Hopatcong Man Feeds Giants' Super Bowl Run

Michael Lorenzo of Hopatcong helped feed the New York Giants' Super Bowl run.

Literally.

The Giants sous chef, or second in charge, spent the season whipping up meals for stars such as Eli Manning, Justin Tuck and Tom Coughlin.

"The whole experience has been amazing," Lorenzo said. "It's definitely my career highlight."

The 27-year-old Lorenzo, who grew up in the borough and graduated form Sussex Tech in 2002, got the job in the summer and immediately impressed during the lockout-shortened training camp, assembling breakfast, lunch and dinner for the team's coaches, players and staff at the Timex Performance Center, the Giants' state-of-the-art training facility.

On Tuesday, Lorenzo watched from the crowd as Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented players with keys to the city for beating the New England Patriots, 24-17, in the Super Bowl in Indianapolis Sunday. As hundreds of thousands cheered his favorite team, Lorenzo said he felt like he played at least a little role in the Giants’ success.

It's a tough point to argue. Well-balanced diets are crucial for most professional athletes. Lorenzo, who graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, is tasked with providing protein-packed meals for the Giants, he said.

"I go in there and give 110 percent every day," he said. "I just cook everything to the fullest. We hit on such an array of cultures that everybody ends up enjoying it. We go into the days thinking, 'We're going to wow these people.'"

But it wasn't easy at first. Lorenzo said it took two weeks for him to overcome feeling star struck while on the job.

"I was very overwhelmed," he said. "But then all of my cooking techniques took over, all the jets turned on and I knew what to do."

Lorenzo, whose main responsibility is cooking dinner for Giants coaches, said he eventually gained such good standing that a coach asked him to cook Thanksgiving supper for his family. Even Coughlin, who shows up each evening at 5:30 on the dot, has praised his cooking, he said.

It's not all glamour, however. Lorenzo said he works four 12-hour shifts a week and a shorter Saturday morning shift. And though he occasionally receives tickets to games, he said he has to deny memorabilia requests from friends and family. Almost everything he gets, he said, he keeps for his son, Brayden Michael, who will turn 1 on March 17.

"It's a reflection of his father's work toward his lifestyle," Lorenzo said. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

One that he hopes doesn't end any time soon, he said.

"It's like I'm dreaming," Lorenzo said. "I'm in awe."