Anything but well done—crushin' it with Chef Warren

Crushin' it

Warren Miller, the head chef at Crush Italian Cuisine & Lounge, has an infectious enthusiasm. He combines his passion with persistence and pride by demonstrating care for both his job and its clients. He explains, “It is like we are inviting these folks into our home.” They are a part of the family. Warren considers Crush his homeaway-from-home with the understanding the staff is part of the established culture. He is happy the kitchen is not stagnant, as he constantly grows as a chef alongside the growth of each person around him. Warren’s pride is literally on display through a tattoo of Crush’s logo on his forearm.

Warren grew up, “All over the Bay.” A move to Paradise for high school was a true culture shock at the lack of big malls and amusement parks. Upon graduation, he enrolled in culinary school at Sonoma State University’s sister program at Modesto Junior College. With a degree in hand, he found himself returning to Chico, focusing on upscale restaurants. Early stints were at the Red Tavern; serving as manager of the Chico Outlaws concessions including kids, box seats, and player cuisine; and on the morning crew at Chili’s. He then landed his dream job at Crush and has not looked back.

Warren’s kitchen philosophy is to treat each and every plate as if it is going to the most important person in the room. Be it an order of garlic-cheese bread, White Pie pizza, or a center cut 8-ounce filet mignon—each dish is given the same care and attention. Warren’s ‘go-to’ dish is chicken piccata, ordering the dish wherever he goes to cook and prepare “10,000 of them.” Warren is adamant about preparing the sauce for each piccata dish so the guy at the table by the window gets his sauce prepared the same way as the person on the other side of the restaurant. He simply does not know of anything he would not want or won’t cook, it simply is not in his chef mentality. When pressed, he admitted, “OK, I am not a fan of cooking anything well done.”

We celebrate Warren for a job well done. We wish him the best as he puts a little love in each dish ensuring the value is worth it. We marvel at his tried and tested enthusiasm leading to his eident pride of being the head chef at Crush.