Oct. 4, 2024 – Whether it’s restoring a 1975 Corvette to its glory, logging more than 2,000 miles on his new Harley in the last few months, instructing and mentoring young culinary students at Guilford Technical Community College in Jamestown, North Carolina for the past 21 years, or transforming a block of ice into a beautiful work of art, Chef Alan Romano lives life to the fullest. But he definitely paid his dues along his journey to success. During high school, he worked as a dishwasher at a restaurant outside of New York City. Similar to many chefs who begin their careers at a sink, during downtime while washing dishes, Alan closely watched the chef create magic in the kitchen. Alan stayed with it. “I did every job in the place.” And then he concluded, “This might be something I want to do,” Chef Romano, CEC, CCE, AAC and Chaîne member, said to Chaîne during a Sept. 11, 2024 telephone interview.
By the time Alan finished high school, he had a few years of restaurant experience. He continued working at the restaurant steadily gaining responsibilities there while also attending classes in hotel/restaurant management at a local community college. Ultimately, the restaurant’s owner placed his full trust in Alan to competently perform any task required in both the front and back of the house.
Upon graduation from community college, he applied to, was accepted by, and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). With a CIA degree in hand, he had the golden ticket for his professional career. “I got a lot of opportunities right after that,” he said.
In 1984 when he was 23 years old, he accepted a position with Bear Mountain Resort, located about 50 miles north of New York City. Just three to four weeks on the job, ARA Services, the restaurant’s management company now known as Aramark, asked Alan if he would like to go to the Summer Olympics being held that summer in Los Angeles. A sous chef who was supposed to go could not because of an injury. Alan replied: “Hell yeah, why not?”
Alan and four other chefs crisscrossed the country to feed volunteers for the Olympic Torch Run. An 18-wheeler became a mobile kitchen and dining car. “I was gone for about two months. It was one of the coolest things. I had never been out of New York. I had never been on a plane,” he said.
He realized that although New York City was a melting pot, there was a huge country to discover outside of New York defined by different cuisines and dramatically different landscapes. The beauty of the South made quite an impression on him, an impression that he tucked away for a few years. “Boy, it’s really pretty down here. That’s how I ended up in North Carolina. I never thought I would want to leave the Tri-State area but it opened my eyes to a lot of things. It’s like I woke up,” he said.
By 1987, Alan was the Corporate Executive Chef for Citibank offices in White Plains, New York. Life was good with nothing but clear skies and clear sailing. However, the fast pace of the nation’s financial center does not discriminate in good times or bad times. Following the economic turmoil in 1987 when the stock market crashed, thousands of people working for Citibank were laid off in the blink of an eye. “We went from feeding 5,000 to 8,000 people per day and went down to nothing,” he said. He decided he needed to leave New York.
He moved to Danville, Virginia to work at a large hospital, a safe bet immune from Wall Street gyrations. Homes were more affordable and the terrain was beautiful. “I was living like a king,” he said.
A few years before his move to Virginia he had started carving ice when the chef for whom he was working asked him if he knew how to do it. Alan said yes because he had one day of training as part of his CIA coursework. Alan was told to carve something for Thanksgiving. So he went to the basement freezer and carved a cornucopia. Passing the test with flying colors, his supervisor then told him to carve a turkey. Looking back on that turkey, Alan said it wasn’t very good but since it did resemble a turkey, he was off and running as an ice carver, a skill he honed that eventually drew attention from Hollywood.
Bermuda Run Country Club in North Carolina
While working in Virginia and competing in an ice carving competition in North Carolina, a representative from the Bermuda Run Country Club near Winston-Salem offered him a job. Alan said: “You don’t even know if I can cook!” After an interview with the club’s General Manager, they made him an offer he couldn’t refuse so in 1991, he moved to North Carolina.
A fascinating world was about to open up to Chef Romano as he met and cooked for a lot of celebrities while serving as the Executive Chef at Bermuda Run. In 1937, Bing Crosby (1903-1977) launched the Bing Crosby Clambake Golf Tournament at Pebble Beach in California that paired Hollywood stars with pro golfers to raise money for charity. In 1986, the tournament moved to Bermuda Run.
Bing Crosby passed away in 1977 before the move to Bermuda Run. But Bob Hope (1903-2003), Crosby’s good friend and avid golfer, celebrated his 90th birthday at Bermuda Run. Alan made a cake for him. “When I mention Bob Hope, a lot of people don’t know who he is. He was one of the greatest comedians.”
Yogi Berra, the famous catcher for the New York Yankees from 1946 to 1963, participated in the golf tournaments as well. Alan said Yogi was one of his idols. Famous for saying “it ain’t over till it’s over,” Alan said Yogi would say that often. “He was so cool. Yogi was the best,” Alan said.
Charity golf tournaments attract star power even if the star does not play golf. Alan humorously remembers when Oprah Winfrey came to a tournament. Alan asked her what she would like for dinner. Because Alan and his team were feeding thousands of volunteers and about 100 celebrities, he had hamburgers grilling outside. Oprah told Alan she would love a burger and fries. He thought she would want something a bit more elevated but he told his sous chef and line cooks to prepare the meal.
Without thinking, one of his cooks used oil in which 200 pounds of catfish had just been fried to fry Oprah’s french fries. When she ate them she told Alan the fries were the best she’s ever had and wanted to know his secret. Alan replied he could not tell her, a deeply guarded secret!
“I’ve been very lucky to meet a lot of celebrities,” he said.
Chef Instructor at Guilford Technical Community College
But the thrill of serving celebrities never went to his head. While attending a local American Culinary Federation (ACF) meeting soon after he began working at Bermuda Run, a professor asked him to teach a class at Guilford Technical Community College. “I can’t teach. I can’t do that,” he replied. Recognizing how students would bond with Alan, soon Alan was teaching one class per semester. “I really liked it,” he said. In 2001, he became a full time chef instructor.
Entrepreneur
Alan left Bermuda Run in 1999 to open his own catering and ice carving business. He accepted a job at a retirement home during this time to support his entrepreneurial quest. What surprised him was how fast his ice carving business took off and how profitable it was. His geographical location again served him well.
In the late 1990s, ice carving was just becoming popular in the South. With his location in North Carolina and years of experience as a carver, he was soon carving sculptures for NASCAR drivers, including Richard Petty and Richard Childress. “I did so many events for NASCAR. I didn’t know anything about NASCAR. I didn’t know anything about golf either. But I learned,” he said. Because of the demand and his talent, Alan said he made more money doing one ice carving than catering two to three events.
Hollywood even came calling. The production company for National Lampoon’s Pucked, a 2006 release starring John Bon Jovi, hired Alan as a technical advisor to create 30 ice sculptures for scenes in the movie. He also has a brief cameo in the film, definitely not something he dreamed possible when he was a high school student washing dishes.
With his high profile professional culinary career, Alan has been a local celebrity chef for years and still appears for cooking segments on local television stations two to three times per month. “It’s fun. I enjoy doing it.”
Even with his busy schedule past and present, he sets aside time to give back to students, veterans, and his community. “I have a deep respect for the military and the sacrifices they make for us. My father was a Korean War veteran, and while I never served myself, I’ve always felt compelled to give back in some meaningful way. To that end, I’ve had the privilege of helping certify over 100 military personnel from all branches through the American Culinary Federation. These certifications, at various levels, support their professional development and recognition. I frequently travel to Fort Greg Adams in Virginia, the Pentagon, and Homeland Security in D.C. to proctor certification exams and conduct training sessions for proctors, enabling them to certify others within their own ranks,” he said.
Reflecting on teaching and running a business at the same time, Alan said: “I did both forever, until last year.” He sold his ice carving equipment last summer and will soon have shoulder surgery because of the wear and tear he endured using power tools to carve blocks of ice for many years. “But I still love it. You get that WOW factor. It kind of blows people away,” he said.
One can easily wonder if Alan ever sleeps. In addition to his successful professional career, 13 years ago he bought a 1975 Corvette to rebuild and restore. Especially busy in the last five years, coincidentally one of his students worked at a machine shop. Alan became his student at the shop learning how to rebuild his engine, installing new pistons and many other tasks for the total engine overhaul. When completed, he experienced the thrill of starting the engine for the first time, similar to NASCAR drivers receiving a new car from the shop.
“I fired it up. It was like music to my ears being fired up. It was so cool,” he said. He often takes it to car shows and has more than a few trophies at home, including Best of Show. But that is not what motivates him. “I don’t go there to win trophies. I go there to have fun, meet people, feel the cars,” he said.
He has been a car and motorcycle enthusiast his entire life. In March, he bought a new Harley to add to his Harley he has been riding for the past 26 years and rode to Sturgis, South Dakota a few years ago. When he retires, he would like to take a cross-country trip with some of his motorcycle buddies.
Three years ago, Chef Reimund Pitz, Conseiller Culinaire des États-Unis, recruited Alan to join Chaîne’s Orlando Bailliage. “Reimund was one of my mentors when I was competing 20 years ago. We’ve been friends forever. I respect what he does. He’s all about giving back and helping students,” Alan said.
Alan was a kitchen judge at the 2024 National Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs competition in Seattle and the 2023 competition in Madison, Wisconsin.
Wherever and whenever Chef Romano is needed, he is there. In a follow up telephone call on Tuesday, Oct. 1, Alan described the devastation that Hurricane Helene caused, particularly in Asheville, North Carolina. He and other chefs, and public volunteers, are developing a plan to help get food to victims in and around Asheville. The effort is being coordinated with the VFW and the North Carolina Food Bank. Volunteers reacted quickly. “Right now it’s good ole boys with pick-up trucks delivering supplies,” Alan said.
He is torn because he has a commitment this week to teach an ACF certification course in Cleveland, Ohio. He knows those chefs are counting on him so he will honor that commitment. “It’s going to be a long process working on hurricane relief efforts,” Alan said.
Culinary Industry Future
As he looks into the future, he sees challenges in the culinary industry in a number of different areas, challenges that are echoed by chefs from coast to coast. Culinary students are seeking instant gratification and the idea of paying their dues is a bit foreign to them. “Everyone wants to be an influencer on TikTok and make money that way,” Alan said.
While he has watched culinary trends come and go for many years, he believes people want the basics. “It’s the simple things. You take your local ingredients, your fresh ingredients and work with those. Use the best of the best and cook it simple. It’s delicious. That’s what I think people want,” Alan said. If one word could define Alan it would be “classic.”
He offers advice to his students to expand their horizon beyond the digital world and immediate fame and fortune. “I tell students they have to find their niche in culinary whether it be baking, garde manger, wine, sales, marketing. There are so many different facets. Mine was ice at the time. A lot of chefs don’t do ice. It was something different, my niche,” Alan said.
“Classics never go away, whether it be classic cars, classic motorcycles, classic art, classic food. It’s not going anywhere,” Alan emphatically said.
Just imagine the fun to be had featuring a classic culinary feast at a classic car show!
Featured image: Chef Alan Romano (Photo credit: Carrie Lilly/Guilford Technical Community College)
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