Chef Rafael Palomino, born in Bogotá, Colombia and raised in Queens, New York – current resident of Bedford, New York – is in the midst of expanding his restaurant empire!

Since the beginning, Chef Palomino’s restaurants have been a hit. In 1998, he opened his sophisticated midtown Manhattan restaurant, Sonora, (222 East 39th street); it was immediately proclaimed by New York Magazine as one of the best places to eat in New York in 1999. In 2000, Chef Palomino brought his cuisine to Westchester County, and opened Sonora in Port Chester, New York, followed by Pacifico, also in Port Chester. Today Chef Palomino’s roster of restaurants includes: Greenwich Tavern, in Greenwich Connecticut; Pacifico in New Haven, Connecticut; Pacifico in Center Valley, Pennsylvania; as well as Blackrock Tavern opening in October 2009 in Fairfield, Connecticut. Chef Palomino, who has worked with such culinary greats as Larry Forgione, Charlie Palmer at the River Caf in Brooklyn, New York, and Michel Guard in Eugnie-les-Bains, France, has plans to open in several other locations. Prior to that, he was selected as spokesperson for the Avocado Association in 2003, and has done the same for both Goya and Hoffman La Roche. In September 2009, Chef Palomino was the celebrity chef at the American Diabetes Association New York based Feria de Salud, an outdoor community event that is intended to reach thousands of local Latinos with the important message that they may be at risk for diabetes.

When hes not in the kitchen or at the keyboard, Chef Palomino can most likely be found on the soccer field – with one or both of his two children, and his wife, in Bedford, New York.