Kyle Morse
The Mayor | Richmond, VA
February 2026
Food was always the focal point for Kyle Morse. His dad worked in restaurants, his mother was a reliable home cook, and family gatherings consistently revolved around the dinner table. Morse eventually left his hometown of Lebanon, New Hampshire, to pursue a degree in psychology at Ball State University in Indiana, but poor grades and a lack of passion for his chosen subject led him to cooking classes and a minor in food management. In 2007, he graduated college and enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America.
After culinary school, Morse joined the team at Dovetail in New York City, expanding his knowledge and refining his technique in Rising Stars alum John Fraser’s high-caliber kitchen. After a six-month stint at Fraser’s pop-up What Happens When, Morse started working as a sous chef at Telepan. During his three-year run at the restaurant, he gained an appreciation for hyper-local sourcing and built strong relationships with farmers. Burnt out, Morse spent time cooking for food delivery service Munchery, working as a line cook at Virginia’s in the East Village, and doing private chef gigs. After some time away, he returned to the kitchen with a new interest: butchery. He started as an apprentice at The Breslin, learning from Chef April Bloomfield before working his way up to head butcher.
In 2018, Morse moved to Richmond, Virginia, with his wife, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. The following year, he launched his own project, The Mayor, at local farmers markets, selling his artisanal handmade sausages. By 2024, Morse had expanded his business from sausage making to a full range of butchery, landed a slew of wholesale accounts, and set up shop in a brick-and-mortar space in Carytown. With a focus on heritage breed animals, sustainability, and the local community, Morse is growing his wholesale and packaged goods business across the region while creating offerings for his dine-in guests.
2026 StarChefs D.C.-Maryland-Virginia Rising Stars Award Winner
