BY JENNIFER CROWLEY
During the day, Scottsville resident Dr. Dan Murray helps shape the minds and future careers of students receiving services through the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership. As the Director of Programs for the organization, which is part of the BOCES network, Murray has oversight for services offered in the areas of Alternative, Career & Technical and Special Education.
But come nights and weekends, Murray, who holds a Doctor of Education, can usually be found in his newly renovated kitchen, sharpening cooking skills that started to emerge when he was only a child. From this passion emerged *Dr. Chef Dan,* Murray’s private cooking endeavor. Over the past few years Murray has gained significant exposure for his culinary talents. Locally, Murray has been a featured chef at several food and wine festivals. On a national basis, in 2016, Murray was a featured on an episode of the Food Network series “Cooks vs. Cons.”
Murray’s interest in cooking started to percolate as a youngster and only intensified over time. When it came time for him to decide what to study after graduating from Mount Morris High School, Murray chose to major in psychology. “You know, it’s interesting because back then, in the early 1990s, there were no celebrity chefs. Cooking wasn’t looked at as anything glamorous or a real career choice,” explained Murray. He added that if he were growing up today, he would absolutely study the culinary arts through the type of career and technical programming offered through BOCES.
Murray’s primary cooking interests lie in unique variations of classic American style fare. He credits his grandmother with instilling his love of comfort dishes. “We went to her house every Sunday for dinner. She didn’t have a ton of means but could buy a simple cut of meat however that she would flavor and cook, both the smell and taste were just remarkable to me at the time. I look back and am in awe of what she could do with food,” explained Murray.
By the age of 12 Murray had mastered the art of wok cooking thanks to watching many episodes of Wok with Yan. It wasn’t long before Murray was regularly cooking dinner for his entire family, a role he cherishes today for wife, Elizabeth, and their daughters. “I love to take dishes that are familiar to people and just change them up a little bit. I’m not big into complex or exotic recipes that take hours and hours, I just don’t have the time to get wild,” he chuckled.
When asked about the dish that gets the most compliments, he replied without much hesitation: butternut squash pear bisque. “People hear I am making the soup and send containers to my house asking me to fill them – our friends just go nuts for it,” he added.
The Murrays have lived in Scottsville for 17 years. If his name is familiar to residents, it may be because Murray was once a middle school principal in the Wheatland-Chili school district. Two years ago the family moved to a new home in the village – one that was in dire need of a modern kitchen. “It was fun to design a functional cooking space from scratch. Today the kitchen is the biggest room in our house. It is an open area with a lot of counter-space. That was key for me, a lot of open area to work on away from all of the small appliances and other things that take up room.”
In addition to offering private cooking services and cooking demonstrations, Dr. Chef Dan also hosts a blog sharing some of his favorite restaurants and recipes. An avid football fan, Murray started a regular football-themed dish and subsequent weekly write-up tied to his favorite fame of the week, usually featuring his beloved Buffalo Bills. His dish from the day of the Bills playoff game was a hearty pot roast, a meal that ultimately comforted Murray after his beloved team couldn’t find a win that afternoon.
With the Super Bowl only days away, Murray has started to put his attention on what dishes he will prepare when New England and Philadelphia face each other. Given his loyalty to the Bills, it is no surprise that Murray doesn’t have a lot of love for the Patriots and has instead been focusing his culinary creativity for dishes inspired by the Eagles hometown. “I will either do a Philly cheesesteak or the other quintessential Philly sandwich which is sliced roasted pork with garlicky broccoli rabe.” He reluctantly admitted that maybe a lobster roll would make another good dish for the big game.
To learn more about Dr. Chef Dan’s personal cooking services, and to find out what he ultimately decided to whip up on Super Bowl Sunday, check out www.drchefdan.com.
