WILLIAMSBURG — As a child, Russell Mormon knew he was destined for a career in the culinary arts.
Growing up in Hampton, Mormon first became interested in cooking around the age of 8, thanks to his father and grandfather, who often prepared large meals for family gatherings and church functions.
“I would help my dad with cutting things, cleaning up, grilling and making soups and sauces,” said Mormon. “When anyone asked, I always said I wanted to be a chef when I grew up.”
After graduating from Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, Mormon attended culinary school at Stratford University in Newport News. He got his feet wet while working at a Carrabba’s Italian Grill before being hired as a cook at Colonial Williamsburg in 2019. He’s been the chef de cuisine at Williamsburg Lodge for a little more than a year, helping to oversee the kitchens of Traditions and Sweet Tea & Barley.
“I’ve always had a passion for food and I like to work to make guests happy,” he said. “Working in the kitchen is fun. I love the environment, the sounds of cooking, the heat and making dishes from scratch. It’s all very exciting to me and it’s great when someone enjoys your food.”
This year, Mormon, along with sous chef Tory Fox, is heading up Sweet Tea & Barley’s annual Labor Day Weekend Patio Celebration, scheduled for Aug. 31 from 4-9 p.m. Reservations are recommended.
Justin Haynes, the executive chef at Williamsburg Lodge, said he has no doubt the fete will be a success with Mormon at the helm.
“It’s a privilege to work alongside such a talented chef,” Haynes said. “Chef Mormon has a rare gift for crafting culinary excellence that leaves a lasting impression on our guests. We know that he will curate a memorable dining experience for our Labor Day celebration.”
The menu will include cookout classics such as hamburgers, hots dogs, mac and cheese and baked beans, as well as shrimp, chicken wings, bone-in barbeque beef ribs and a special Octoberfest beer brewed exclusively for the event by Frothy Moon Brewhouse. The unofficial end-of-the-summer celebration will also feature live music and games, including cornhole.
“It will be a good time,” Mormon said. “The guests will love the food. We’ll see to it.”
In addition to the Labor Day weekend event, Mormon is keeping busy prepping the new seasonal menus for Traditions and Sweet Tea & Barley, which will debut in September. Among the new dishes will be the barbeque beef ribs, as well as fresh salads, omelets, a pumpkin-spiced French toast and sweet and spicy boiled peanuts.
“I am still fairly new to this role and I am always working to be better than I was the day before,” Mormon said. “I am working to be a better manager, a better leader, to have better standards, better ingredients and better service so that people will want to keep coming back.”
Brandy Centolanza, bcentolanza@cox.net
If you go
Where: Williamsburg Lodge, 310 S. England Street
When: Aug. 31 from 4-9 p.m.
Prices: $45 for adults, $20 for children ages 3-10
Details: 757-220-7688; colonialwilliamsburghotels.com/events/labor-day-celebration
