ALEXANDER DURAN

With the steady success of Son Cubano, Alexander has taken his experience and applied it with the opening of VENTANAS at the Modern.

RestaUrateur
Alexander Duran

A classic American story, Alexander Duran’s entrepreneurial spirit was inspired by his parent’s immigration to the United States and their drive to succeed in a new environment. Alexander grew up the oldest of 4 siblings in West New York, New Jersey. A student athlete through his high school career, Mr. Duran played for the Memorial High School baseball team where he began to nurture his leadership skills and team spirit.

He moved on to attend and graduate from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1986. Alex married his high school sweetheart Marilyn in 1989. He partnered with his father who had already established a successful airport transportation business servicing Latin American merchants. Together they began a new endeavor in the international/domestic logistics industry with a freight transport company specializing in Latin America which grew to have over 25 employees with an average of 13 million in sales per year and operated it until 2010 then selling the company.

In the Winter of 2010 Alexander decided to try his business acumen in the restaurant industry and together with his siblings established Son Cubano Restaurant-Bar in their family hometown of West New York, New Jersey. It’s a lavish restaurant located in a 7000 square foot space on the waterfront of the Hudson River. Alexander Duran’s focus now became furthering the brand Son Cubano and continuing to thrive as an entrepreneur following in his fathers foot steps. Celebrity Chef Ricardo Cardona leads the kitchen and lends his take on Modern Cuban Cuisine.

With the steady success of Son Cubano Alexander has taken his experience and applied it with the opening of VENTANAS at the Modern in March of 2019 in Fort Lee, New Jersey. Serving a Latin, Asian and American fusion menu curated by David Burke as the Culinary Director, VENTANAS at the Modern offers a unique dining experience set in a picturesque setting.

Apart from establishing a successful footprint in the restaurant industry, Mr. Duran has also ventured into the child care and educational industry with the creation of Sowing Seeds school in 2016. Overlooking the New York City skyline in Weehawken, the school services newborn children up to the age of 13 and has a total capacity of 120 children.

Mr. Duran sits on the board of Palisades Hackensack Hospital. He also sits on the finance committee for Senator Bob Menendez. He is a father of three children, Travis, Tristen, and Gabriella and has been married wife Marilyn for almost 30 years.