Meet the Chef: Branon Mason
By Michael Donahue
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Title: Sous chef at Ciao Bella Italian Grill.
Age: 28.
Hometown: Memphis.
Who or what was your first cooking influence? I come from a cooking family. My mother did a lot of cooking as well as my stepfather. Just growing up around them all the time, homecooked meals. I fell in love with cooking just being around it so much.
What was the first thing you ever cooked or baked? The first thing that I ever made that really made me realize I was really good at cooking was French toast. I was about 17 years old. Me and one of my best friends were just hanging out at my house. We were starving. We didn't really have much in the house. I said, "You know what? I really like French toast, but I've never really made it before. But I know what's in it. I've seen my mom make it." So I just whipped it up. And my best friend was like, "Man, this is like the best thing I've ever had in my life. You should do something with this."
What made you decide to become a chef, and when was that? When I decided I wanted to cook for a living ... a girlfriend of mine at the time told me about the Olive Garden. She said she knew a couple of people that started there and went on to do better things. So I went to their GM one day and said, "Look, I don't have any experience cooking food like this, but I want to be a chef. I think this is my calling. It's what I'm good at. I love doing it." And he let me on the line.
What was your first food-related job? I started at Krispy Kreme at 15.
What was something important that a fellow chef taught you? To be a great cook or to be a great chef is just first be a tremendous line cook.
What is the Branon Mason style? Everything does have a Southern twist to it because of my parents, but I just like stuff to taste good, man.
What do you cook or bake at home, if anything? I like to cook good hearty meals.
What's your favorite food? Grilled salmon.
What's your least favorite food? Liver.
Ciao Bella Italian Grill is at 565 Erin Drive; (901) 205-2500
-- Michael Donahue: (901) 529-2797; donahue@commercialappeal.com
Age: 28.
Hometown: Memphis.
Who or what was your first cooking influence? I come from a cooking family. My mother did a lot of cooking as well as my stepfather. Just growing up around them all the time, homecooked meals. I fell in love with cooking just being around it so much.
What was the first thing you ever cooked or baked? The first thing that I ever made that really made me realize I was really good at cooking was French toast. I was about 17 years old. Me and one of my best friends were just hanging out at my house. We were starving. We didn't really have much in the house. I said, "You know what? I really like French toast, but I've never really made it before. But I know what's in it. I've seen my mom make it." So I just whipped it up. And my best friend was like, "Man, this is like the best thing I've ever had in my life. You should do something with this."
What made you decide to become a chef, and when was that? When I decided I wanted to cook for a living ... a girlfriend of mine at the time told me about the Olive Garden. She said she knew a couple of people that started there and went on to do better things. So I went to their GM one day and said, "Look, I don't have any experience cooking food like this, but I want to be a chef. I think this is my calling. It's what I'm good at. I love doing it." And he let me on the line.
What was your first food-related job? I started at Krispy Kreme at 15.
What was something important that a fellow chef taught you? To be a great cook or to be a great chef is just first be a tremendous line cook.
What is the Branon Mason style? Everything does have a Southern twist to it because of my parents, but I just like stuff to taste good, man.
What do you cook or bake at home, if anything? I like to cook good hearty meals.
What's your favorite food? Grilled salmon.
What's your least favorite food? Liver.
Ciao Bella Italian Grill is at 565 Erin Drive; (901) 205-2500
-- Michael Donahue: (901) 529-2797; donahue@commercialappeal.com
