Milan learned at a very young age he had a passion for hospitality and cooking while preparing a traditional Slovak family meals with his father. What was instilled in his mind was to cook using authentic ingredients and not take short cuts and sacrifice quality. Milan’s parents loved to entertain so the kitchen table or dining room table was always the center of attention and realized creating a “WOW” factor for their guests was important.

A hospitality and food service career spanning 30 years and several Lines of Business, Milan has commanded the respect of employees as well as superiors as he has worked every position in a restaurant from dishwasher to general manger. Having a very high level of expectation and execution Milan has had the opportunity over 3 decades to prepare meals and execute events for such notables as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Joe Piscapo, The Beach Boys, Sean “Puffy” Coombs, 1992 Olympic Basketball “Dream Team”, NY Giants, NY Jets, Barry Manilow and Pope John Paul II just to name a few. His reputation of being a great operator has also allowed him to operate and support several prestigious locations and clients throughout the NYC/NJ markets such Tiffany and Co., Seton Hall University, Fairleigh Dickenson University, NJIT, American Museum of Natural History, Guggenheim Museum, United Nations, Central Park Zoo, Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG Entertainment), Random House Books, Goldman Sachs.

For the last 10 years while working at Aramark, Milan has taken a different career path and has influenced several lines of business from a support role perspective. He has helped the Business Services group as a Marketing Manager, Director of Marketing and LifeWorks Brand Manager. While in these roles he was responsible for increasing sales through successful implementation of core initiatives, developing a segmentation and brand strategy as well as winning new business through innovation and technology. The last 6 months Milan has moved over to the Health Care business to take several of those keys learnings in his previous role and working to develop along with other key individuals a successful platform where the Health Care line of business can be successful.

Milan Galovic BioNational Director of Culinary Health Care, Patient and Retail Dining

What is your favorite part of working with other culinarians and hospitality professionals?For as many years as I have been in this industry and the positions I have held I have a lot to contribute to the team. However, working with different individuals and groups of people I have learned and continue learn a tremendous amount which will contribute to my overall growth and success as well as the organization I work for. I am a firm believer that although I may have been in this industry for 30 years I make it a point to get to know and learn what each function does as you are never too old or too experienced to find a new or better way of doing things.

the interview with Milan GalovicWhat inspired you to choose a career in hospitality? The “WOW” factor inspired me to choose this career. The “WOW” factor is the feeling I give my guests and employees everyday by providing the best possible experience I can give them. If my employees are “WOWED” and inspired that will in turn affect their performance and how they interact and treat our guests. Not only does this apply to my career but it also applies in my personal life as I like to give people the best experience. If someone is visiting my house I will make sure they leave happy

You choose a career in hospitality or became a chef; was there someone who influenced you the most? I have had the opportunity to play on both ball fields (hospitality & culinary). I am certainly a people person and love to entertain so hospitality comes natural to me both personally and professionally. It’s my interaction with employees, customers as well as having great mentors made this a great career and have all equally influenced me. From a culinary/ chef perspective I have to say it was my father, Grandmother and Mrs. Antoinette Frungillo who was a former employer but a very strong mother figure for me. They instilled in me that I should never take short cuts in preparing any dish and all your ingredients should be fresh, of the best quality and as authentic in nature based on the cuisine you choose

the interview with Milan GalovicHow do you support sustainability?Sustainability should be a main focus in everyone’s life this day in age. Best practices should be carried out both at home and at work in order to create good habits. Plus only doing it part of the time may make you seem more of a hypocriteWork – create food programs and instruct people to try their best to cook with the seasons. This day in age we can get anything, anytime but with a cost (gas usage to get the product to you). As our family’s did in the past we should learn to cook as food is available or harvested. During the months that there is no optimal growing season we should use those items we preserved during the warmer months or items that will hold over time – pickles, sun dried tomatoes, beans, grains, root vegetables, etc….Personal – cut back on the disposable usage at home. Use of energy efficient appliances. Recycle as much as possible. Donate unused household items rather than discard in trash (clothing, furniture, etc..), Install motion detector switches to turn off lights after you leave the room, use TV timers to shut off after kids fall asleep. I am lucky where I live as it is very easy for me to support local farmers so I can feel like I am contributing to the overall success of a farmer even if it is the little things by purchasing eggs, milk, produce, and as many meats as possible

If you had one last meal….what would it be? (details please)One of my favorite snacks that I eat quite often would be a simple cheese and charcuterie platter which consists of a cheese (Creamy Gorgonzola, Humble Fog or Camembert), a selection of dried meats such as aged salumi, speck ham, homemade duck breast prosciutto, home-made cured olives and some sort of local honey and fried fruits which those too are made at home using my dehydrator…a fresh baked baguette or semolina bread. I would also partner this up with a nice merlot or malbec wine. And if not that it would definitely be OYSTERS!!!!

the interview with Milan GalovicMy most favorite culinary creation?I have a passion for cooking and each opportunity brings new experiences whether it is new flavors, ingredients, cooking techniques, etc… since I value cooking with the seasons I think I have many favorite dishes that I like to create…for instance in the winter months I love slow cooking and braising meats such as a beer braised veal cheek or short rib served with demi-glace over a parmesan risotto and shaved Brussels sprouts. Spring brings the best of seasonal “first picks” so creating a simple dish of orange glazed duck breast served over white cheddar grits and grilled ramps. Summer I always think about “grillin and chillin” so a favorite of mine would be a grilled tuna BLT served with applewood peppered bacon, arugula and a wasabi mayo on a toasted brioche. Now we get to the fall season where late summer’s harvest has so much to offer with everything from heirloom tomatoes, fresh corn, apples and pears, fresh seafood, meats etc… one of my favorite dishes to prepare would be an herb crusted cedar plank salmon topped with an apple pear chutney served over a potato parsnip puree and spiced red wine sauce

What are some of your hobbies, interests or passions outside of work?I hate to say this but many of my hobbies and passions outside of work relate back to food at some way, shape or form. One of my favorite pastimes is photography. My dad was a professional photographer so I took up the hobby by accident while at work as I like to document all the great food stuff I as well as my teams do. Many of my food photographs are utilized by our sales resource team and included in many sales and customer facing collateral. Some of my other interests that I have experimented with and continue to learn from is beer and wine making. I grew up learning from my father who is from Eastern Europe the art of curing and smoking meats which I continue to do today by making sausages and jerky as well as brining and smoking my own signature pastrami. Being very active in my community I assist and volunteer for many community functions and lead a team of people to prepare and serve food in a safe and orderly fashion during numerous community functions such as New Year’s Eve Gala, Swim Team Banquet, Halloween Party, etc... I also give cooking classes to in my community at our local clubhouse. Something that I enjoyed doing but it fell off the radar was that I had a “Food Blog” and page on FaceBook that documented my work travels and experiences around food; kind of like my version of “Man vs. Food or Bizarre Foods”. When I am not doing something that is food related I enjoy riding my motorcycle and spending time with my children (Austin 9, Reid 5) and wife Casandra by taking in local activities and regional sites.