Chef Michael Alton

Written By: Pat Allen | Issue: 2016/11 - November | Photograph By: Marjorie Christiansen Photography

Interviewing excellent chefs has to be on my Top 10 List!  Getting to know Meritage Bistro Chef Michael Alton reinforced the thrill of my current Laurel beat. 

Sitting in Meritage on a rainy day while the restaurant was closed and listening to his many life changes and travels, this chef is a classic example of Frank Sinatra’s, “My Way.” This, perhaps, has led to his success and eclectic nature.

Growing up in Palm Beach and with a mother successful in the south Florida restaurant business, Michael began his culinary career at age 14 as a prep cook.  His roots led him back to Columbus, Ohio, his birthplace, where he apprenticed for two years before being hired as sous chef at the Confluence Park Restaurant at age 18. Like many others, he had planned to attend the Culinary Institute of America, but the industry had already taken over and hands-on experience proved to teach him what he needed to compete in the culinary world.

Michael’s career spanned from working for General Mills’ restaurant division as a corporate trainer to a host of restaurant and catering company openings, including two of his own.  In 2000 he took the position of executive chef at The Switchback Grill and Trading Company in Springdale, Utah, at the base of Zion National Park. This offered the opportunity to hone his skills in an open display kitchen.  

Michael was hired as executive chef at the Purple Onion in Saluda, North Carolina, in 2003, an experience that would keep him attached to the North Carolina mountains to this day.  

While consulting with a startup restaurant in his 2015 North Carolina season, Michael answered an ad for a “small mountain bistro” looking for a chef. Upon visting Highlands, he was hooked.  He loves the quaintness of the town and the ambiance of the restaurant and his lakeside cabin in the cove. He is delighted that fresh sustainable fish and produce is readily available in such a small mountain town. His creative and thoughtful dishes reflect that on any given day.

Michael returns to Palm Beach, Florida, in the winter, after the restaurant closes at the end of November with a promise of a big April opening next year. In South Florida, he’s a sought-after private event chef whose clientele are Palm Beach and Worth Avenue venues as well as Polo Club and Wellington’s winter equestrian guests. Among other celebrities and a collection of the Who’s Who, one of his highlights was preparing Chicken Salad for Robert Duvall and wife Luciana. 

“Of all the things I could make for them, they wanted Chicken Salad,” he says. “The Cranberry Chicken Salad is on Meritage’s lunch menu today!” 

We will see more wine dinners next season, according to Chef.  His creativity continues to be unleashed. I can hardly wait to see what happens next! He is currently developing The Mobile Angels, a non-profit company focused on disaster victim relief, and believes that hospitality employees are the best suited to respond to these situations because they already do it every day. 

Some of my favorite dishes are the Lemon Chicken Soup and the Deconstructed Paella, as well as Scallop Caponata. Sunday brunch is fabulous!

Michael credits the current success of Meritage Bistro to the vision of owner Andrea Schmitt and sous chef Marcus Henry, a two-tour veteran and friend. Somehow I think Chef has a say in what’s going on, though!