Matt Migliore, a 2008 graduate of Greece Athena High School and former Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES Career and Technical Education (CTE) student, went on to Paul Smith’s College and graduated with an associate degree in culinary arts. Since then, he has helped to open Llama Inn in Brooklyn. As chef de cuisine at Llama Inn, Migliore has been running all kitchen operations.
“My time at WEMOCO was a very important part to kick-starting my passion for the industry. Chef Mike Mirabella was an excellent teacher, chef and leader.”
In his spare time, Migliore created a YouTube channel called The Real GoPro Chef, where he visits various kitchens around New York City. His short videos show what it really takes to put out a great dish. That project drew notice from The Food Network, where he was invited to compete on their show, “Chopped.” “Chopped” is all about skill, speed and ingenuity. Chefs have seconds to plan and only 30 minutes to create a dish with a basket of mystery ingredients. Migliore took on three other chefs to win the top prize of $10,000. He was also recently featured on the Cooking Channel show, “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”
“My time at WEMOCO was a very important part to kick-starting my passion for the industry,” said Migliore. “Chef Mike Mirabella was an excellent teacher, chef and leader.”
Chef Mirabella said, “Matt was a memorable student. You could definitely see that he had talent even as a novice chef. His kitchen projects were delicious, his plating was outstanding, but his focus was really remarkable. I am so pleased that he took the skills he learned in our program and continued his career in the food service industry.”
Migliore’s mother, Sandi Migliore, thanked Mirabella for his mentorship of her son, writing in part, “his investment of talent, kindness, motivation and patience paid off for our son.”