About Kelly G. Mullarney
Critically-Acclaimed Chef
International Concept Advisor
Bruxie Co-Founder
Ironman Triathlete
Kelly G. Mullarney, the founder and principal of Chef Innovations, Inc., is a sought-after culinary business advisor who leverages his 40+ years of restaurant-industry experience to launch successful concepts and operations around the world.
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An inclusive leader who is linguistically agile, Kelly is an expert at collaborating with international stakeholders to create culturally-attuned menus, service models, and dining spaces. He has completed projects in Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Ireland, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Thailand, and the United States. Select projects include the first stand-alone Nutella Cafe in the U.S. and training chefs in Bangkok and Chiang Mai in collaboration with the Thai Royal Project and Marinelli Shellfish, a pioneer in sustainable seafood. Kelly is a mentor to many, and is honored to help others find happiness, passion, and purpose in their work.
Kelly co-founded Bruxie in 2010, the gourmet waffle sandwich concept served from a corner walk-up stand in Orange, Calif. He is the brand visionary and designed the menu featuring frozen custard shakes and the original fried chicken and waffle sandwich with chili honey glaze and cider slaw. Bruxie was an immediate hit. Jay Leno mentioned it in his monologue on the "Tonight Show,” Food & Wine raved "Best New Sandwich Recipe in the U.S.” (2017), and USA Today called it one of the "Best Fried Chicken Places in America” (2019). Investments from Bill Allen, Paul Fleming, Tommy Chua, Gordon Miles, and the private equity firm L Catterton led Bruxie to expand to new markets. In early 2020, Bruxie had seven locations in the U.S., two in South Korea, and one in India, but all were shuttered during the pandemic. Today, TCGM Holding Company LLC owns Bruxie, and four locations are open with others in development. Kelly continues as the company's chef, and owns and operates the Brea, Calif. location as a franchisee.
In 2000, Kelly worked with businessman John Shanahan to transform an 18th-century Dublin townhouse into an American-style steakhouse. Kelly partnered with Irish farmers and the Irish Aberdeen-Angus Association to design a feeding, tracing, selection, and aging process to ensure optimum marbling, tenderness, and concentrated beef flavor for the highest quality meat offered to guests. He worked with stainless steel fabricators in Ireland and equipment manufacturers in Italy to design the kitchen to fit the townhouse's historic space. He built a wine cellar of more than 5,000 bottles and trained the staff to deliver world-class service. Shanahan's on the Green opened on June 2, 2000. The Irish Times would later report, "the maitre d' had come straight from Monte Carlo, and he conducted the dining room so that everything seemed to glide on gilded castors. The sommelier was a living encyclopedia of Californian wines. The waiting staff were as calmly and quietly professional as a surgical team. And the food was simple, flavoursome and detailed."
Previously, Kelly served as the GM and wine director at Michael Jordan's One Sixtyblue, attaining the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence and a four-star rating. He was also the director of operations for Chicago's House of Blues overseeing the main- and small-stage events serviced by a satellite kitchen, a fine-dining restaurant, and the famed weekly gospel brunches.
Earlier in his career, Kelly was the executive chef and partner of the LA-based King Seafood Company restaurants Clearwater Cafe, Water Grill, i. Cugini, and Ocean Avenue Seafood. Kelly's cioppino recipe was awarded first place by the Los Angeles Times, and his team was recognized as "Restaurateurs of the Year" by the California Restaurant Association. Kelly is particularly proud of the Clearwater Cafe earth- and family-friendly concept which he helped birth, and one that was ahead of its time: a vegetarian menu, organic offerings, sustainable seafood, environmentally-conscience packaging, U.S.-sourced spring waters and microbrews, and restaurant artwork designed by local elementary school students. Currently, Kelly is a King's Seafood Company shareholder.
Kelly enjoyed three tenures at the Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant in Coalinga, Calif., one of the first and largest "farm to fork" dining destinations in California, a leader in sales volume and meals sold among the state's independent restaurants, and one of the largest agribusinesses in the nation. At age 14, Kelly was a busboy and waited tables. Within months he talked his way onto the line for Sunday brunch, intrigued by the speed, intensity, and choreography of the kitchen. Owners Jack and Ann Harris were so impressed by Kelly's work ethic, passion for food, and command of the kitchen, that they encouraged him to apply to the top culinary programs in the country and then awarded him the inaugural Jack A. Harris Memorial Scholarship. Kelly's second tenure at Harris Ranch was after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. He was named the executive chef and designed two additional Harris Ranch kitchens–for the banquet facility and room service–as the business expanded to become a premier wedding and event venue. His third tenure was as the director of food and beverage after working for the King's Seafood Company. Kelly immersed himself in the study of wine, building an acclaimed wine cellar and crafting private-label varietals to complement signature Harris Ranch dishes. It was during this time that Kelly was selected to cook at the James Beard House in NYC, inviting his team to join him for an unforgettable shared career milestone.
Kelly is frequently featured in international, national, local, business, and industry press, including Bloomberg, CNBC, the Nation's Restaurant News, QSR, and The Washington Post. He has appeared on the Travel Channel's "Man v. Food" and the Cooking Channel's "Junk Food Flip,” and has been interviewed live and in-studio to promote restaurant openings and special events. Kelly sat down recently for an in-depth conversation with Eric Cacciatore of the Restaurant Unstoppable podcast to share his story and inspire future restaurateurs in the episode "707: Chef Kelly Mullarney On Adaptability, Evolution, and Open-Mindedness.”
Kelly earned his associate's degree from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. His CIA internship was at Oregon's Salishan Coastal Lodge in the property's five-star dining room.
Kelly is on the advisory board for Lume Six, an apparel company offering sports bras made from recycled materials and founded by a developer of technical and performance apparel in the cycling and snow sports industries. In 2022, Lume Six was named one of four finalists in the Moosejaw Outdoor Accelerator and an editor's choice by Outside Magazine.
Kelly is a proud member of numerous athletic communities that lend their collective thought and actions to environmental and charitable causes. Kelly was a volunteer scuba diver for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, helping restore the abalone population by outplanting and monitoring seedlings in the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. For more than a decade, Kelly has served as an organizer, cyclist, and leading fundraiser for the Orange County CF Cycle for Life, and helped establish the hybrid month-long format option for riders to participate from anywhere. Kelly is also an avid triathlete and has competed in sprint, Olympic, half-Ironman, and Ironman distances since 2013. Through Ironman, Kelly supports the Challenged Athletes Foundation.