Washington Township Chefs Named Among Best in America

Two Washington Township chefs have been named by peers as being among the nation's most skilled in the kitchen, according to NJ Monthly Magazine.

Among the 196 New Jersey chefs listed in the new peer-reviewed book Best Chefs America are Peter Angelakos of Bacari Grill and township resident Anthony DeVanzo, the chef and owner of Nyack's Velo Bistro-Wine Bar

Other local notables on the list include Kevin Kohler of Cafe Panache and George Gergiades of Varka Estiator in Ramsey, Andrew Rodriguez of the Ho-Ho-Kus Inn, Steve Christianson of St. Eve's in Ho-Ho-Kus, Thomas Ciszac of Chakra in Paramus, Alex Gorant of Axia Taverna in Tenafly (the owners of Ridgewood Fare), John Marsano of Wyckoff-based Brick House, John Halligan of Ridgewood’s Park West Tavern/Park West Steakhouse, Kevin Portscher of Village Green in Ridgewood, Craig Levy of RoCCA in Glen Rock, and the duo of Orlando Carlo and Fred Mortati at A Mano of Ridgewood.

The book publishers explained the chef nomination process on its website, writing, "Our analysts speak to nominated chefs across the country by way of appointment and telephone interview. Chefs are asked a series of proprietary questions that score their peers on a numerical scale and identify veterans and up-and-coming talent. The process is calculated to accurately record the opinions of leading chefs about the talent of their colleagues both within the same geographical area and nationwide."

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