Brandon Teachout, 27, became executive chef at CRU Café in Newport after working as everything from laborer to banquet chef at Russell Morin Catering & Events.
CRU Café owner R. Russell Morin Jr., gave Teachout that opportunity in late 2014, after Teachout had worked on and off for Morin since 2010. The café opened in April 2015, Teachout said.
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“I’ve always worked really hard for him and whenever I had my chance food-wise to express my skills, I’ve always taken full advantage of that,” Teachout said. “He looks for that and doesn’t let that go unnoticed.”
Born in Clyde, N.Y., Teachout came to Rhode Island in 2009 to study at JWU. Though he didn’t complete his degree, he had different jobs after that besides work at the catering company, including a brief stint as a sous chef at Artistry Kitchen in Franklin, Mass., in 2014.
Teachout embraces French and Irish “heartier, old-school dishes,” recently putting his own take on a Shepherd’s pie by braising pork belly and using nontraditional winter root vegetables and whipped parsnip instead of mashed potatoes.
“We try to make food you can’t get just anywhere,” he said. n
Favorite dish to make: Porchetta (slow roasted pork loin and pork belly)
Dining when not cooking: Faust in Providence
Most admired living chef: Rene Redzepi of Noma in Copenhagen
Why Rhode Island: Unparalleled seafood
