Bruins Bites: Meet Chef Keith

Bruins Bites, pres. by Star Market, will highlight some of the players' favorite recipes from team chef Keith Garman every week.
BostonBruins.com - Keith Garman has long had a passion for the sport of hockey.
Growing up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, home of the ECHL's former Johnstown Chiefs and the setting for the legendary film "Slap Shot," a love of the game was hard to temper.
"I did grow up a big hockey guy, played all of my childhood and through high school," said Garman. "Big hockey town. Was always around it."
And he still is.

The 31-year-old, now in his second season as the Bruins' team chef, is as entrenched in the sport as he's ever been thanks to a position that blends his two biggest passions.
"I don't know if there's such thing as a dream job, but it's pretty damn close for me," said Garman, whose passion for cooking developed as a kid when he began experimenting with different foods after school while his parents were still at work.
"To be able to bring that full circle…being part of an NHL franchise - and not only an NHL franchise, but an Original Six team, a team that's got a pedigree. You want to be able to contribute to that culture.
"You see the guys striving for excellence every day. You'd be doing them a disservice if you weren't providing them with the right fuel and giving your best to push the envelope on my end. That just speaks to the culture of the organization."
It is that type of mentality, no doubt, that helped him secure his dream job almost two years ago.
After nearly a decade working in restaurants throughout Boston - among them No. 9 Park, Deuxave, Boston Chops, and Alden & Harlow, which garnered several accolades for its excellence while Garman was its Chef de Cuisine - the 2009 graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island believed it was time to take the next step in his career.
Garman jumped at the chance when he saw a Bruins job posting online and eventually was called in for a food testing with Bruins president Cam Neely and TD Garden president Amy Latimer in the summer of 2018.
"I felt like I had hit my plateau in the restaurants and was kind of looking for a new opportunity," said Garman. "I reached out, told them my story, [talked about my passion for hockey] - I don't know if that contributed to the hiring process or not. They loved what I was doing and the rest is history."
That it is.

Garman began his tenure as the Black & Gold's chef ahead of the 2018-19 season and teamed up with Bruins nutritionist Julie Nicoletti to formulate a menu that would provide the players with an optimal diet plan on a daily basis.
"Obviously, Julie and I have an established umbrella from a nutritional standpoint of what we want to provide for the players," said Garman, who works primarily out of a state-of-the art kitchen inside the Bruins training facility at Warrior Ice Arena, providing the players with breakfast and lunch on practice and game days.
"Within that is kind of where I get to have a little fun where I can get creative with providing the different aspects in terms of variety. That's part of the challenge of it. We have a wide range of age groups, we have a wide range of body types, we have a wide range of personal tastes and national tastes and things of that nature. That's kind of been a fun thing to play along with as we've gone on."
With almost two full seasons - and a run to the Stanley Cup Final - under his belt, Garman has become an expert on the needs and preferences of each player. Nevertheless, he still tries to push the envelope, which is far easier now that he has gained the team's trust.
"They're great about giving constructive feedback from that standpoint," said Garman. "We just try to keep it as organic as possible, as wholesome as possible, and use high-quality ingredients. They're just great guys to work with in terms of being flexible if I try to do something new.
"They're creatures of habit, their routine is very important to them. I respect that. We get to have fun here and there, but we try and keep it as disciplined as they want to be too."
Ultimately, just as the Bruins do on the ice and in the dressing room, Garman's highest priority is building a culture and a foundation in the kitchen that the organization can be proud of.
"The younger guys that are coming up through the system kind of already have a blank slate to work with because they haven't really been around long enough to establish their own personal routine," said Garman. "They've been following our direction, whereas you have guys that have been part of the organization for a lot longer and they kind of already have their habits. We're kind of finding a happy medium for them as well.
"We're just building the trust between them and having open dialogue and building from there. They're all very open and they know what they need. We're able to communicate constructively and friendly about meeting everybody halfway."
For Garman, that also includes creating a welcoming and relaxing environment.
"While we want to contribute to their success from a nutritional standpoint," Garman explained, "ultimately the kitchen is a stress-free place for them where they can kind of come in and relax for 20 minutes, half an hour…they don't have to worry about the day-to-day grind. They can feel good about coming in, eating some good food, and taking the stress out for a little bit."
With proper nutrition and training as important as it's ever been for a professional athlete, Garman has become a vital piece of the Bruins staff. It is not a responsibility he takes lightly.
"I've been in Boston 10 years, this is my home now," said Garman. "Working with the organization, you're part of that success and you want to contribute as much as you can…obviously being able to go all the way to the Finals [last spring] and being a part of that was just an experience that I'm super grateful for.
"If anything, it's more of a driving factor to want to keep elevating my skills and elevating the program that we do there on a day-to-day basis. You want to do your part to get back there and you become part of the group now.
"They've gone from being guys that you looked up to now extended friends and family and you want to take care of them."