Photos of One Genny Head Chef Rory Murray, wife Ashley Murray, and daughter Saoirse Murray. Provided by and distributed with permission by Rory Murray.

Our Neighborhood Spotlight: Rory Murray, Head Chef at One Genny

Now more ever, it’s important to get to know to the chef at your local restaurant.

Approximately 34% of Americans visit casual dining restaurants once a week (Gitnux). Now, “dining out” is another way of “eating in” with delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash.

Since a historic height of people eat at restaurants on the regular, we ask who’s feeding them? There may be a chef who has made you dinner more times than your mother packed you a school lunch.

Rory Murray is Utica’s One Genny head chef. He prides himself on his relaxed and controlled attitude amidst a high volume of orders. The standard he has for his food is somewhere between “practical” and “perfect.”

Rory has been with One Genny since they opened in 2018.

He moved up from being a line cook. Co-owners Herb Inman and Mike Grande quickly saw Rory’s dedication leading to his first promotion within a couple of months. With consistency and hard work, he eventually became the head chef.

He retained some of what he learned from his Bachelor’s study in Chemistry at SUNY Oneonta.

There’s a clear relationship between chemistry and cooking. High school Chemistry teachers tell students to ask their parents to pass the sodium chloride (salt) over dinner! Otherwise, cooking and chemistry go together in Breaking Bad.

In reality, everyday chemical reactions use heat or acid to break down proteins. Frying an egg or marinating chicken in lemon juice, for example. For his craftsmanship, Rory applies what he learned from an Organic Chemistry teacher. “You don’t memorize, you understand.”

Rory continues to refine his craft. He repeats every recipe until it’s second nature.

The switch from Chemistry to cooking “caught everyone off guard.”

But his family was very supportive.

The transition began when he took his now-wife, Ashley, out to eat for their first date.

He didn’t want to seem like a picky eater, so he tried some foods that he normally wouldn’t. He gained a newfound appreciation for them. Ashley fostered his curiosity, showing him the work of traveling food journalist Anthony Bordain. Rory had also taken on new responsibilities: cooking for himself in his apartment and working at the school’s dining hall.

These days, Rory’s cooking is at another level!

Even with all the professional cooking he does, he still enjoys cooking at home for his family.

Rory is always getting creative with food. One Genny releases a special menu every week with 5-7 limited-time items. Choices reflect seasonal produce and what “comfort food” would best fit the weather.

“We try to be a reflection on a little bit of everything,” said Rory.

One Genny has some of the Utica staples, like greens and riggies. But they also try to sample food from all over the world with dishes that are Mexican, Cajun, Italian, and Irish.

“The actual cooking is the easy part,” said Rory, explaining that being a chef is a great form of expression for him.

He has camaraderie with his teammates, and he feels accomplished after a busy night. He enjoys learning and leading a team, but it is a demanding role. There can be challenges keeping staff and pleasing everyone.

On top of that, he dedicates his busiest hours to everyone else’s leisure.

People like to go out to eat on their down time and on special occasions.

But he doesn’t mind making accommodations, such as by fulfilling requests for substitutions. If he can do it, then he will. That’s his spirit of service.

Other than cooking, Rory focuses on providing for his family as a husband and a father. He also loves music. Of the many instruments he plays, trumpet is his best and he enjoys One Genny’s live music.

The dream is to have his own restaurant one day – a farm-to-table pub with a small menu and in-house brews.

For now, if you want to support Rory, then you can best do that by eating at One Genny!

And when you go, “consider everything that goes into getting that plate onto the table.”

From washing dishes to maintaining kitchen equipment and driving trucks full of goods…“There’s a whole ecosystem,” explained Rory. “It takes a lot of people to make the world go round.”

About Cheyenne Dorsagno

Cheyenne Dorsagno

Cheyenne Dorsagno is an Italian-American born and raised in underdog Utica, NY. She studied English at SUNY Oneonta with a minor in Professional Writing and an Editor-in-Chief role at the newspaper. Currently, Cheyenne strives to make our big world a little smaller by introducing locals to their neighbors via human-interest pieces shared on her blog, Our Neighborhood. She’s pursuing creative writing in her free time and various freelance writing in her professional time, such as by copy-writing.

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Cheyenne Dorsagno

Contributing Author

Cheyenne Dorsagno is a wonderfully talented writer and contributing author on Mohawk Valley Today. Cheyenne highlights artists and creatives along with culture and trends that are happening throughout the Mohawk Valley. She brings her positive energy to everything she does.