Chef Biography
George Morrone was born in Maywood, New Jersey in 1961 and did a youthful apprenticeship at a neighborhood bakery before moving on to the Culinary Institute where he graduated in 1981.
He then went to work at New York’s River Café for three years before Great Chef Bradley Ogden recruited him to be executive sous chef at Campton Place in San Francisco. Later, he got his chance to be executive chef at the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles, where he cooked for five years to celebrities, A-List dignitaries, and high society.
Chef Morrone returned to San Francisco where his heart is, and opened Aqua with friend and partner Michael Mina, where he held dual roles as co-owner and chef. Great Chefs taped him at Aqua in 1994 for their Great Chefs – Great Cities series.
Later, he helped Chef Bradley Ogden open One Market and then the award-winning Fifth Floor restaurant, and then Great Chef Mark Miller’s new restaurant in Sydney Australia, Wild Fire.
More recently, in 2015, he was going to return to San Francisco’s financial district and reopen Fish & Farm, but that didn’t work out. Stay tuned……
Recipes
Tuna Tartare
Serving: 4 Print Tuna Tartare By Great Chefs November 9, 2015 In this elegant takeoff on classic steak tartare, raw tuna is diced and molded in a ring, then topped with a quail egg yolk and served with toast triangles. Select the chilies with an eye — and a taste bud — for your tolerance […]
Medallions of Ahi Tuna
Serving: 4 Print Medallions of Ahi Tuna By Great Chefs September 26, 2015 Seared tuna medallions are topped with seared foie gras and served with rosti potato wedges and spinach. Marinated portobello mushrooms and a rich red wine sauce add flavor depth. The dish is from Morrone’s repertoire at Aqua, a San Francisco restaurant which […]