Q&A: CRAZIES Nominee "Best Chef of the Year" Joel Gargano of Grano Arso, Chester

Christopher Hodson November 17, 2021

Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. Restaurant owners, operators, chefs, and vendors come together to celebrate the success of the industry at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Monday, December 6. While a panel of more than 25 food writers, critics, bloggers, and social media influencers created a list of nominees, YOU VOTE for the winners.

We are excited to showcase the nominees for BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR in our new series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Joel Gargano of Grano Arso in Chester CT.

1. When did you decide you wanted to be a ‘Chef’ and was there a particular moment or event that led to it?

I was a teenager - I took interest in cooking and went off to culinary school. No particular event that I can recall, but seeing the classic show "Chefs of the World" certainly had something to do with it.

2. If you couldn’t be a chef, what would you be passionate enough about to make a career out of instead?

Musician. More specifically touring the world in a band, playing guitar.

3. Has Covid made you a better/worse chef? What have you done to balance your work/personal life throughout the pandemic?

Although I was a decent handyman around the restaurant before, I've picked up some new trade skills. Besides that, I'm probably working more than prior.

4. How do you think people seeing you on the list, or winning, will affect your business?