The Hotel Clarence In The News

Chef embraces Clarence's 'fun' potential

By DAVID L. SHAW / Finger Lakes Times Monday, February 16, 2009

SENECA FALLS — Before he entered high school in Hershey, Pa., Edward Moro knew he wanted to be a chef. “It was my upbringing,” he said. “My Italian grandmother and I would cook a lot together, making soups and bread in the family kitchen. “I loved it so much. I knew early on this is what I would do.”

He cooked at several Hershey restaurants while in high school and after graduating, received top-notch training to the point where the prestigious James Beard Foundation named him one of the best young chefs in the country.

Moro, now 39, is the newly hired executive director of food and beverage at the Hotel Clarence. Having him on staff is another major step in the rebirth of the historic former Gould Hotel in the heart of downtown Seneca Falls. Workers are feverishly converting the gutted, dusty interior into what developers say will be a first-class, 48-room hotel, bar, restaurant, banquet facility and “social hub.” It is scheduled to open in June. While planning his menu, Moro is also working with hotel owners to decide how the gutted, dusty area will be converted into his shining new kitchen and how and when to start hiring staff.

General manager Joachim Ohlin, who picked Moro for the job, got to know him while they worked together at the upscale Mirbeau Inn and Spa in Skaneateles for several years. Ohlin left after four years, but Moro stayed for nine before deciding it was time for change. Ohlin convinced him to become part of the brand new Hotel Clarence experience. “Food and beverage will be a central focal point of the Clarence. The entire main floor is dedicated to that purpose,” Ohlin said. “There is no better person than Ed for this position. He’s one of the top chefs in the country; and I feel he’s the right person for this job. He’s known in the business and gives us instant credibility,” Ohlin said. Moro was known for quality, excellence and value in his food and beverage program at Mirbeau, a four-star, four-diamond hotel that won numerous awards for its food under Moro’s direction.

“What we’re planning with Chef Ed is a casual American bistro, a wide variety of foods at a price where someone can afford to come about twice a week or more,” Ohlin said. “We want it to be a place for special occasions and for dropping in any time. The bar will have a tavern-like atmosphere, with big-screen televisions.” Moro said after high school he earned a European apprenticeship, a highly sought full scholarship program consisting of five years of training in all aspects of food under the tutelage of a Swiss chef.

Despite the name, he was able to do that apprenticeship right at the Hotel Hershey. He began at age 19. When he completed the program, he took a famous chef’s advise and traveled as much as he could. He worked at restaurants in Aspen, Colo., California’s Napa Valley, Oregon and on the East Coast. Moro said he ended up back at the Hotel Hershey at age 28, spent two years there and took the executive chef job at Mirbeau at age 30.

“I loved it at Mirbeau. I was able to create the food and beverage program there. The people there were great. They made that a great experience,” he said. Ohlin interjected that the Mirbeau won numerous state and national awards, plus accolades in the national press under Moro’s leadership. When Ohlin invited him to come to see what was going on with the Clarence in Seneca Falls, Moro said he was eager to check it out.

Besides appreciating his friendship with Ohlin, Moro wanted to stay in this area. He is married and the father of three children. “I liked what I saw. I see us using local produce from the farmers’ markets and places like Sauders [Store]. And there are wineries all over the place here,” Moro said.

What he has in mind for the Clarence is a menu of “fun American cuisine, with a twist here and there. Traditional food like burgers, steak and fish will be highlighted, with techniques such as grilling, slow roasting and smoking employed. “We will be serious about quality and value, without taking ourselves seriously. We want this to be a fun place,” Moro said. While Ohlin talks of Moro being able to put his stamp on the restaurant, Moro said it’s not just about him, that he’s looking for a staff that wants to excel and do its work with passion.“People can learn food skills. We’ll be hiring people with attitude and passion,” he said.

“We don’t want to be the best place in the area, but the best place anywhere,” he said.
A tour of the hotel revealed the upper floor rooms and suites to be framed in and sheetrocked. Once it’s finished, the work will move downward, ending with the restaurant and bar area. The parking lot is also being worked on. The exterior painting and trim work will be the final step. Ohlin said the hotel will likely reopen when the interior is finished, even if the exterior is not completed.

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