Michael Cosenza

A graduate of The French Culinary Institute, his love for food and cooking sparked at an early age and just continued to grow. He has worked in some of New Jersey’s premier dining establishments and landed his first Executive Chef position at the age of 25. Although his approach to cooking has always been modern with global flavors, Italian cuisine is where he feels at home.

A few years ago, he got into the art of making pasta. He wanted something that felt the opposite of restaurant kitchens; intimate, slow, and calming. He fell in love. He dedicated any free time he had to teach himself how to not just know how to make pasta but to be exceptional at it.

Michael Carrino

Chef – Creator – Dreamer – Storyteller

Creator, Chef, and owner of Pig & Prince Restaurant and the renowned French restaurant, Passionné is considered by many to be a pillar of the culinary world, and a staple of the NJ restaurant and hospitality industry. Carrino is known for creating progressive French-centric and Modern American cuisines, utilizing both classical and modern techniques all the while remaining hungry to innovate and expand his repertoire. Chef Carrino currently commands the kitchens at Essex County Country Club in West Orange, staying true to his Garden State roots, Carrino is steadfastly committed to using local and sustainable raw materials to keep his cuisine purely, Jersey Fresh; a direct reflection of the place in which he works, plays, and resides. Chef Carrino also maintains bountiful gardens of his own to use as not only a source of sustenance but a teaching tool for cooks and chefs alike.

A graduate of the acclaimed Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, Carrino embarked on what is now a quarter-century journey starting as a dishwasher/porter and honing his craft in every corner of the kitchen working towards Executive Chef and owner. Carrino worked vigilantly through hotel kitchens in New Jersey, New York City, and Virginia expanding his knowledge in cooking, baking, patisserie, and butchery. Within his tenure, he helped build and maintain four and five-diamond dining status’ for the likes of Benchmark Hospitality International, and the Hilton Corporation before venturing out on his own.

Chef Carrino was inducted into the prestigious society of wine gurus, chefs, hotel executives, and restaurant owners, known as The Chaîne des Rotisseurs, at the impressive age of 28. On a remarkable ten separate occasions, Chef Carrino was invited to the prestigious James Beard Foundation in New York City to present his views and philosophies through food. He was also invited to assist the chefs of Colonial Williamsburg for the 400th-anniversary celebration of Jamestown, cooking for the likes of President George W. Bush, former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton, and dignitaries such as Margret Thatcher and Tony Blair.

Carrino supports local food, education, and civic organizations including the NJ Foodshed Alliance (2019 Volunteer or the year) in which he has assisted in raising over one million dollars in the past ten years for land and farm rescue, the community food bank of New Jersey, Buy Fresh-Buy Local, North East Earth Coalition (awarded 2019 Urban Farmer of the year), and Jersey Fresh to name a few. He is a registered mentor at the Culinary Institute of America and has served on advisory committees for Nutley High School, Newark Vocational High School, and Bergen Community College. Chef Carrino is a fixture as the Culinary Mentor for the Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI) Pro Start Culinary Competition Team. In 2018 and 2019, he helped guide them as State Champions and to earn fourth place in the National Competition.

He also supports local charities including the Montclair Salvation Army where he has prepared and donated over 15,000 Thanksgiving meals over the course of a decade, Vincent Care Kitchen in Nutley, Toni’s Kitchen in Montclair, and has served as a participant and board member for St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Paterson’s Cooking for Kids fundraiser which has raised over one million dollars in donations over ten years for various wards of the hospital.

He has made guest appearances on NBC’s Today Show, Good Day New York, CBS 2 Saturday Morning, PIX 11, ABC Morning Show, Today in New York, LX New York, News 12 New Jersey and has been featured in The New York Times, Bon Appétit, New Jersey Monthly, The Star-Ledger, Inside NJ Magazine (NJ’s Best Chefs 2013), Edible New Jersey (Local Hero “Chef” 2015), Wall Street Journal, New York Post and Zagat Dining Guide and more. He was also declared the winner of Food Network’s inaugural season cooking competition “Chopped.”