Meet Bill Morales: Chef De Cuisine, Marrow in The Market

Photography by Taylor Higgins

At Marrow Hospitality, our commitment to sustainable, locally sourced dining is brought to life by the vision and dedication of our team. We believe that knowing the people behind your food makes every bite more meaningful!

We recently caught up with Bill Morales, Chef de Cuisine at Marrow in the Market, our newest location in Detroit's historic Eastern Market. Bill brings a humble, thoughtful approach to leadership and a deep appreciation for whole animal butchery and cooking. With a commitment to celebrating local farmers and seasonal ingredients, Bill's culinary vision is perfectly suited to the Market's vibrant community. We talked about his path to becoming CDC, his philosophy on cooking with the seasons, and what excites him most about this new chapter.

What was your path to becoming a CDC? Any pivotal moments along the way?

The path I took to becoming a CDC was a simple one. Show up to work, apply yourself, ask questions, learn as much as you can, and don't be afraid to fail. It's a matter of putting yourself out there, and taking risk and step up when it's time. Pivotal moments are the times when I'm asking myself if I can even do this? How am I going to do this? Then it's showtime and you're in it, and you fight your way through and finish strong. You look back with a sense of accomplishment and know that you're stronger from these moments.

What drew you specifically to Marrow's approach to food?

What drew me to Marrow was their belief in using everything. Having the whole animal be appreciated for what it is. Now that we are in the Eastern Market, it broadens that scope, and we use it with all of the market in mind. We are starting relationships with vendors and farmers and trying to create this all inclusive menu featuring products from this community and showcasing it to our guests. It's something that I find really fun and personal because, for the most part, the people we are buying from are the people that are growing or making these wonderful items.

How do you approach building a menu that celebrates local and seasonal ingredients?

Here at the market, we are a bit spoiled. If we are having a creative block, we have the luxury on Saturday to take a stroll and see what the market is offering. With the atmosphere and vendors, it's hard not to get excited. With a seasonal menu in mind, we can communicate to farmers and be informed with the harvesting patterns and upcoming crop. This is an advantage to us, so we can always have our minds working on the current dishes but also be aware of what's ahead and how we want to feature that ingredient. Also, if the farmer has a surplus, we can try and help them by creating a dish with that crop in mind.

What does cooking with the seasons mean to you?

Cooking with the seasons is as simple as using the best products at the peak of freshness and availability. That's when the flavors, textures and aromas naturally within the produce will shine. It makes my job a bit easier when everything is already delicious.

What's your philosophy on letting ingredients shine on the plate?

Less is more. Of course as chefs it's hard to not want to cook and add because that's a lot of fun. But, when a product is truly great we just want to compliment the product not mask it.

Where do you look for inspiration when you're developing new dishes?

Inspiration can come from the market, yes, but it can also come from my peers around me. I feel that everyone has flavor memories that stay with them, so at times when I'm stuck, I just start talking to people and see what they say. The conversation alone might get the creative juices flowing.

When you're cooking for yourself at home, what do you make?

Often it's something with noodles, not only because it's comforting, but because I have a 3 year old that seems to only like noodles.

What advice would you give to a line cook who wants to move into a leadership role?

Come to work, apply yourself to any task, learn from everyone, take risks, and sometimes fail. Always believe in yourself but be humble. No, it's not always easy, but everyone in this industry was taught by somebody to become someone. If you put your mind to it, you can do anything. If you're feeling uncomfortable when you take a job that you think is too big, just understand that this is the feeling of growth, and the more you do it, the easier it will become. Have fun.

When you're not cooking, where might we find you?

Hopefully you'll find me with my family enjoying the time we have together.

What's your guilty pleasure meal?

I really love pizza but I don't feel guilty.