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www.deltalivingmagazine.com
April – June 2014
throughout the years, worked in various res-
taurants to includeWine & Roses in Lodi. He
opened Stooges of Lodi before starting his own
catering company called, Midgley Catering.
Currently Midgley creates many of his own
culinary specialties at Ernie’s Food & Spirits, a
luxury boutique restaurant in Manteca, where
General Manager (also longtime friend and
neighbor) Bryan Soria, has nothing but positive
things to say.
“I’ve known Michael for a long time and
he’s so funny.He’s such a talented chef too,” said
Soria.“I’m happy for him with everything he’s
got going for himself.”
During the second round on Cutthroat
Kitchen, Midgley says opponents swapped out
his knives for knives that were chained to a ball.
Based on the strategy of the show, chefs are giv-
en $25,000 to bid and purchase unique items
to bestow upon another chef, in order to make
cooking more difficult.
“I purchased rubber gloves for one of the
chefs, but she ended up working well with
them!” says Midgley.
Making it to final round three, Midgley had
to bake with a child-sized Suzy Homemaker-
type oven to bake a strawberry shortcake. It
seemed to be the lowest of lows for his final
round.
“Even Alton Brown couldn’t believe it. He
said he would’ve just given up and left,” recalls
Midgley.“I felt like a bull in a China shop!”
Despite all challenges, he won the judges
over with his dessert.
“I was proud to win. It’s amazing to do
something out of those circumstances – it was
pretty extreme,” says Midgley, who emerges
from Ernie’s kitchen to visit restaurant diners
at least once an evening to greet fans. “I try
not to take food too serious. I’m not curing
cancer.When I’m home, I eat frozen burritos!”
Even with four TV shows and multiple
episodes under his culinary belt, Chef Michael
Midgley doesn’t call himself a celeb.
“I wouldn’t call myself a celebrity of any
sorts, because I grew up thinking actors and
athletes were celebrities,” he said. “I went
to culinary school because I thought it was
a school I could pass and I liked to eat and
cook. Now people think they’re going to be
the next celebrity chef on the Food Network.
Most of the great chefs who are famous never
got into cooking for fame, it was just a job.
All of these guys became celebrity chefs by
accident.”
www.midgleycatering.com
www.erniesfoodandspirits.com
All three photographed dishes are served at Ernie’s Food & Spirits in Manteca at www.erniesfoodandspirits.com and
are Chef Michael Midgley’s own recipes, found in his new e-book called,
Mike Midgley 20 Easy Recipes: Awesome
Food Anyone Can Make!
Purchase for $2.99 on Amazon at http://amzn.to/1pDyB0L for your Kindle Reader and Kindle
app. Also available at iBookstore and Barnes and Noble.
Honey Mustard Crusted
Rack of Lamb
Five Onion Soup
Entrée photos by Leena Wheeler
Photo by Charleen Earley