James Beard Award season is in full swing and the countdown to the big day has begun! Avero works with over 100 James Beard Award nominees and over 25 James Beard Award winners (not including 2014) in every category from Outstanding Restauranteur to Best Bar Program, and the 2014 nominees are no exception. To showcase these remarkable individuals, Avero is interviewing nominees across the country to learn how they started their culinary careers, what trends they’re most excited about, their favorite dishes to create and consume, and much more.
Outstanding Wine Program Nominee: Michael Madrigale, Dinex Group
Avero: How did your career in F&B begin?
Michael: My career started with my working at my family’s butcher shop, named Madrigale Meats, in Philadelphia. I worked there my entire life until I graduated college at 22.
Avero: What was the biggest turning point in your career?
Michael: A winemaker from Domaine d’Arlot offered me the opportunity to work on the 2002 Nuits St. George harvest in Burgundy, so I moved to Burgundy, France with $500 in my pocket to learn how to make wine at 25. It all started to make sense after that.
Avero: Who do you admire most?
Michael: I admire visionaries, people who have seen things before anyone else and have trusted their instinct. People like Daniel Boulud, Danny Meyer, and Kermit Lynch.
Avero: What’s your favorite dish?
Michael: My grandmother’s escarole soup.
Avero: What trend in dining are you most/least excited about?
Michael: Most excited about eating oysters every day for the rest of my life thanks to the wide availabillity of them.
Avero: What solutions help you run and improve your business daily?
Michael: Listening. And keeping calm.
Avero: What is your biggest business challenge?
Michael: Having enough time for everything.
Avero: What’s the one piece of advice that you’d give to aspiring chefs/restaurateurs?
Michael: Make sure you love what you’re doing. Nothing is work if that’s the case. You can’t make it through the fire if you’re looking at the clock every 15 minutes.
Follow Michael’s example and get started with Avero today!
