Michael Paritsky — Director of Kitchen Operations, Culinary and Development
Role: Director of Kitchen Operations, Culinary and Development Joined: 1992 (inception — one of original 15 employees) Tenure: 33+ years at Blue Ribbon; 40+ years total in restaurants
Career Before Blue Ribbon
- Apprenticeship with Chef Felipe Rojas Lombardi
- Union Square Café — early NYC fine dining
- Great Performances catering
- Chef at sea (hospitality at scale)
- 30-year working relationship with eric-bromberg (predates Blue Ribbon)
Role at Blue Ribbon
Michael’s role is unusually broad:
- Culinary: Trains kitchen staff at every level across all locations; hands-on in development
- Development: Involved in opening new locations — has seen every expansion in the company’s history
- IT/Facilities: Also handles technology and facilities management — a rare combination in a culinary leader
Significance
Michael has one of the longest relationships in the company — 40 years in restaurants, 30 years with Eric Bromberg, and present since Day 1 of Blue Ribbon. His breadth (culinary + IT + facilities + training) makes him a foundational operational asset, not just a chef.
He is one of the original 15 employees. See overview for full retention context.
The 30-year relationship with eric-bromberg before Blue Ribbon (likely predating Nick and Eddie) is the earliest known pre-founding relationship in the leadership team.