My name is Mario Morales and I’m a General Manager and Chef. 

I live in Los Angeles, California.

Traveling the globe based on taste is my favorite thing about being a chef.

Go out and experience the food you are trying to recreate. That’s the biggest food tip I can give.

Penne is my favorite pasta shape.

Pineapple upside-down cake is what I’d eat if I could only have one dessert for the rest of my life.

Double bacon cheeseburgers are my guilty pleasure.

Crushed red pepper flakes are my favorite ingredient.

Tasting spoons are a kitchen tool that I can’t live without.

When I’m not cooking, I play guitar, X-box, and do amateur D-I-Y car restorations.

Joining the Artisan team is the highlight of my career so far.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a heavy metal musician.

My first food memory has to be watching my mother make bread.