INSPIRED BY FIRE AND INGREDIENT-DRIVEN

MORGAN ROBINSON is Chef/Owner of SMOKE: Open Fire Cooking, located in Napa, California. Classically trained, Chef Morgan has more than 20 years’ culinary experience including: restaurants, The Ritz Carlton/Aspen, Bistro Don Giovanni and Domaine Chandon; as well as winery chef positions at Cakebread Wine Cellars and Franciscan Estates in Napa Valley.

Morgan founded SMOKE to create his own catering enterprise specializing in Open Fire Cooking.  Inspired by fire – the Mediterranean roots of rotisserie, grilling and other open hearth techniques – Morgan uses local ingredients and artisan food producers, all employing sustainable practices, to prepare his exquisite menu items onsite at your event, thus guaranteeing their freshness.

Born in Mexico but raised primarily in the Santa Barbara, California. Morgan loved food and cooking from an early age – his first restaurant job was at age 13, and he continued to cook in restaurants throughout his college years. Realizing his desire to acquire the rigorous formal training of a classically trained chef, Morgan pursued an additional degree at the elite New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. A strong side interest in wine led him back to the Napa Valley, where he subsequently worked as a chef for such prestigious wineries as Cakebread Cellars, Domaine Chandon, Quintessa and Franciscan, creating distinctive menus to complement their extraordinary wines.

His enthusiasm for the Santa Maria-style tri-tip barbecue feast unleashed his passion for all forms of Open Fire Cooking, and eventually inspired him to commission a five-by-ten-foot outdoor grill (parilla) with trailer hitch and wheels. The big grill allows him to transport his cooking method of choice, along with the SMOKE team, to specific locations for events catering, from large-scale company parties of any size to private, more intimate celebrations. In addition, Chef Morgan’s years as a winery chef have afforded him ample opportunity to develop wine-pairing expertise with all foods, so you know your menu and wines will be a perfect match.

In April of 2008 Morgan and his wife, Irma, traveled with their young daughter Ariana to South America and fell in love with its New World wines.  The couple, together with business partner Julio Suarez, founded TasteVino Selections, which imports unique wines from family-owned, sustainable vineyards in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.