Chef Anthony Goncalves Executive Chef / Owner 42 and Bellota Restaurants
Self-trained Chef Anthony Goncalves is not your typical kitchen recluse, hiding behind steam, smoke, and cookbook pages. Growing up in a Portuguese household, Anthony was surrounded by people who were as passionate about food as they were about family and the importance of fresh, high-quality meals at the dinner table. As a child, summer vacations spent visiting relatives in Europe allowed him to discover different cuisines, flavors and cultures. Those memories later sparked his interest in cooking and the restaurant industry.
After a torn ACL ended Anthony 's dreams at a professional soccer career – he had been coached by both Pelé and Julio Mazzei, and recruited to join the Holland National Team while studying at Long Island University – he decided to refocus his energies on a career in the restaurant industry. Starting off as a busboy at a family friend’s restaurant in Westchester, his hard work, enthusiasm and determination helped him get noticed, and he eventually worked every front-of-house position, including a role as manager. Working directly with customers helped Anthony understand that true hospitality and excellent cuisine go hand-in-hand.
At the young age of 26, thanks to an opportunity presented to him by the family of the chef he was working with at the time, Anthony took over the lease of a restaurant project that became Trotters Tavern in 1997, a White Plains eatery specializing in traditional pub fare. But the budding restaurateur knew the location's potential extended beyond simple bar food. In 2001 Anthony dropped "Tavern" from the restaurant's name and re-vamped the menu to reflect its new identity as a fine dining establishment serving Mediterranean-inspired cuisine that reflected his Portuguese upbringing and Iberian influences.
Following a steady run of unsuccessful chefs at Trotters, Anthony decided to give himself the additional challenge of taking over the kitchen in 2002. Having never cooked professionally in his entire life, he put together a menu of approachable dishes he found reflected his vision and enlisted the help of his grandmother, Gloria, and his father Tony, who taught him basic techniques and recipes. He used these teachings to create a menu of innovative, inspired dishes all his own.
Trotters restaurant went on to receive rave reviews from Crain's New York Business and The New York Times. Anthony 's real coup came in November 2004, when Esquire magazine named him "A Chef to Keep an Eye On."
The success of Trotters and a loyal local following opened the door for Anthony 's next venture, 42. One of his top customers at Trotters, who at the time was developing The Ritz-Carlton in White Plains, presented him with the idea of opening a restaurant on the 42nd floor of the hotel. 42 The Restaurant opened in 2008, presenting a menu of contemporary American cuisine that paid homage to Anthony 's Portuguese roots, while allowing him to exercise his creativity. A testament to his success with this creative menu is his inclusion in Josh Ozersky's "Chefs of the Future, Part II", which ran in the April 2010 issue of Time Magazine.
In the fall of 2010, and after much success with 42, Anthony decided to bring to life his next venture, a Portuguese tapas restaurant that allowed him to further spotlight the cuisine and ingredients he grew up with. Utilizing the mezzanine space within 42, the Chef created Bellota , an intimate eatery that allows diners to experience communal dishes that stimulate conversation and social interaction.
Anthony is the proud father of A.J. and Tyler, his twin boys. He maintains a constant presence on the floor of 42 and Bellota , ensuring that each diner receives the same level of attention that he pays to every dish on his menu.
