{"id":30273,"date":"2017-10-06T17:15:04","date_gmt":"2017-10-06T21:15:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=30273"},"modified":"2017-10-09T10:48:54","modified_gmt":"2017-10-09T14:48:54","slug":"chef-michael-mastrantuono-man-behind-dishes-15-church-street-saratoga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2017\/10\/chef-michael-mastrantuono-man-behind-dishes-15-church-street-saratoga\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Michael Mastrantuono Is The Man Behind The Dishes At 15 Church Street In Saratoga"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Michael Mastrantuono, executive chef at 15 Church restaurant in Saratoga Springs, is a native of upstate New York and a graduate of the SCCC culinary school.
\u00a92017 Saratoga Photographer.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Maureen Werther<\/p>\n

For somebody who thought he wanted to grow up to become a state trooper, the culinary talents of Michael Mastrantuono, executive chef at 15 Church restaurant in Saratoga Springs, are so hot, they could almost be against the law.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mastrantuono joined the team at 15 Church in July, taking the place of Brady Duhame. He worked long hours throughout the track season. As it turned out, the 2017 track season was 15 Church\u2019s busiest and most successful yet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Only 27 years old, the Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) culinary school grad has rapidly been making a name for himself in the region, creating culinary magic at Indulge, MezzaNotte and Roux before arriving on the Saratoga scene. He was named one of Full Service Restaurant News magazine\u2019s \u201c40 Under 40 Restaurant Stars on the Rise\u201d earlier this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Michael is a native of upstate New York. He grew up in the small town of Greenville, surrounded by the tastes, smells, sights and sounds of Sophie\u2019s, the family restaurant owned and operated by his father.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI started working as a line cook in my father\u2019s kitchen when I was nine, and I used to stand on milk crates to reach the prep table. While other kids were out playing baseball, I was learning how to make tortellini,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mastrantuono continued to work in his father\u2019s restaurant throughout school. At 17, he was getting ready to graduate from high school the following year and become a trooper when his father\u2019s chef was fired and there was no one who had the skills to take over.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI told my dad that I could do it and I convinced him to let me give it a try,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s when I realized how much I loved it. I started getting creative and trying new dishes of my own.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When he turned 18, Mastrantuono enrolled in the culinary program at SCCC.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mastrantuono admits that he had big shoes to fill in taking over the helm at 15 Church.<\/span><\/p>\n

He calls himself a different kind of chef. He is always studying, trying new things, watching for new trends. He likes to think and plan strategically.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have tons of notebooks where I keep recipes and notes on what works and what doesn\u2019t. When I perfect a dish, I pick a new challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most chefs say that it is difficult to work with another chef\u2019s menu. The plan for this summer was to stay with the existing menu and transition to Mastrantuono\u2019s own menu once the busy track season subsided.<\/p>\n

He expects to unveil 15 Church\u2019s new concept by Oct. 15.<\/p>\n

Mastrantuono said this region has the best farms in the nation and it\u2019s nothing for him to drive to Kinderhook\u2019s Lover\u2019s Leap Farm for the best pork, or other locations for the freshest vegetables.<\/p>\n

\u201cI adapt my menu to what I have. People may not realize that ingredients can and do change on a daily basis. One day I may have garlic that\u2019s very strong. And the next day, it could be much weaker. That\u2019s going to influence the dish. That is one of the challenges of using local ingredients,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201c15 Church is known for using the best ingredients and for the extraordinary service. You can\u2019t have a great restaurant with one and not the other. [Owners Paul McCullough and Susan Diep] and the team all do their part. And I do mine. We have the best of both worlds. That\u2019s what we do. And that is what\u2019s going to continue to make this a great restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

To find out Mastrantuono\u2019s \u201cgo to\u201d meal at home\u00a0go to his recipe here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more about 15 Church visit www.15churchrestaurant.com<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Maureen Werther For somebody who thought he wanted to grow up to become a state trooper, the culinary talents of Michael Mastrantuono, executive chef at 15 Church restaurant in Saratoga Springs, are so hot, they could almost be against the law. Mastrantuono joined the team at 15 Church in July, taking the place of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":30274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30273","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-meet-the-chef"],"yoast_head":"\r\nChef Michael Mastrantuono Is The Man Behind The Dishes At 15 Church Street In Saratoga - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2017\/10\/chef-michael-mastrantuono-man-behind-dishes-15-church-street-saratoga\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chef Michael Mastrantuono Is The Man Behind The Dishes At 15 Church Street In Saratoga - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Maureen Werther For somebody who thought he wanted to grow up to become a state trooper, the culinary talents of Michael Mastrantuono, executive chef at 15 Church restaurant in Saratoga Springs, are so hot, they could almost be against the law. 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