Page 20 - The Valley Table - Summer 2020

“It chose me,” the Poughquag native says of his career. “I don’t think I chose it. It was something I always did, so it was something that was natural.”
His drive and intrinsic talent earned him early entry to Poughkeepsie’s Brasserie 292 in 2011, a year before he graduated from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. When Brasserie chef Daniel Crocco left for Mill House Brewing Company shortly thereafter, Margiotta stepped up as executive chef until 2014 when the itch
to do something more struck. Knowing he had much to learn beyond what he could teach himself, he sojourned
in Italy for four months to practice the cuisine of his heritage. Although his visa application to work at Modena’s Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana fell through mere days before he departed for la madrepatria, he hopped on the plane anyway.
“I learned Italian and tried to get into any kitchen I could,” he recalls. “It was very difficult, but it
was amazing.”
Margiotta’s plans abroad didn’t work out the way he envisioned, but they proved integral to the next phase of his career. Upon returning to New York, he landed a job as a cook at Eleven Madison Park, one of the best restaurants in the world.
“It was the most rewarding job I ever had in my life,” he admits. “It’s very rare you work somewhere and you’re learning something new every day.”
18 the valley table aug – sept 2020