Celebrity chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Eric Ripert and Nigella Lawson are becoming the new rock stars of our generation. With the onslaught of food programming, a chef's position is looked upon more prestigious than in the past. It's encouraged home cooks to be more open to unique and especially local ingredients. The local fervor for food can also be seen in events such as the Wine & Food Festival at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, N.J., Applefest in Warwick, N.Y., and Hudson Valley Restaurant week, which attract thousands of people each year. For local chefs, the journey to stardom can be tougher than it may seem behind all of the cameras and lights. Through this series, we have reached out to local chefs to talk about how they obtained their illustrious title as chef and how the eruption of media attention has affected their field.
Chef / Owner
Christopher’s Bistro, 69 Brookside Ave., Chester,
N.Y. 845-610-5400
This is what drives chefs like Christopher Moccio to continue to pursue his culinary career, despite the long hours and hard work.
Culinary Journey
Moccio, of Christopher's Bistro in Chester, N.Y., was introduced to food at an early age as his grandfather ran his own restaurant, "Joe & Joe," in the Bronx, N.Y.
Helping his grandfather in the kitchen as a child, is where Moccio's passion for food blossomed.
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| Christopher Moccio Owner / Chef, Christopher's Bistro in Chester N.Y. |
"I was yelled at a lot," Moccio recalls. "It was tough. You take a lot of abuse."
He never went to school for the culinary arts and instead learned from experience. Moving from dishwasher to salad guy to grill — Moccio practically served at every post available in the restaurant business.
Working his way up the food chain, Moccio was able to learn from renowned chefs. Moccio credits Donna Hammond, chef of Painters' Restaurant in Cornwall-on-Hudson, N.Y.
He took away the knowledge of southern cooking and learned to make gumbo. He also gained experience from New York City chefs where he learned to look for seasonal and local ingredients.
Along his journey, Moccio found love. He met his wife Katherine while working at a restaurant in Caldwell, N.J. They now have one son.
Opening His First Restaurant
With more than 20 years of experience in the kitchen, Moccio opened up Christopher's Bistro in January 2011 with Katherine, who serves as manager. At 38 years old, Moccio is ecstatic to have his own place and has created his entire menu from scratch.
"I like to do comfort food with flair and new American menu," Moccio said. Such unique items on the menu include the Duck Cheesesteak with roasted shallots, mushrooms and Gruyere on a grilled ciabatta. "We are big on quality more than quantity," said Moccio, who offers up half potions on the menu as well.
Local and fresh produce are very important to Moccio. Depending on what he finds at the farmer's market in Pine Island or Florida, N.Y., Moccio will create different specials. The large assortment of seasonal beers are also local to the area including Rushing Duck from Chester, N.Y. and others from Newburgh, N.Y.
With the added attention coming from television cooking shows, Moccio said it has allowed him to use more unique ingredients.
"It has created more foodies, people who look to try new foods," said Moccio. "For example I can use local ramps (a wild onion), which cost $14 a pound, but foodies know what they are."
Moccio has fun in the kitchen but also has a lot of responsibility and work as restaurant owner. "I have a lot more stress," Moccio said. "I used to have more time to cook and create menu items."
The bistro is open six days a week and closed on Tuesday. "I work everyday from 10 a.m. to midnight," Moccio said. "It's tough but it's great stuff."
A smile spreads across Moccio's face as he describes his decision to dedicate his entire life to food. "It took many years to get where I am," Moccio said of his cooking career. "It is a lot of work and not a lot of money. You have to love it."