Our menus are designed by Chef Rafael Palomino who works directly with our clients to create each menu and personally supervises the preparation of food for all events.

Following is a summary of Chef Palomino's career: Rafael Palomino's professional life began when he was just sixteen years old. He found an after-school job at Larry Forgione's River Café in Brooklyn, New York, that sparked the beginning of a soaring culinary career.

At nineteen, Palomino traveled to France, where he spent a year working hard and studying under the guidance of celebrated chef Michel Guèrard in Eugènie-les-Bains.

In 1983, at the age of twenty, Palomino returned to work for Larry Forgione, this time at his critically acclaimed An American Place, where he spent three enriching years. He moved on to become sous chef to Jonathan Waxman at Jams, the restaurant that is credited with introducing New Yorkers to the highly popular California cuisine of the 1980s.

From 1987 to 1995, Palomino was executive chef of the famous Metropolis Café. It was there that he began to experiment with a cuisine that reflected his own heritage and education. In 1998, Chef Palomino opened his sophisticated midtown Manhattan restaurant, Sonora, (222 East 39th street) which was immediately proclaimed by New York Magazine as one of the best places to eat in New York in 1999. In 2000, Chef Palomino brought his cuisine to Westchester County, and opened Sonora in Port Chester, New York. Sonora received an "excellent" rating from The New York Times. Chef Palomino's latest restaurant, Pacifico, opened in Port Chester, New York in September, 2003 and in the winter of 2004 Chef Palomino will open Pacifico in New Haven, Connecticut. In the November 2004 issue of Westchester Magazine, Pasión Catering was voted one of the Top Ten Caterers in Westchester County.

Chef Palomino has also been quite active outside the kitchen. His first cookbook, Bistro Latino, (William Morrow, 1998), introduced home cooks to his brand of Nuevo Latino cooking. Viva la Vida: Festive Recipes for Entertaining Latin Style, Palomino's second cookbook (Chronicle Books, 2002) features easy to follow recipes for entertaining Latin style.

His third book, Nueva Salsa, contains 65 accessible and exciting salsa recipes (Chronicle Books, 2003). Chef Palomino has just completed his latest cookbook, Fiesta Latina (Chronicle Books, 2006).

Chef Palomino was selected as spokesperson for the Avocado Association in 2003 and in the past he has been a spokesperson for Goya and Hoffman La Roche.

Another very important aspect of Palomino's career is his commitment to community. He founded the Spanish Speaking Chef's Association of America, whose goal is supporting young Latin Americans interested in pursuing careers in culinary arts.

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Telephone (203) 629-2930 or (914) 933-0833
E-mail info@PasionCatering.com