Chef de Cuisine
Biography
Joe’s Restaurant Chef de Cuisine Michael Bryant’s passion for cooking developed early in life while growing up in rural Virginia. His mother, an immigrant from France, took great pride in preparing food for her family, and Bryant fondly recalls watching her make her own sauces and canning fresh fruits and vegetables. “Great food isn’t an accident,” Bryant remembers his mother saying, and she taught him how to find and select the best ingredients for their meals at local farms and markets. She also taught him how to determine the best quality of meat, poultry and seafood. “I believe it was Mom’s love and passion for cooking good food with a lovely, precise presentation that encouraged me to pursue a career as a professional chef,” he says.
Bryant began working in restaurants in his teen years, starting as a dishwasher and working his way up into the kitchen, learning every aspect of the business hands-on. He built his reputation in executive chef positions at several established haute cuisine restaurants in central Virginia. In 2002, he was given the opportunity to move to South Florida to work under one of the country’s great chefs, Norman Van Aken, at his renowned restaurant Norman’s in Coral Cables. Bryant impressed his new employer and quickly rose through the ranks. He was tapped to organize the kitchen at Norman’s new Los Angeles location, where he was charged with setting up the new vendors and staffing the entire kitchen. He assumed the mantle of chef de cuisine in 2006.
Bryant’s next career move was to the hip, modern European bistro BIN 8945 in West Hollywood, which cemented his talents and skills into what they are today. He created a tantalizing, wine-friendly cuisine, underscoring his unique knowledge of spices and artfully using ingredients from Madagascar, Indonesia, Cuba and points far and near.
When the chef de cuisine opportunity arose early in 2008 at Joe’s, Bryant knew that working for Joe Miller would be the Holy Grail of cooking in Southern California. “Joe’s is an amazing place,” he says, “and Chef Miller gives me the creative freedom I need to continue Joe’s tradition of being one of the most exciting destinations in L.A.”
Bryant currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Christy, a fashion designer, and new baby daughter, Leilani. He spends his free time playing the saxophone and cultivating native strawberries and habenero chilis in his back garden. He says, “sometimes people ask me why I take the time to grow things in my back yard, as busy as I am. I tell them it keeps me in touch with my roots, picking fresh vegetables with my Mom – it helps me reflect on why I love what I do in the first place!”
