adrenaline rush from playing on stage. It's really powerful when people are out there yelling and screaming for your music," remembers Rockin' Randy."

Life has a way of guiding you to worlds you never envisioned. When he first arrived in Seattle, Randy had no money. He slept at the practice studio to conserve cash and hung out at the neighborhood all night diner drinking coffee and writing music to pass the time. It was there he saw an ad for "Dishwasher Wanted" at Cafe Minnie's. He went up to chef on a busy Sunday morning and asked about the dishwasher job. "Dishwasher? No,no, no! I need an egg cook - NOW! Get back here and I'll show you what to do!" replied the chef. And he did. Randy burned the fret board up at night playing rock 'n roll while he practiced the art of frying eggs by the dozen during the day. Randy fell in love with cooking and knew he had found his true calling. It only took him two years to become kitchen manager.

By the mid-90's, he had moved to New York and sought out the best chefs to work under while he honed his trade; stints at Mars 2112, Moscow, 26 Seats, Ye Waverly Inn and the Russian Tea Room exposed him to different cuisines, gourmet techniques and a first class chef's education in the pressure cooker environment of New York culinary wars. Chef Morgan studied under some of the best celebrity chefs in the business; Matthew Ries, Fabrice Canelle and CIA professor Patrick Haynes to name a few. As he honed his cooking skills, Chef Morgan also filled in his little black book - of fish wholesalers. "My big thing is personal relationships with the smaller purveyors. They hand pick the fish they send you that day." Randy gets the best and most unique seafood that way. Frequently Randy will receive a call from one of his suppliers, "I landed something special and I'm saving it for you." To Chef Morgan, great fish dishes are mostly about the fish. In the end, Randy insists, "You have to let the fish speak for itself."

So, here he was, in New York, one of the great culinary capitals of the world paying his dues, building a skill set and developing killer instincts in gourmet cooking. That was great but still, something was missing. Randy was looking for that certain spark, the elevating environment of a true mentor chef's kitchen to take him to the next level. Chef Morgan found that opportunity back in Seattle at Sazerac. Executive Chef Kevin Davis was a passionate and fiery leader for Randy. "He was my mentor chef, I guess. He yelled a lot, kind of like a father does to a son. He really shaped who I am today as a chef." Davis focuses on team-building and always creating food fresh in the kitchen, something Randy admires and emulates in his own kitchen. Chef Morgan believes that passion trumps technique but only to the extent that passion drives the chef and his team to strive to create perfection 100% of the time. "You can put out dishes that are perfect 99% of the time but if you serve a less than perfect dish to the wrong person, your reputation is gone." cautions Randy.

Chef Morgan had already developed that attitude of excellence and passion when he graduated from Sazerac to take on his next challenge, the haute cuisine of the specialty seafood restaurant group Oceanaire. He climbed the ranks there, from fish butcher in the Seattle location, on to Dallas to open the Westin Galleria location and then to San Diego as Executive Sous Chef. His skills and reputation grew to the point he was called on to be Executive Chef at Microsoft's Executive Briefing Center. Here, heads of state and business icons converged from all over the world. One day it would be the Saudi royal family, the next a Fortune 500 CEO, followed by the prime minister of Japan. They came from the four corners of the earth and the supreme test was to present each his or her native country's cuisine at the highest level of quality and taste. How did Randy master so many cuisines, so many specialties? "Everything I do, I just put my heart and soul into it . . . I wanted to learn as much as I could in every genre I could." was his simple answer. Through Microsoft, Chef Morgan had conquered the world's toughest cuisines in one of the largest corporations on earth but he was eager to get back to his chief loves, seafood and restaurants that specialized in "la poisson." Renowned Chef Todd English, of Fish Club, at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Seattle gave him that opportunity. As Randy's reputation for seafood wizardry grew, it was inevitable that he was offered his own Executive Chef position by the Dallas Restaurant Group, to open a world class steak, seafood and sushi restaurant in Texas. Here was a challenge worthy of Chef Morgan's skills; how do you bring the new, the unique and perhaps most importantly the freshest seafood cuisine to land-locked North Texas? That's where that little black book of fish mongers comes in handy. Randy spends time every day talking with his friends at the source and they come to him with the best, the most unusual, the finest seafood they can find because they know he will honor the fish in a way that few chefs can do. Chef Morgan explains, "My approach to cooking is purely artistic. It goes beyond cuisines. I try to break the rules as much as I can to put out something that is great."

In his latest incarnation, Randy brings flair and flavor to Hibiscus. Chef Morgan brings his skills and cooking themes to bear utilizing seasonal local produce and the freshest seafood from his special suppliers. People come to Hibiscus expecting the best cuisine in a trendy setting. "Every plate we send out is a special plate" intones Chef Morgan. It is a mantra that he instills in all of his staff and words he lives by every day. Take the opportunity to relish the unique new take on seafood that Randy brings to Hibiscus. You'll probably see Chef Morgan popping out of the kitchen, looking out over the diners and entertaining the seafood fans much like he once did with a guitar in hand to the adoring fans at his rock concerts. As Randy puts it, "this is my stage now." Come to think of it, you might start a new tradition. Instead of the usual "my compliments to the chef" give the ultimate rock and roll salute. Flip open your cell phone and hold it up to the kitchen window. That's a tribute the "Slash of Seafood Chefdom" Randy Morgan will really understand.