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For celebrity chef Marc Murphy, food is more than a career — it’s a way to care for others. Murphy, who built a name for himself through restaurants and appearances on shows like Food Network’s Chopped, is driven to create opportunities for his team.
The food business is addictive, he explains, and that’s because of the outstanding people in the industry. “If you have a great GM or director of operations, and you want to give them a raise, but you only have one restaurant, you can’t do much,” he tells Shawn Walchef of Cali BBQ Media. “So you open another one, and that way, they can move up.”
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That’s part of the reason Murphy has expanded his operation to include restaurants such as The Mainstay by Marc Murphy and Porchetta Sandwich Shop, available at Citi Field. This growth isn’t just about business — it’s about helping employees care for their families and build their futures.
“There’s great people in this industry,” he says. “That’s why I’m still here, and this is why I think most of us do it.”
Although he hasn’t opened a new full-time restaurant in some time, Murphy has found a way to stay connected to his culinary roots without the daily grind.
Each month, he hosts a limited-run pop-up concept called Marc179 at the MM Kitchen Studio event space in NYC. The pop-up allows guests to enjoy a curated prix fixe four-course menu for $75. Guests have flown in just to experience the limited dining event.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” Murphy says. “We get to play restaurant three days a month and meet great people. And after it’s over, we remind ourselves why we never want to open another restaurant again.”
It’s a fun way for Murphy to stay in touch with his customers without the pressures of running a restaurant full-time, a balance that suits him perfectly.
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When not being transformed into Marc179, MM Kitchen Studio is mainly used as an event space. However, Murphy has historically opposed closing his restaurants for special occasions. One memorable instance happened when he held a space in the Time Warner building.
“My banquet person says, ‘They want to rent the building out for after a movie opening because there’s a theater upstairs.’ I said, no, we don’t do that,” he recalls.
Murphy’s banquet manager insisted it was a big-budget event. The negotiations continued, with the offer climbing to $120,000 before Murphy finally agreed. He recognizes that some offers are too good to refuse.
Through it all, Murphy’s journey in the culinary world has been marked by a love for food, a commitment to the people he works with and a healthy dose of humor and practicality. Ironically, that practicality led to his unconventional career as a TV personality on the Food Network.
“I kept doing little things here, little things there,” he says. “And then the Food Network used my space to shoot some stuff. And then all of a sudden, I remember [my] assistant at the time gave me a DVD and said, ‘Stick that in the computer. Watch this pilot. They want you to be on the show called Chopped. It’ll bring people to the restaurants. You go do that show.'”
“[Fifteen years later], I’m still doing it,” he says. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Whether hosting pop-ups or recounting stories from his full-time restaurant days, Murphy remains a chef with a heart for his craft and those around him.
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