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Chef Scott Morozin only uses whole fish—and he uses the whole fish. There isn’t a jar or a can in the Verbena kitchen, where fish bones simmer for the consommé, hand-tied roasts cook to perfection in a slow oven, and every part of the plant lends some flavor, texture, or color to the dish. Morozin is meticulous, disciplined, and focused in his quest for what he calls “an organic, soulful balance” in his food. There are no shortcuts. Verbena BYOB’s serious but humble chef-owner is full of respect—for the process and for the food, but also for his team and for his guests.

Morozin, an Aston native and Culinary Institute of America graduate, has always wanted to cook. “There was something greater than myself at work with that one,” he says with a smile. He grew up absorbing the aromas, tastes, and heat in his grandmother’s kitchen, and over the years he’s carefully chosen great chefs as mentors and worked in numerous kitchens to hone his craft. As a recovering addict, he also credits cooking with saving his life. When he gets to do what he loves to do, he says, “Everything else fades. The sounds are there, the pace is fast. There’s passion, accuracy, intensity, and everyone’s together on one beat. It’s like a flock of ducks on the water—the surface is still, but it’s all churning underneath. I’m not looking for that feeling—it’s there.

There isn’t much that hasn’t already been publicized about the extraordinary talents of chef Scott Morozin. He’s been fine-tuning his craft in the who’s who of kitchens on his culinary journey for several years with stints at Tangerine, Rae, Gayle, Espuma, Mid Atlantic and the high-in-the-sky R2L.

The 30-something lanky chef, who recently took over at the helm of Sola BYOB in Bryn Mawr, wears his native Delaware County heritage on his chest like a badge of honor: “It’s the way we speak with a vowel system all our own—recognizable to other cohabitants like radar.”

Verbena, an intimate BYOB in Kennett Square, has opened under the culinary tutelage of Chef Scott Morozin. He promises a menu using only the highest quality fresh, seasonal ingredients, including as many locally as possible. The restaurant replaces the former La Madera Bistro at 102 East State Street.

Some chefs rocket to the top when they’re young. Others rattle around for a while, following mentors and biding their time, soaking in what wisdom they can while taking deep breaths, sometimes for decades, before finally taking the ownership plunge.

Scott Morozin, already going silver at 40, is among the latter. But don’t hold that against him.

I needed only look down from atop what I’m calling the Tower of Chicken Power at his Verbena BYOB in Kennett Square to know the man can cook. This epic pedestal of poultry, a juicy cylinder of white meat stuffed with mushrooms and wrapped in a tawny sheet of bronzed skin, is a tribute to both old-school techniques (the deboning roulade wizardry of a galantine) and modernist tricks (a little meat glue goes a long way). But most important, it tastes delicious, perched over slow-cooked leeks stuffed with truffled cheese and a puddle of classic mustard wine jus.

Chef Scott Morozin took over the kitchen at Sola BYOB in Bryn Mawr last summer and since then, he has been launching programs that stretch the definition of the word “menu.”

First there were his multi-course progressive tasting menus. Then “No Menu Mondays” where Morozin and his crew work without a net, crafting meals and menus on the fly for guests. And now he’s putting it all out there again with a new Friday Night Chef’s Table program.

Don’t worry. We’ve got the details after the jump.

Following a brief hiatus and change in ownership, Verbena BYOB debuted at the former location of La Madera Bistro in Kennett Square. Executive Chef Scott Morozin brings years of experience in the Philly dining scene and Steven Starr restaurants to this BYOB, which serves an American menu highlighting local farms and organic produce. With only 40 seats, Verbena is rustic and cozy, the perfect setting to savor serious food—from ribeye to rosehip crème brûlée. 102 State St., Kennett Square

Verbena BYOB is telling a new story in Kennett Square’s thriving restaurant scene. In a clean, elegant setting accented by simple lines, succulents, and sparkling glass, chef-owner Scott Morozin serves refined American cuisine with flavors and textures that are as intense and creative as his process.

Morozin’s passion for cooking is singular. “I’ve always wanted to cook,” he says. Raised by a single mom in a small town in Delaware County, he recalls standing on a stepstool in his grandmother’s kitchen absorbing the aromas, tastes, and heat.

“Cooking saved my life,” says Morozin, a recovering addict and Culinary Institute of America graduate who has carefully chosen great chefs as mentors and worked in numerous kitchens to hone his craft.