Jose Duarte Massachusetts’ Top Chef

     As a boy, Jose Duarte went to the markets in Lima, Peru with his grandmother and shopped for ingredients that his grandfather used for cooking.  Then, young Duarte’s family moved to Acarigua, Venezuela. There was a big Italian community in Acarigua and Duarte grew up with a love of Italian food.  He went to a University in Caracas and then came to the US to get better at speaking English and to learn how to become a master chef.

        In 2000, after many years of studying and working, Duarte opened Taranta restaurant in Boston’s North End. 

       “I love food and always had a strong interest in ethnic cuisine, especially food that is associated with culture and history,” Duarte explains.  “I spent pretty much my whole life in the restaurant and hospitality industry and have traveled the world. My wife is from Boston and an opportunity came up for me to start a business here and the rest is history!”  

     

      Chef Duarte's menu is a combination of southern Italian and Peruvian cooking such as:

Cassava root gnocchi with chica de jora green lamb ragu with spicy shaved parmesan cheese.

Macadamia crusted Atlantic salmon fillet over herbed risotto cake.

Peruvian asparagus and a pisco-sicilian blood orange with an organic Incan golden berries sauce.

Guava and ricotta mini cannolis with pistachio brittle.

     

      In 2011, he became the first Latino to be named Chef of the Year by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.  The international Zagat Guide book named Taranta as one of the five best Peruvian restaurants in the United States.  Jose Duarte was also voted one of the top 100 most influential Latinos in Massachusetts. 

-Sources: Chefs.com, Financefoodie.com