Meet Mike Gambini | Executive Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Gambini and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The biggest contribution to the success we see at North End Kitchen and Bar, Is that the whole team we have bought into our vision and values. We have a strong team that helps one another out and that provide our guests with exceptional service and great guest experience. Creatively, we strive to be different but also strive to be approachable. We don’t want to be the restaurant you go to for convenience sake , we want to be a memory. and we want to be the first place people in Roswell think about when they have a special occasion.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As a chef i’m very inspired by my upbringing; i have very multicultural back ground with my parents being from completely different parts of the world. my mother being from Massachusetts an My father being from Lima, Peru. I was exposed to both cultures as well as being exposed to Mexican culture due to my brothers and sisters being born there and me having lived there as well. I also, am a southerner so between all of that, i enjoy every bit of the diversity of cultures i was exposed to growing up.especially the food. I started working in restaurants when i was 14 and i fell in love with the fast paced environment. i have been cooking professionally for 22 years. Working in restaurants can be incredibly stressful at times and at times; it was very challenging. Ulitmately ,my love and need to create dishes for the masses has won out and drives me.; if i ever get overwhelmed i think about all the things i wanna do and try and it inspires me to move forward.. The biggest thing i have learned in being a chef is it doesn’t matter how good at cooking you are as an individual, if you cant get your team to follow and replicate what you do and how you do it; it means absolutely nothing. The biggest part of being a chef is creating the culture in your kitchen and creating the processes for your team to follow. Our story is all about progressing and wanting to deliver the best dining experience in Roswell.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
i would definitely go to one of the many breweries our city has to offer, Sweetwater, Gate city, Monday Night brewing just to name a few.. Food i would begin on bufrod hwy where there are phenomenal asian, Mexican restaurants . The Battery for some baseball people watching some pizza and beer.. World of coca-cola is one of my favorite museums, also college football HOF. Botanical gardens is great for a stroll.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The staff at North end both front and back as well as the support staff from clean plate. Creatively we are inspired by locally sourced ingredients and a ever changing culinary landscape.. We want to put a great product in front of our guests cause ultimately they are our greatest inspiration for what we do, they inspire us to do better.

Website: northendkitchen.com

Instagram: gambinimike or north_end_kitchen

Linkedin: Mike Gambini or clean plate restaurants

Facebook: North end kitchen and bar, Mike Gambini

Image Credits
Corey Thompson CT Visions Creative Studio corey@ctvisionscreativestudio.com