Meet Alexander Duran

In 2000, the Duran family started a new Cuban restaurant & bar concept called Son Cubano, located right in the heart of the Meatpacking District in New York City. With the steady success of the brand in NYC, Son Cubano expanded in the Winter of 2010 with the opening of a brand new 7,000 square foot waterfront restaurant and lounge in Port Imperial, New Jersey.

Restaurateur

With spectacular skyline views of the New York City, the waterfront restaurant serves a modern Cuban menu and has become a destination hotspot for both locals and out of town travelers. The restaurant features two dining rooms, a large bar and lounge area, a beautiful outdoor patio and live nightly entertainment including both local musicians and DJs.

The restaurant has contributed significantly to the local economy by creating over 75 jobs and supporting many local suppliers of food and spirits, as well as contracting local artists and musicians.

Meet Chef David Burke

Blurring the lines between chef, artist, entrepreneur and inventor, world-renowned chef David Burke is one of the leading pioneers in American cooking today. A graduate of the CIA and a student at École Lenôtre Pastry School in Plaisir, France, Burke worked with legendary chefs in France and New York such as Pierre Troisgros, Daniel Boulud, Charlie Palmer, and Waldy Malouf. Burke’s mastery of French culinary technique and his unique American creativity were confirmed at the age of 26, receiving Three Stars from the New York Times at the River Café.

Pioneer • Author • Celebrity

Throughout the past twenty years, Burke’s wide-ranging and innovative restaurant concepts have included David Burke Townhouse, David Burke at Bloomingdale’s, Fishtail by David Burke, David Burke Fromagerie and David Burke Prime (Foxwoods, CT). Currently, David has opened David Burke Tavern and Woodpecker by David Burkeboth in NYC,Drifthouse and Nauti Bar by David Burke, on the Jersey shore, and Breckenridge Distillery in Breckenridge, CO. He is the Culinary Director for the Adelphi Hotel in Saratoga, and has opened The Garden City Hotel which includes Red Salt Room by David Burke, the King Bar by DB & The Patio Bar.

Meet Chef Andrew Riccatelli

Chef Andrew Riccatelli started his journey at Stage Left, which was rated one of the best restaurants in the Garden State in the Annual Jersey Choice Restaurant Poll. He then took his talents over the bridge to NYC, where he worked under Bobby Flay at Bar Americain. Following that, he spent a year in Asheville, North Carolina working under James Beard nominated chef Katie Button at Curate, and then returned to NYC to work alongside both the Buddakan and Spice Market teams.

Celebrity Chef

He is also credited with transforming wine bar, Terrior, into a restaurant that is well known for its locally-sourced food. After all of these accomplishments, Chef Riccatelli went on to win the Chopped “Something Dumpling” episode and even added a dumpling tattoo to his already diverse collection to commemorate his victory. His most recent venture was as executive chef at NYC’s Bagatelle, a meatpacking district staple.

Meet Wine Sommelier Jerrus Roxas

With almost 12 years of restaurant experience, his illustrious restaurant/wine career began in 2010 when he was given an opportunity as an Assistant Wine Director at the Capital Grille at the Beverly Center in Los Angeles, CA where he was mentored under Master Sommelier George Miliotis. Soon after, he was recruited to Fig and Olive where he spent quality time as the Floor Sommelier, Wine, and Beverage Manager, at the Melrose Place, West Hollywood, CA location. There, helped curate what is now the international wine list for all Fig and Olive restaurants worldwide. At Son Cubano, he created an award-winning wine list that has grown from 22 bottles to 110 bottles where it earned his first Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator.

Wine Sommelier

Jerrus admits that his love for the hospitality industry and passion for wine has kept him grounded in the restaurant industry. His wine knowledge along with his wine and beverage management experience has enhanced our culture at Son Cubano and now he will add a spark to our hospitality team at Ventanas as well. Jerrus is a Master of Bordeaux a distinction earned from the Guild of Sommeliers.

“The wine list at Ventanas is the best wine list I’ve ever created. With the assistance of Mr. Duran, we have created something special for our guests that will allow them to experience wines from every major and important wine region in the world. All of our wines are descriptive of the land they originated from; a heavy focus on terroir is evident.” – Jerrus Roxas