Popular West Hartford Chef Receives Promotion

WEST HARTFORD, CT — A West Hartford chef has received a promotion with the MAX Restaurant Group, which also announced the new executive chef at Max’s Oyster Bar in West Hartford. The MAX Restaurant Group, which has 11 locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Florida, announced Wednesday the return of a former executive chef to the Max family and another longtime chef getting a well-deserved promotion.

Hunter Morton has been promoted to the newly created position of Culinary Director of the Max Restaurant Group. Morton was most recently Executive Chef at Max’s Oyster Bar in West Hartford. Bob Peterson, formerly Executive Chef at Max Fish in Glastonbury, returns after a few years away from the Max group, to become the new Executive Chef at Max’s Oyster Bar, officials announced in a press release.

“I look forward to working with all our chefs and helping them bring even more creative and fresh ideas to all our menus and ultimately to our guests,” Morton said.

In his new role, Morton will work with all the Max Executive Chefs to support their cooks and Chefs and help evolve their food and menu items. He will also oversee all of the dining aspects this summer during the 11th Annual Max Chef to Farm series of events.

“We have toyed with the idea of having someone in this position for years but finding the ‘right’ person for the job was difficult; someone who is hard-working, understands our culture, makes great food and has the respect of our Chefs and the group,” Scott Smith, VP/COO of the Max Restaurant Group, said. “Hunter has met those qualifications during his thirteen years with the group.”

Morton is passionate about cooking and has always been committed to giving back to the community. In 2010, he was one of the founding chefs at Growing Great Schools, a West Hartford non-profit which helped to introduce fresh, healthy lunch items and overall wellness into the public-school system. In addition, Morton has spent time with students during annual school career days and conducted cooking classes at various schools. Since 2014, he has been involved with Journey Home, a non-profit in Hartford that works to end homelessness in Greater Hartford.

Peterson is happy to return to the Max group and take the reins at Max’s Oyster Bar. His expertise and creativity will help maintain the culinary standards that the restaurant has cultivated over the years and continue to keep it as the “Best Seafood Restaurant,” as voted in a number of recent local polls.

Contributed press release / Image via Shutterstock