Michael Bergin
Chef de Cuisine | The Salty Pig | Boston
September 2020
Although he grew up on Massachusetts’ South Shore, Michael Bergin’s heart was in Italy, homeland to his Sicilian grandfather. Bergin spent summers with his food-loving grandfather, helping out at the produce company he owned, Noe & Sons. Come high school, Bergin became a dishwasher at a local seafood restaurant called The Lobster Tail, where he worked his way up to line cook. After attending culinary school at Johnson & Wales University, Bergin moved to Washington, D.C. to cook at Kafe Leopold. In 2007, he returned to his home state and became executive sous chef at Boston’s now shuttered Sel de la Terre, followed by a post as sous chef at Chef Frank Mclelland’s L’Espalier.
In 2011, the opportunity to cook as part of Rising Stars alum Missy Robbins’ team at A Voce lured Bergin to New York City and reconnected him with his Italian roots. Following Robbins' exit in 2013, Bergin moved on to Michelin-starred Del Posto. Two years later, Bergin circled back to Boston, where he joined two more Rising Stars alumni, Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette, at Coppa, before opening Daniel Bojorquez’s The Fat Hen as executive chef. In 2017, Bergin took over the kitchen at South End Italian staple The Salty Pig. As executive chef, Bergin showcases modern takes and global flourishes in his exquisite fresh pasta dishes.
