Chef, Food Scientist Cook Up New Fiesta Bistro In Somerset County

GREEN BROOK, NJ — A food scientist and a chef from Green Brook have teamed up to open Fiesta Bistro in their hometown.

"My partner and I have always dreamed of doing this. He's a chef in New York City, and I'm a food scientist," said Eugene "Geno" Finocchiaro to Patch. "I retired from my food science career, and the timing was just right for us to do this."

Finocchiaro and Pedro Lopez Domingo opened in August at 328 Greenbrook Road in Green Brook. The menu is created by the pair but also pulls from Domingo's heritage from Guatemala.

"We call it an eclectic menu. Our DNA really is about having a made-from-scratch menu," said Finocchiaro.

The menu is primarily breakfast and lunch with lots of sandwiches, wraps, salads, and tacos.

"We try to follow the trends in New York City, and we try to bring them here to Green Brook," said Finocchiaro.

Two very popular items on Fiesta Bistro's menu are the quesabirria tacos and the Pesto Chicken sandwich.

"Everything is sort of Latin-inspired," said Finocchiaro.

The menu also offers specialty beverages such as Iced Matcha Latte, fresh Brazilian cold-brewed or hot coffee, and citrus refreshers. There is also a lite-bite and kids' menu.

Fiesta Bistro also created a very welcoming, cozy environment with an open-concept kitchen to welcome customers.

"We're trying to bring a little bit of elegance to the deli market. We're not a deli per se. We're in a building that was a deli, but we really consider ourselves a bistro," continued Finocchiaro.

Overall, Finocchiaro said opening the bistro with Domingo is "very exciting for me. It's a dream I've had for a long, long time because I was a corporate executive in the food industry as a scientist. So it's very different from that career, and Pedro's been wanting to do this for quite a few years as well."

Fiesta Bistro is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an all-day breakfast/lunch menu. Customers can dine in, take out, or order online for delivery with Grubhub, UberEats, and DoorDash.

For more information on Fiesta Bistro, visit fiestabistrogreenbrooknj.com or instagram.com/fiestabistrogreen.

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