Meet the Chef: Paramour at the Wayne Hotel

A chef is only as good as the restaurants he/she has worked at, the palate he/she has refined and the innovative combinations that are floating around in his/her head. A good chef is always on the move, constantly trying to improve his/her cuisine and usually sleep deprived. Chef Michael Giampa of the newly opened at the  is a great chef and was kind enough to answer my questions. I was quite impressed with the newly renovated dining areas (much of the furniture as well as the china is custom made) and his interpretation of "American Fine Cuisine".

Many of the menu items reminded me of the fine dining restaurants I had worked in in California and that was no coincidence. Giampa explained that the majority of the food was on the "healthier, lighter side". That there is an entire crudo section of the menu is quite compelling. Crudo means "raw" in Italian and crudo items usually involve raw fish and various accoutrements.

While there is a steakhouse section on the menu, the meat they use is all natural and he even hopes to begin aging their own beef in-house in the future. All the dishes are made from the freshest possible ingredients and the menu itself will change seasonally.

The restaurant is set up into different dining areas ranging from casual alfreso dining on the veranda to a more elegant experience in the dining room. The bar area has its own menu with share plates designed to be enjoyed while having after work drinks. Whimsical cocktails include cotton candy and salted plum martinis. All dining areas will feature the same lunch menu. The lunch menu will continue to be available at the bar throughout the day while the formal dining room will switch to an entirely different dinner menu in the evening.

What I found the most refreshing to hear was that there is no dress code. Giampa stressed that he wanted his diners to feel comfortable. They deliberately omitted white tablecloths from their table settings so they would not be considered a "white tablecloth dining destination". People may come in and enjoy a killer Napa cab (the wine list is 65% American), mouth-watering steak and delicious crudo but they can do so in jeans. Read below to find out more about the man behind the menu. 

Name: Michael Giampa

Age: 39

Hometown: I grew up in Ambler, PA

Home now: Ambler

Years in the Industry: Since I was 13 or 14 I was washing dishes and making cotton candy and cheesesteaks at the carnival.

First Kitchen Job: My first official kitchen job was a line cook at a clam bar in Atlantic City.

What brought you to the industry? Just cause--it was the only thing to hold my attention.

Did you attend culinary school? Yes, the New England Culinary Institute

Who are your culinary influences? Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Georges Perrier

Advice for Home Cooks: Eat out!

Favorite Thing to Cook: I just like cooking for other people.

Favorite Menu Item: Flatbreads will be the most popular. California style flatbread, best of both worlds. We're using a chaud-froid technique where there are both hot and cool elements on the flatbread. For example we'll have cooked eggplant, oven dried heirloom tomato with ricotta and mascarpone on top of a flatbread but there will also be fresh arugula and shaved pecorino. Another flatbread may have truffled pea pesto, fresh mozzarella and pea shoots. Our food is a little more modern. 

Healthiest Menu Item: Shaved raw root vegetable salad with acai and guava vinaigrette. It's packed with vitamins and minerals.

Favorite Local Restaurant: Rouge has always been my favorite, a. kitchen is good. 

Favorite Restaurant in the World: In St. Maarten, Bistro Nous, it's a shack on stilts but it's the best French food I've had.

Guilty Pleasure (food or drink): Foie gras torchon, pate, salty bacon

Last Meal on Earth: Too hard to nail down!

Cook for Any Celebrities? A lot but the nicest guy to cook for was Mike Tyson. Not only did he tip a ridiculous amount he actually came into the kitchen and shook hands and gave autographs to the dishwashers, prep cooks and line cooks. 

Favorite Food Shows: I don't really watch them.

Biggest Kitchen Disaster: When I had my own restaurant the sewer pipe collapsed in the ladies' room. I had renovated the whole restaurant and the stalls were covered in this nice fabric. Everything was covered in waste. My buddy and I had to tear everything up with a jackhammer and literally spent an entire two days (I didn't sleep) repairing the sewer line and re-doing the bathroom. We managed to finish exactly one hour before our grand opening.