Chef Spotlight -  Michael A. Speranza, CEC
Corporate Executive Chef, East Region - Custom Culinary, Inc.

• Years in the Food Industry: 27                             
• Residence: Victor, NY                             
• Memberships: Research Chefs Association; American Culinary Federation                         
• Recognition: Achieved Certified Executive Chef Recognition, July 2001

Q. Where do you get your inspiration?
A. Traveling; talking to other chefs

Q. What's your favorite food?
A. Northern Italian

Q. What's the best advice you have ever received? 
A. Get out in the world, and see what other chefs are doing

Q. What’s always in your pantry?
A. Many varieties of mustard; pasta

Mike Speranza thinks of himself as a teacher, as much as a chef. In fact, the thread of education—of always learning—is woven through his entire career, from the time he was a young cook working the line in restaurants.

“One of my mentors told me early on that I’d done all I could do where I was, and that I’d have to move on to move ahead,” says Speranza, who lives in upstate Victor, NY, with his wife and three children. He took his chef’s advice, moving to Boston—where he didn’t know a soul, or even have a job yet. Eventually, he ended up in the kitchen of Boston’s Lafayette Swissotel, which had just hired a new executive chef: Jean-Georges Vongerichton, in his first U.S. job.

“The experience of working with Jean-Georges was a real turning point for me, because he was so creative, so innovative,” says Speranza, who was the hotel’s banquet chef at the time. “I actually took a line job again for less money so I could work directly with him.”

It’s a strategy he continues to recommend to any chef just starting out. “Don’t just think about the money,” he says. “The ‘Emeril Factor’ sometimes makes it hard not to, but you’ve got to pay your dues. Work in the best restaurant you can find, any job they’ll give you. Work for them for a year, and then move on. It’s the best way to learn.”

Speranza, who holds a culinary arts degree from Johnson & Wales, has continued his education with courses at the Culinary Institute of America, including a number of programs in the baking and pastry field—often an area of weakness for chefs who work the savory side. Over the years, he worked at a number of hotels in executive chef and executive sous positions (hotels small enough that he could “still get his apron dirty cooking,” as Speranza puts it), then went to work in noncommercial foodservice at Eastman Kodak Co., then a flagship account for Sodexho. Eventually he made the move over to the corporate side, joining Custom Culinary, Inc. in early 2005.

What excites Speranza most about his new position is the teaching aspect of it. “I love it when I’m leading a training session and I’m able to get people excited about what they’re doing,” he explains. “Sometimes these are folks who don’t necessarily want to be there, but once you get them cooking, you can actually see the light go on. They’re proud of cooking something, and they start getting excited about it. That’s tremendously rewarding for me.”