Morgan McGlone is a third generation chef who is first and foremost, a food nerd. His favourite book as a child was a cookbook and he would make various dishes from it for his family with his dad providing encouragement from the sidelines.
Starting out at culinary institutions in Sydney including Summit and Luke Mangan’s CBD Salt Restaurants, Morgan moved on and head to the States where started his own catering and chef agency in Los Angeles and New York.
In 2008 he moved back to Sydney and opened his much-lauded french bistro, Flinders Inn in 2009. That same year he co-found the award winning hospitality young guns group, TOYS (Taste of Young Sydney). Moving back to the States, Morgan spent several years working for Sean Brock at Husk in South Carolina, and then as Chef de Cuisine at Husk, Nashville.
Inspired by his time in Nashville where hot chicken is celebrated, Morgan returned to Australia in 2014 and teamed up with business partners, Reno Pontonio and Miranda Campbell to open Belles Hot Chicken in Melbourne’s Fitzroy. Crunchy, juicy chicken is the star of the Belles menu, seasoned with any one of the spice levels which are broken into five heats from southern, medium, hot, really hot or.... really f**kin hot....
In 2015, the trio opened an adjoining sophisticated wine bar, Bar Clarine. Later that year, Morgan, Reno and Miranda decided to bring the celebrated hot chicken to Sydney and opened a nine-month Belles Hot Chicken pop up in the new lifestyle precinct, Barangaroo, which went gangbusters and is now a permanent resident at the precinct. In 2016,they opened three more Belles eateries in Melbourne’s Richmond and Windsor and one in Sydney’s Tramshed’s precinct in Harold Park.
In June 2017, Morgan joined Melbourne-based hospitality supergroup 100 Burgers as executive chef across the 100 Burgers’ portfolio of food trucks and restaurants across Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart and Brisbane. Morgan oversees the menu development, kitchen collaborations and suppliers within the group, and his early influence can be seen on new dishes for American-style burger brand Mr Burger such as popcorn chicken and Mr Chicken burger, which are fast becoming crowd favourites. In March 2018, Morgan and 100 Burgers launched the first Belles Hot Chicken food truck, born from his passion for Nashville-style hot chicken.
In December 2020 Morgan opened his new restaurant concept Sunday Potts Point which is a homage to Rotisserie Chicken and everything great about Sunday’s.
Morgan continues to consult and appear in food festivals nationally and globally.
