Chef Bob Gallagher has been practicing in culinary delights with restaurants for more than twenty years. His experience speaks for itself as he has worked with various multi-unit chain restaurants in the United States where he was responsible for concept development and food innovation. During his time in the restaurant industry Chef Gallagher has opened more than thirty-five new restaurants and has been trained as an instructor by the National Restaurant Association for the Servsafe program.
Since Joining Tony Roma’s in 2006, he has made a significant impact in areas across the system including menu engineering, new products and more. Chef Gallagher is always looking to innovate and add new menu items. He is responsible for years of success at Tony Roma’s by creating innovative recipes and utilizing new cooking techniques that are celebrated all over the world. His introductions of trends are well before the industry begins to talk about these trends!
When did you first know that you wanted to be a Chef? I began cooking at 8 yrs old with my grandmother. It was fun and interesting how you could transform ingredients into a great tasting recipe. I cooked for my parents during the summer months in grammar school. I probably didn’t realize it until I was in college, but it was always there.
How do you create the menu? I try to balance menu offerings with flavor, ingredients and price as equally informant aspects. The menu must fit the building and service experience you provide in the operations as well. Orchestration in all these four elements helps to insure success.
How do you accommodate your guests with dietary restrictions? I like to prepare foods with relatively clean, and unaltered ingredients. As a responsible chef, I also must be willing to provide honest information and design plates that can be slightly modified upon request.
Since you spend so much time in your restaurant’s kitchens, do you ever cook at home? If so, what do you make? I travel internationally 50 % of the time because we have a presence in over 36 countries. I live in Florida, so I grill on weekends. I usually cook based on family requests, but some of the dishes include Roasted Poblanos with grilled chicken and Ranchero sauce, sautéed chicken with prosciutto and Madeira sauce, calzones, and baby back ribs; my kids love them. I always cook during holidays, traditional items but experiment with sides and desserts.
What are some of the ‘must try’ dishes at Tony Roma’s? The smoked baby back ribs are delicious and a TR staple. I really think our Smoked Prime Rib is special, delivering a great balance of flavorful beef, smoke and crusted rub. Our guests love the Baked Pizza Dip and has become a top selling appetizer. Our fresh baked Cheesecake has origins from a personal family recipe so I am partial to this dessert, but the Major Chocolate Mayhem always turns heads and provided excitement at the end of a meal.
What is next for Chef Gallagher? Tony Roma’s is an international brand, so we are developing menus for Bangladesh and Myanmar right now. Our international business allows me access to countries I would never had the opportunity to experience, so we will see where our growth takes me.
Check our previous post by following this link: Highlights from Tony Roma’s NEW Fire Grill & Lounge