Chef Shea - Article Series

Hi, I am very excited about my newly formed partnership with the Industry Leader in Food Safety--Daymark Safety Systems. My first encounter with Daymark was last year while preparing for the Star Chefs Culinary Congress here in NYC. I was to do a Sous Vide demonstration for attendees utilizing products from major Suppliers that aid in Sous Vide Technology. The name Daymark was brought to my attention, and I remember asking what exactly they represented. I would be using their waterproof labels for my Sous Vide Bags. What a great idea, and to think that I have been using a permanent marker all this time!

Upon finishing my Demo, I chatted briefly with the Daymark People and was very impressed with their enthusiasm toward proper food safety. They had told me that they were coming to CRU for dinner that evening. After a good few hours, a lot of food and of course a lot of wine, I gave them a tour of my kitchen. I recall them thanking me, and at the same time being worried that my kitchen area was not up to snuff.

It was shortly after their dinner at CRU that I was contacted about the proposal to collaborate with them. I couldn’t have been more flattered. I was like, yes, of course! Since our partnership has formed I have learned a ton of new Food Safety information through our partnership and look forward to a future of exciting new things to come. It has truly amazed me how many items and ideas are usable in a single unit restaurant operation. I had envisioned from the beginning that this company was primarily for the chain restaurant industry, not fine dining. I was wrong about that one.

Right now, I am preparing to attend the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago with and on behalf of Daymark. I will be there signing copies of their new book, True Kitchen Confessions, (that we have collaborated on) as well as discussing and focusing on sous vide cooking and food safety in general. The process of getting the book together was a true course in product development, learning and fun. Daymark has an item for just about each and every task possible that is kitchen related. I mean, you have to give credit where credit is due and this company really has gone the extra step in understanding what the needs of the food industry are from their stand point. I say that with fine dining and chain dining in mind. They are really the first company that I have seen that has realized that corporate and multi-unit operations are not the only ones that need attention to handling food safely and consistently.

I look forward to a long and information filled relationship with Daymark, the industry leader in food safety.

A Partnership Begins: Chef Shea Gallante

We're proud to announce a partnership with a great chef, Shea Gallante. Shea s the Executive Chef & Partner of CRU restaurant and wine bar. He will be writing the occasional article, but we're most excited about Shea joining us at the NRA (National Restaurant Association) Show in Chicago this month.

Below is Shea's very impressive Bio...

At the age of 14, I began my career with food working at a pizzeria in my hometown of Clinton Corners, NY. From there I moved on to a “Mom & Pop” Owned trattoria. By the age of 19, after attending Community College, I envisioned a lonesome and boring career in accounting. It was at this point in my life that I decided to open my own pizzeria. While independent, I was still seriously determined to expand my culinary knowledge and skills. Within the year I was accepted at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and envisioning my next dream: to work successfully in a New York City restaurant.

So there it was, upon graduation, on to my first job in New York City. It consisted of a four-hour daily commute to the City’s Coco Opera. My responsibilities had ranged from ordering product and maintaining food costs to managing a restaurant staff, a bakery and my own daily cooking duties. After one year I was happy to rise to the new position of sous-chef.

Longing to return to my native family cuisine, I began searching for the best Italian kitchen in New York. I met the godmother of Italian-American cooking, Lidia Bastianich. I also began experimenting with new techniques in my spare time. I was promoted quickly to sous-chef at the three-star Felidia, but within two years I moved on to David Bouley in 2000.


I’d spent years surrounded by food, but this was a new experience for me. David Bouley dared me to be a visionary, to imagine the end result of the dish before ever lifting my knife. For six months, I studied the complex Chef’s Tasting Menus, recreating each dish, in preparation for my promotion to sous-chef. Four months later, in 2001, I was promoted to Chef de Cuisine of Bouley. While managing Bouley’s kitchen, I explored the avant-garde techniques of the Spanish masters, and my personal style simultaneously began to emerge. A desire for innovation and new challenges motivated me to dream of my own restaurant, where I could showcase my cuisine to New York diners.

And now, today, I am delighted to be the Executive Chef & Partner of CRU. Now, at the restaurant I dreamed of, I work with an energetic and creative staff daily serving guests in a lovely dining room on lower Fifth Avenue. Each day brings fresh challenges and each evening new experiences.

But my key to success is not just what I’ve learned and what I’ve applied, it’s in the strong support of partners and a loyal team. Restaurants succeed when Vendors, Cooks, Servers and Patrons coalesce, everyone contributing what they do best.

DayMark Safety Systems provides the safety net every food service organization requires. Their vision syncs with my standard of always serving safe food. For example my menu nearly always includes the innovative preparation of food called sous vide. This process requires stringent temperature and time monitoring. DayMark knows the importance of tracking proper temperature and time limits in the kitchen and delivered the solution for correctly implementing critical documentation that makes the process work easily, effectively and safely.

That is only one isolated example. Safe operations is crucial in every step in every station for every process and DayMark Safety Systems offers the tools, services and expertise to make sure every kitchen has food safety, personal safety, facility safety and education and training.

Thank you, DayMark for allowing me to assist you with this book. I am confident that True Kitchen Confessions will bring new awareness to all members of the food service industry and is undoubtedly a huge step towards making our world a safer place to eat, work and live.