How Crawford Hospitality’s culinary director went from Michelin-star kitchens to redefining restaurant culture in the Triangle
By Kyle Marie McMahon
When diners talk about Raleigh’s most beloved restaurants—like Crawford and Son, Jolie or Brodeto—they often associate them with the acclaimed Chef Scott Crawford. But behind the scenes, another name plays a vital role in shaping the flavors and philosophies of the Crawford Hospitality group: Conor Delaney.
Born and raised in Long Island, Delaney’s earliest culinary memories came from the family kitchen. “Cooking was a life skill in our house,” he says. Inspired by a middle school home ec class and encouraged by his mother and extended Irish-American family, Delaney followed his instincts—and his appetite—into the food world.
At just 15, he took a job as a dishwasher in a steakhouse. It was there that he caught the bug for restaurant work. After high school, he went straight to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where he earned a bachelor’s degree by the age of 20. Delaney’s time at the institute not only gave him an education—with homework like dicing potatoes—but it also introduced him to his future wife, Alexis. The two would go on to build both a family and a career in food together, though their path would be anything but ordinary.
Delaney’s early résumé reads like a culinary dream. After a brief stint at a kitchen in Orlando, Delaney and Alexis moved to California’s Napa Valley. At 21, he landed a job at Bouchon Bistro—already a 1-star Michelin restaurant—under Thomas Keller and worked his way through the kitchen brigade to become chef de partie. “Thomas Keller is the godfather, the cream of the crop, pinnacle. A standard for American chefs,” Delaney says. “If you show up with the right attitude, he’ll teach you. When I left, I felt invincible. His standards were so high, I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t do food-wise.”
Despite being offered a sous chef position with Keller, Delaney turned it down, hungry to keep learning. He returned to New York and joined Danny Meyer’s team at The Modern, a 2-star Michelin restaurant inside the Museum of Modern Art, before rejoining Keller at his 3-star Michelin restaurant Per Se. Then came a pivotal opportunity: a role as sous chef on the opening team at TAK Room—Keller’s luxury restaurant in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards. But when Covid hit, the restaurant closed, and Delaney and Alexis started thinking seriously about their next chapter.
TAK Room was one of the first high-profile restaurants in the city to close after the onset of the pandemic. With the industry in flux and thinking about their next stage in life, he and Alexis began considering a move. That’s when a longtime friend and fellow CIA grad, Ian Bracken—co-owner of Durham’s acclaimed sandwich shop Ideal’s—suggested they look south. “Ian’s Ideal’s is the best sandwich you’ll ever have,” Delaney says. “And I’m confident that is true.”
In 2020, he sent a cold email to Chef Scott Crawford and flew to Raleigh to meet the team. It clicked. “It felt right,” he says. He was hired as chef de cuisine at Crawford and Son, and in 2023 was promoted to culinary director for the entire group.
Today, Delaney oversees culinary operations across all of Crawford Hospitality’s restaurants, mentoring kitchen leaders and guiding the evolving vision of each concept. While he doesn’t micromanage every menu item, he helps foster a dynamic creative process among chefs. “Certain things will stay,” he says, “but if we change it, it’s because we want it to be better—not just to change.”
Delaney’s approach to leadership reflects a quiet humility and a deep respect for the industry. “I am grateful and feel so lucky to have worked for so many amazing people, and been able to dodge the bad ones,” he says. “Every person I’ve worked for has been there at the right time for me.”
Now a father to 1-year-old Lillian, Delaney is leaning into the next phase of his career with an eye toward balance and legacy. “Every chef dreams of one day opening their own restaurant,” he says, “but I’m happy where I am.” He’s not planning to leave Raleigh anytime soon.
His advice for young cooks? “Focus on being the best cook you can be; the rest will take care of itself. Work for the right people. The long way ends up being the right road and short road, because you end up in the right spot.”
Whether he’s leading culinary meetings, supporting a new concept or helping create a gelato menu that’s drawing local buzz, Delaney continues to shape the Triangle’s dining scene—not from center stage, but just behind it, where the real magic happens.
Want to know about how Chef Delaney brought nostalgic gelato to Brodeto, check out our article on Why Brodeto’s Gelato Is Blowing Diners Away!
