chef akhtar nawab
A graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Akhtar began his culinary career working in top kitchens throughout San Francisco, including Bizou, where he worked under Chef Loretta Keller, as well as Jardinière and La Folie.
In 1998, Akhtar moved to New York City to work at the renowned Gramercy Tavern under Tom Colicchio. After three years, he was enlisted by Chef Colicchio to open Craft as its sous chef. The restaurant went on to receive three stars from The New York Times in 2001 and was named “Best New Restaurant” by the prestigious James Beard Foundation in 2002. One year later, Colicchio opened Craftbar, with Akhtar helming the kitchen as the restaurant’s Chef de Cuisine. His menu for Craft’s casual sibling earned the restaurant and Akhtar a strong local following. Seeking a change, Akhtar accepted the position of Executive Chef at The E.U., a then-struggling gastro pub in the East Village. Through Akhtar’s guidance and vision, the restaurant received renewed attention and acclaim for his original menu of modern pub fare, combining European tradition with an American sensibility. Frank Bruni of The New York Times recognized Akhtar’s cuisine as having “frequently clever touches,” and New York magazine named his duck egg one of the top ten best egg dishes in the city.
In February 2008, Akhtar opened Elettaria, achieving his ultimate goal – owning a restaurant where the menu is a true extension of himself. For Akhtar, this meant a foundation of seasonal American ingredients prepared with Indian spices and combinations of flavors with which he grew up. Elettaria, the Latin word for green cardamom, offered a nod to his heritage, while staying true to his “less-is more” style of cooking. The restaurant earned a loyal following.
Akhtar has received various top accolades throughout his tenure in the industry, including the 2007 StarChefs.com NYC Rising Star Chef award as well as being named one of the top ten emerging chef talents in the U.S by Mario Batali in Coco: 10 of the World's Greatest Chefs, 100 Emerging Culinary Stars (Phaidon, 2009). In 2009, Akhtar appeared on the Food Network’s “Iron Chef America”. In 2010, Akhtar appeared on a segment of the show Foodography, on the Cooking Channel, featuring his version of Thanksgiving. Also in 2010,, Akhtar doubled on the movie “Today’s Special” for the chef personality and the subsequent one hour show on the Food Network for a behind the scenes look at the food in the movie, which aired in May 2012.
Since joining La Esquina, in May 2010, Akhtar has added his personal touch and direction to the restaurant’s Mexican-inspired cuisine, crafting innovative new dishes for the menu as well as implementing a farm-to-table approach to ingredient sourcing. With these new elements, Akhtar has elevated the restaurant’s culinary program, creating a fresh new menu approach to further establish La Esquina as a ‘can’t miss’ New York City dining destination.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Akhtar’s interest in the culinary world began at a young age through his mother’s native Indian meals, which taught him that cooking played an important role in upholding his family’s heritage. Rolling out homemade bread was a kitchen chore he considers an inspiration for pursuing a career in the culinary arts.
michael wetherbee, operations
Michael brings over 18 years of combined business and restaurant experience to the management team. In 2003, Michael moved from San Francisco to New York City to immerse himself in the restaurant business to learn every aspect of its operations from the bottom up. In a short period of time his hard work garnered the attention of renowned Chef Vincent Scotto who asked him to join his team by becoming General Manager of Gonzo, a Tuscan Italian restaurant located in Manhattan’s West Village.
In 2005, Michael teamed up with celebrity chef Sam DeMarco to open Fireside at the Omni Berkshire Hotel, a 150-seat restaurant located in midtown Manhattan that offered whimsical American cuisine. This experience was invaluable as it provided exposure to the extremely high level of hospitality that accompanies a Five Diamond Hotel environment.
In 2008, Michael had the opportunity to fulfill his goal of opening his own restaurant when he opened a 185-seat Italian bistro, called Campo, in the Columbia University & Morningside Heights neighborhood. His experience as its Managing Partner proved to be his greatest professional learning experience since he was forced to run a restaurant on an extremely tight budget. As luck would have it, there was a crisis in the financial markets in late 2008, which had a direct impact on guest spending and the corresponding revenue. Paying attention to important financial minutiae and spending details paired with a loyal customer base allowed Campo to weather the recession and stay open while many other restaurants in the neighborhood closed.
Since Campo, Michael has worked with some of the world’s most renowned chefs and operators, by General Managing and successfully leading restaurants such as Momofuku Ma Peche (New York Times 2 Star Rating), which is part of Chef David Chang’s restaurant empire that is considered one of the worlds most recognizable and successful restaurant groups. He also teamed up with James Beard Award winning AvroKo to oversee their restaurants PUBLIC (earning a 1-Michelin Star rating) and Saxon + Parole (New York Times 1 Star Rating).
He remains focused and passionate on providing guests with the highest quality of food, beverage and genuine hospitality.
chef thiago silva, executive pastry chef
Executive Pastry Chef Thiago Silva is hailed for his innovative designs. Currently the Executive Pastry Chef for Union Fare, Chef Thiago’s creations have served as jaw-dropping centerpieces on the tables of such stars as Sofia Vergara, Miranda Kerr and Carmelo Anthony. When Food Network aired its first all baking CHOPPED competition. The show pitted four of New York City’s most week renowned bakers and pastry chefs in a competition they dubbed “Baker Boys.” Taking home the win was Thiago Silva, then the EMM Group’s Corporate Pastry Chef. The Brazilian born Silva, donated his $10,000 grand prize to Careers Through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), the organization that was integral in Silva finding his career path to pastry chef.
Having never attended culinary school, Thiago has risen through the ranks of Manhattan’s restaurant landscape from the early age of 13, after his mother encouraged him to take his first cake-decorating course. Thiago’s success is a result of the recognition of his talents by Terry Matsis, his high school culinary arts teacher, the continuous mentoring from Richard Grausman,
Thiago’s first experience in a professional kitchen was an internship with Florian Bellanger at Fauchon. With a bit of training under his belt, C-CAP introduced Thiago to Alfred Stephens, the Corporate Pastry Chef for Todd English at Olives. He apprenticed with Alfred for three years before taking a position at Sant Ambroeus, where he was able to explore his affinity for creating cakes. He then moved on to an internship with ace cake stylist Elisa Strauss of Confetti Cakes. He worked in the kitchen at Atria before starting with the EMM Group’s flagship eatery, Abe & Arthurs. Here he perfected his craft producing art-quality cakes, both quickly and frequently, for a diverse group of discerning diners. Thiago rose rapidly from Sous Pastry Chef to Executive Pastry Chef at CATCH and to Corporate Pastry Chef for all of the EMM Group’s restaurants. He has become a master specialty cake designer in his own right.
Most recently at Union Fare, Thiago has skillfully and playfully designed a pastry menu that reflects the restaurant’s identity. With marquee menu items like Passion Fruit with Tres Leches Cake and Cocunut Sorbet, Chocolate Louge Devil’s Food Cake with Chocolate Mousse and Caramel, Crème Brulee with Blackberry Hibiscus Sorbet and Strawberry Creamsicle with Shortcake Streusel and Strawberry Sorbet. Thiago’s confections are sleek, deconstructed takes on dessert classics that complement the sharable nature of the restaurant’s dinner menu. His imaginative and whimsical style makes Thiago and his pastry department and bakery an integral component in developing the character of Union Fare.
