Oradell Native Is New Wegmans Executive Chef

ORADELL, NJ — David Lopatynski came home Sunday.

Lopatynski, an Oradell native, is the executive chef of Wegmans new Montvale store, which opened Sunday.

For Lopatynski, food and cooking are at the heart of the things that matter most: Strong ties with family and friends and an appreciation for a culture he left behind early in life.

Lopatynski was born in South Korea and was adopted by a Polish-American family from Oradell.

"When I was growing up, there were not many Korean-Americans in my community, but my parents encouraged me to join groups that connected me with my cultural heritage," Lopatynski said in a news release. "Part of this experience was learning to cook Korean food and that gave me a feeling of pride in my own roots."

As he grew older, Lopatynski used his experiences to help kids like him discover their heritage and have a sense of community. His grandparents were an important part of that.

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"If they were buying meat, they knew the butcher by name and always had a conversation with him to make him smile, to give a life to his day," Lopatynski said. "I always keep them in my mind as I interact with the people on my team — get to know everybody, let them know you care."

His grandmother taught him how to make Polish specialities such as Kapusta, a braised sauerkraut with bacon and tomatoes and Golumpki, stuffed cabbage filled with pork and rice.

Lopatynski majored in communications at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He earned his bachelor's degree in 2006. While studying, he worked as a waiter and cook at a sushi and hibachi restaurant in Buffalo.

"You could say I got roped into cooking," Lopatynski said. "They handed me the tools and I learned on the job."

Then, in 2010, he got a job at Bailey's Smokehouse in Blauvelt, New York, a southern-style barbecue restaurant.

"Working there gave me the opportunity to understand life as a professional cook and how to combine smoke, fat and acidity to make deeply appealing flavors," Lopatynski said.

He joined Wegmans in 2015 as a sous chef at the company's Ocean, New Jersey store and was named executive chef of the Woodbridge store that same year. The store set holiday sales records at Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's the following year.

"We had a great team that worked hard and loved the challenge," Lopatynski said. "We took care of each other."

And that's where Lopatynski focuses his attention as a supervisor. He is not there to boss people around. He is there to encourage them.

"To me, empowering people to take the next steps is my greatest responsibility," he said. "My role is the build a roadmap for people to follow so their skills and aspirations can grow."

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Photo: David Lopatynski/Courtesy of Wegmans