Compostella Culinary Development

Le Cordon Bleu

At Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, Chef Mormino studied under Master Sommelier Jean-Michel Deluc and Patricia Gastaud-Ghalleger to gain a better understanding of wine and food pairings. Not surprisingly, he was also entranced with local and regional cheeses (Kraft had left its influence) and enjoys wine and cheese pairings as often as possible. At Le Cordon Bleu, he gained valuable knowledge about the organoleptic evaluation of wine as well as the art of winemaking. He met with winemakers to discuss the process of harvesting and creation of quality wines within the French winemaking system.

Full Circle

Chef Mormino has spent the past 13 years in new product development for a diverse cross-section of the international food industry. His background begins in the organic food business, continues deep within the corporate world of industrial new product devlopment, and now comes full circle to the all natural and organic world of Fortune 400 industry leader, Whole Foods Market.

Chef Mormino is the lead development chef for On The Menu, a pilot program for value added meat and seafood entrees for Whole Foods. In On The Menu, the company's commitment to all-natural meats and sustainable fishing practices combines with a creative approach to time saving, value added entrees. In addition to creating new entrees used throughout the South Region's meat departments, Chef Mormino has also generated new recipes for the chain's South Regional Kitchen which provides fresh entrees, apetizers, salads, soups and dressings to the southern region's 19 stores and the entirety of the chain's Florida region.

The Organic Years

In the 1980's, Chef Mormino worked directly with the organic and transitional organic farmers of the Southeastern United States at the Squash Blossom Market, at the time a flagship of the newly blossoming Organic Market / Holistic Foods concept. At Squash Blossom, he worked face-to-face with local farmers to bring organic foods to the every day consumer. While at Squash Blossom, he created new entrees and side dishes featuring organic produce and protein replacements like tempeh and tofu.

Going Corporate

After creating menu items for a small restaurant chain in Memphis, TN in the 1990's, Chef Mormino took a consulting role at Kraft Food Ingredients which grew into a 5 year commitment to full-scale development of recipes, specifications, and hot food applications for Fortune 50 companies with "household name" status. At KFI, he created seasonings, sauces and fillings for restaurant chains, snack manufacturers, and convenience food companies. At KFI, he cultivated the professional and research skills that are the hallmark of his work at Compostella Culinary Development.

Since his time in France, he has gone on to consult to Atlantic Star Brasserie, named as one of Zagat's "Top 100 Up and Coming Restaurants" and has created award winning entrees for Atlanta's noted clubs and hotels. He has also worked for business generation companies, providing recipes for clients' ingredients, cost analyses of diverse products, and process flowcharts for major foodservice companies. While working as Restaurant Chef (Chef de Cuisine) for the Starwood Company (Sheraton, Westin, The W hotel chain) Chef Mormino was part of a cutting edge team who created three new restaurants from the ground up from concept to menu design to staff training.

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are."

Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote the above statement in 1825, in his treatise The Physiology of Taste. This maxim applies to Chef Mormino's approach to development. Your development needs are unique and important; they require a hands-on, custom fit solution.

That's where Compostella Culinary Development fits in.

Compostella brings not just expertise, but the right expertise to the table.