Hello, readers! I’m Dan Tartaglia, executive chef of Wegmans Chestnut Hill

Hi, readers, and welcome to my blog series! I will be updating this blog over the next few months leading up to the grand opening of the new Wegmans Food Market located in Chestnut Hill Square on Route 9. With this blog, it’s my hope that I can provide you with some exciting behind-the-scenes knowledge about the new Wegmans store, tips and tricks for the culinary fans out there, various recipes to try in your own kitchen, and general information about our company.

But first, I’d like to introduce myself by giving you some background about how I came to be the executive chef of Wegmans Chestnut Hill.

Cooking has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the Rochester, New York area and began helping in the kitchen when I was only five. My mom came from a family of 10 and was very knowledgeable about making traditional Italian dishes. We made our own sauces and pasta. We ate hearty, and we were always cooking something. I learned a lot from her and thus a foodie was born.

Though I planned to become an electrician after graduating from high school, I soon realized that my heart was really in the food world. I enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, graduating in 1998. That year, I became a sauté broiler chef and later a sous chef at Locust Hill Country Club in Pittsford, a stop on the LPGA golf tour. In 2001, I was named executive chef at the Marriott Thruway Hotel in Rochester. In 2002, I moved to the Brook-Lea Country Club’s kitchen as the executive sous chef and became their executive chef in 2005.

Meanwhile, my brother had been working at Wegmans for 17 years and encouraged me to join the company. In 2007 I did, joining the Wegmans family as a prepared foods sous chef where I helped the brand roll out its sushi program creating new training procedures to keep the quality high at the company’s sushi bars. Next, I became the store chef at Wegmans’ Chili-Paul location in Rochester, and most recently in 2010 was named the opening executive chef for the first Wegmans in Massachusetts located in Northborough.

Now, as Wegmans grows in Massachusetts, I’m thrilled to serve as the executive chef of the Chestnut Hill store where I’ll bring my knowledge and passion for great food to the folks in the Greater Boston area.

In my spare time, I love hanging out with my sons Joshua and Jacob, trying out local restaurants where we continue to immerse ourselves in the New England culture with as many lobster rolls and seafood chowders as we can get. I’m also a big fan of woodworking, cars, fishing and disc golf.

Are you excited for Wegmans Chestnut Hill? Leave a comment below and stay tuned for my next installment all about hiring. Until then, eat well & live well!