Please join The Grille staff in welcoming David Merrill as Lead A.M. Chef. David brings his cooking talents to Middlebury College Dining following an extensive professional culinary career. Most recently he worked at Basin Harbor in Ferrisburg. David says he was ready for a change now that his kids are grown. Panton is home for David and his family.

David took an early interest in cooking, dipping into the river of food service by helping in a summer camp kitchen. The next step was culinary arts at a vocational technical center in high school. He has stayed with it his whole life. He gained experience in the resort hotel world in both Maine and Florida. After ten years of practical experience in all of the different cooking stations over the years, David enrolled at New England Culinary Institute. From there he went straight to a chef position at a resort on Cape Cod until being recruited by Basin Harbor.

David had some interesting answers to a few light hearted questions:
What is your regular comfort meal?
“I enjoy seasonal foods. In the spring it is fiddleheads and brook trout.”

Cooking is mostly learned from masters. Who did you learn from and what did you adapt from them?
“One year, at a resort, I worked with an all European brigade. I was exposed to a vast array of foreign menus and food items.”

What is the largest number of people you have served at one function?
“2500”

Have the tastes of customers changed over the years?
“The most distinct changes have been dietary restrictions and food sensitivities.”

Come to The Grille soon to say hi and enjoy David’s culinary creations

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