A love of hockey brought Seaglass Executive Chef Scott Brandolini into the restaurant world, as a teenager. “Me and my two brothers played,” he says. “It was an expensive hobby. We had to pitch in.” His first job, at 13, was in his grandfather’s sub shop, Brando’s, in Haverhill, Mass. “I was the everything guy: cleaner, flat top grill, making subs, pizzas.”

Brandolini went to college for one semester, “But I had no idea what I wanted to do,” he says. “I realized I wasn’t ready for school. I just worked, earned my stripes in the field. At that time, a lot of chefs were telling me not to bother going to culinary school.” He worked in a chain restaurant, then found a mentor at the Mango Grill, a Caribbean restaurant in North Andover. “That’s when I really started to grow a passion for cooking. I loved what I was doing and realized I was good at it. I started off as a line cook, then earned my title as sous chef.”

After 10 years working in the business,  Brandolini decided to enroll in culinary school, at Le Cordon Bleu when it was in Dover, N.H. “I wanted to learn how to run a restaurant, the reasons why things are cooked and prepped the way they are. I learned classic methods, the brigade system, from the bottom to executive chef. It was absolutely worthwhile.”

Brandolini graduated in 2008, and was offered the job to open Seaglass in Salisbury Beach in 2009. He’s now both Executive Chef and general manager – and manages culinary at Atlantic Hospitality Group’s other Salisbury properties, including SurfSide5, Capri, and Blue Ocean Music Hall. The company also owns a farm, Ferry Landing in Newburyport. “I was just there this morning, trying to grab a few things for today,” Brandolini says. In April, the farm is “not really cranking yet, but I found some turnips that went over winter, and some fresh thyme and sage that came back up.”

When we spoke, Brandolini was in the process of writing the spring menu. “I have to make sure if I’m going to get wild and creative, I still keep the New England classics on the menu as well,” he says. Items like clam chowder, crab cakes, prime rib, and lobsters steamed, stuffed, or baked are there year round. “I’ll be bringing back rack of lamb, and we’re probably going to have a spring pea risotto and buttered local green beans – we grow green beans at the farm.”

This summer, look for Brandolini on the small screen as well as at Seaglass. When we spoke, he had recently returned from taping a competitive cooking show for the Food Network.

Michelle Fiumara-Montgomery, Executive Catering Chef, and Jack Reynolds Aydelott, Chef II

Opposites not only attract—they can enhance and balance one another. Michelle Fiumara-Montgomery, 40, and Jack Reynolds Aydelott, 42, of University of New Hampshire Conferences and Catering have radically different styles and tastes. But the duo has formed a unique symbiosis, establishing themselves as a culinary odd couple.

Why do you each like to cook?

Michelle: I’ve always enjoyed creating something from nothing, but this was not my first choice for a career. I actually wanted to be an artist, with the thought that I might go into advertising. My dad said, “No way, you can’t make a living as an artist. Choose something else.” He was paying for college, so I chose culinary and pastry arts—still an artistic outlet. And so it began.

Jack: I love to cook and serve people and always have. I’ve been cooking since I could walk. Most of my memories are linked to food.

How are you different from each other?

Michelle: Jack gains energy from working on the line at hyper speed, and I tend to like a slower, steady baking pace. Jack tends to like being the showman, out front and interacting, and I’ve always felt more comfortable being the quiet force behind the scenes.

Jack: She’s a baker and I’m a saute chef. This is what makes us so different. Bakers are meticulous, detail-oriented, and generally a pain in the butt if you happen to be a saute chef. Bakers find saute chefs to be frustratingly imprecise, “fly-by-their-pants,” showy, and loud.

Any favorite cuisines and methods?

Michelle: I love to do all from-scratch baking. At home my signature dish would have to be my “everything in the pan” pastas. At work, I don’t really have one—our menus vary so greatly that we are always making different things.

Jack: I tend toward lighter Mediterranean fare in warmer months and heavier Indian curries in cooler months. The method I use to cook is generally fast cooking. As rule I don’t use recipes since I find them confining and tedious. I like to say that using a recipe is like painting by numbers—it’s imitation, not art! In addition to being a chef I am also the “wine guy,” and I’ve taken courses to continue the never-ending educational opportunities in this area.

Why is using local food important to you?

Michelle: It’s something we always look forward to with the arrival of spring. You will often see us at a farmers’ market buying items for events. We only wish the season was longer. We also work with local meat, fruit, and dairy purveyors. Jack and I both grow vegetables in the summer and enjoy the flavors and textures that come from having that fresh-picked option.

Jack: Locally sourced foods are produced by people who live on the land they work, so they have a motive not to use chemicals. Locally produced foods for the most part use fewer fossil fuels since they travel fewer miles.

We hear that you dance, sing, and whistle when you’re working together—what’s that about?

Michelle: Music is a constant in our kitchen, and, depending on the mood, it could be very loud or very subtle. We really do all get along and trust each other, and when you have that environment supporting you, you can’t help but break out (or break-dance out) of your shell every once in a while.

Jack: I love the spotlight. Combine that with being a chef and I’m just annoyingly exuberant. My job is very stressful at times, with long days that are physically and mentally exhausting. Bouncing around the kitchen singing with Andrea Bocelli is a good way to reduce stress.

UNH Conferences and Catering
603-862-1900

Justin Hagen’s first experience in the culinary world was family related: As a teenager, he washed dishes when his parents opened a Mexican restaurant in his hometown of Portland. “I caught the bug that way,” he says. And he maintains a respect for dishwashers today. “Every single person is important, and that position is extremely underrated,” he says.

At 17, he found himself behind the grill at a high-volume restaurant in Nashua. He enjoyed the atmosphere, but decided his ultimate goal was to cook in a smaller fine-dining establishment. In the Portsmouth area he worked at The Blue Mermaid, Wentworth by the Sea, and The Green Monkey, then had a stint at a more corporate restaurant that paid the bills, but didn’t satisfy his creative ambition. Finally, a job at Bontá in Hampton caught his attention, even though he was overqualified.

Why take the job at Bontá?
I wanted to get back into fine dining, and a position opened up as a line cook. I worked there for a night, fell in love with the restaurant, and took a job that was a step down. There was a really great family atmosphere. I felt very valued. Within three months, I was promoted to sous chef. When the executive chef left, the natural progression was for me to become executive chef.

Did you change the menu?
Yes, but a lot of staples have stayed. I have an associate’s degree in graphic design, so I’m the graphic designer for the menu, which is kind of cool. One dish I created for fall is a fried golden beet salad that started as a special and sold like crazy. We roasted and sliced golden beets, put them in buttermilk, an egg wash, and finished with panko before frying.

What’s on the winter menu?
More braised items, comfort food. We braise short ribs with Madeira, and serve with soft polenta and a vegetable. It’s great for winter.

Do you work with many local suppliers and farmers?
As I’ve been in the region over 10 years, I’ve built up relationships with purveyors, like Seaport Fish. I recently took on a purveyor, Coastal Creamery, for all New Hampshire–made dairy products. There’s Barker’s Farm in Stratham. We trade them fresh bread for produce. The most fun I can have with that is specials. It’s tough in the winter; vegetables become an issue. 

Are there any foods you don’t like?
I haven’t found anything yet, but it depends on how it’s prepared. I tried a quince, and made the mistake of biting into it raw. It was disgusting. But we poached it, made a sorbet—we make all our own sorbets and gelatos—and it was delicious.

What do you like to eat when you go out?
As a chef, I hardly ever go out to eat, because I’m always working. I love Asian food. A perfectly prepared sushi platter, that’s one of my favorite meals. Very clean and simple.

Describe your ideal restaurant guest.
It would definitely be a foodie, someone who’s excited about the specials. People that have respect for the product. I love a guest who comes in, sets the menu aside, and says “I trust you, I’ll take whatever you guys throw my way.” Whether it’s a three- or five-course meal, nine times out of ten, they’ll be completely blown away.

What’s the best part of your job?
Making people happy. That’s what we’re here to do. Being the chef of a team with cooks that are great people.

“I cooked my way through college, and just wanted to continue on with it,” says Phelps Dieck, chef-owner of Brazo restaurant in Portsmouth. The Colorado native studied anthropology and religion, and had planned to go to law school until she got a taste of the culinary profession. “I enjoyed the fast-paced excitement of the kitchen, working with all these different foods,” and she opted to go to culinary school instead.

“What I like about cooking,” she explains, “is the end result, when it’s all done. You can take a product and in its raw state it might not be that appealing or attractive, and it can transform itself through the process of cooking.” Dieck gradually worked her way East, attending the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont before landing in Portsmouth. “I always wanted to be on the water, near the ocean.” She worked at area restaurants and as a private chef before opening The Green Monkey in 2003 with a partner, followed by Brazo in 2007. She has since sold her interest in Green Monkey and is now sole owner of Brazo – with plans to open another restaurant in 2012.

At Brazo, she says, “We bring together New England ingredients with Latin flavors.” This was not the kind of food Dieck grew up with. As a teenager, “I would offer to cook dinner for my family, I always kind of enjoyed that,” she says. “I’d make spaghetti and meatballs – my mother’s Italian, so we had to have that once or twice a week.”

However, Latin cooking “is the kind of cuisine that speaks to me most,” Dieck reflects. “The flavors are very fresh, they’re bold, I think that’s part of why I chose that cuisine in particular for Brazo.” She cites chef Francis Mallmann of the restaurant 1884 in Mendoza, Argentina, as a particular influence. “I’ve eaten at his restaurant,” she says. “He does a lot with grilling and different grilling techniques, cooking on the open fire, which I think is very appealing.”

The Fire Grilled Churrasco, a marinated skirt steak served with sweet potato fries and watercress salad is one of the eatery’s signature dishes. Another popular choice is the changing Tapas Platter, with five or six items. “It gives people a chance to try a lot of small different bites,” Dieck explains. “The trend is going more toward smaller plates. People are steering away from the appetizer, entrée, dessert way of eating.” Other appetizer options include Yucatan Style Fish Taco and Mussels with caramelized chorizo and kale. Trends aside, the Seafood and Chicken Paella entrée is very popular (and one of Dieck’s favorites), as is the Tres Leches cake for dessert.

In addition to Brazo, Dieck runs Seacoast Catering, and is planning to open a new restaurant next summer in the market complex at 30 Maplewood Avenue. “It keeps things exciting,” she says of opening another eatery. “I like to do lots of different things.”