About Chef Cardie

Executive Chef Cardie Mortimer graduated from the New Orleans Culinary Institute in 1978 and has received numerous teaching and culinary certifications over the past 45 years. Over that time, he has worked alongside world-class chefs Cardie including Neil Doherty, Emeril Lagasse, Sean Roe, Dana D’Anzi Tuohy, and Kevin Belton (New Orleans School of Cooking). Chef Cardie served as a guest chef at two of Emeril Lagasse restaurants in Las Vegas, Nevada and has acted as an advisor, sous chef, and Executive Chef at restaurants in Birmingham, Alabama, Savannah, Georgia and at numerous northern New Jersey locations.

A New Jersey native, and a resident of Verona, Chef Cardie has served as a popular instructor at King’s Cooking Studios in Short Hills, The Adult School of Montclair, the Adult School of Continuing Education in West Caldwell, and was the 2011 Master Teaching Professional at Chef’s Lab in Montclair. Chef Cardie founded and served as the General Manager for an in-home gourmet catering company called Cardie Cooks.

Public Appearances

His experience led him to develop his acclaimed show, “Culinary Therapy,” where he entertains and educates, and culinary students in high school and college, senior citizens, and hospital patients in and around the tri-state area for the past ten years. Chef Cardie has been a frequent guest on national television including the nationally syndicated, “The Better Show,” on Fox TV where he was dubbed “a one-in-a-million chef and a national personality.” In 2012, he was featured on the award-winning documentary, “Culinary Therapy,” produced by Cablevision’s Emmy award-winning “Neighborhood Journal.”

Giving Back

In 2015, Cardie personally funded the creation of a state-of-the-art kitchen facility and food pantry at the Holy Spirit Church in Verona, New Jersey, to serve the less fortunate in the area, and dedicated it to the memory of his late parents, Elisabeth and Charles (Duke) Mortimer.

After joining the Emeril Lagasse Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2018, Chef Cardie taught culinary students at the prestigious New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (NOCCA).

Chef Cardie continues to donate his time as well as share his culinary skills teaching young, aspiring chefs in locations throughout the country, affiliated with the Emeril Lagasse Foundation. In the following year, Chef Cardie presided over a major benefit dinner to benefit the Homeless in Knoxville, Tennessee. He and his wonderful team of dedicated volunteers cooked a New Orleans-themed dinner to a full house and raised thousands of dollars to benefit homeless war veterans. In 2022, Chef Cardie was invited to share his cooking skills with the students and faculty at the Dr. John Ochsner Discovery School located in Jefferson, Louisiana, to benefit the school and its focus on STEM education.

After several years of research and hard work, Chef Cardie published his 280-page cookbook, “Keep On Cookin,” and dedicated all proceeds from sales of the cookbook to the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, D.C.

Awards and Recognition

In December 2022, Chef Cardie was awarded a prestigious United States Congressional Certificate from the 6th Congressional District of New Jersey honoring him for all of his community volunteer work.

 In April 2023, Chef Cardie appeared on CBS Channel 2 News New York and was honored by the network as a “Community Hero”.

Emeril Lagasse Foundation

Chef Cardie continues as a beloved teaching chef and benefactor with the Emeril Lagasse Foundation, cooking for and entertaining the students at both NOCCA and the Dr. John Ochsner Discovery School. Chef Cardie travels to locations around the country to deliver his Culinary Therapy presentation and demonstrate his culinary expertise to enthusiastic crowds.