Executive Chef J.C. Nuñez is responsible for all food and beverage operations at the Gallery Café at the newly opened Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building. This is in addition to his similar responsibilities at the award-winning Museum Restaurant, the Museum Café, the Balcony Café, the food service kiosks, as well as all catering services at the museum.
Chef Nuñez began working for Restaurant Associates at the Philadelphia Museum of Art last summer. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Nuñez is a third generation Restaurant Associates employee. His grandfather Elias was a member of the kitchen staff at The Ford Foundation in New York City in the l960’s and his father Juan is currently a cook at Lincoln Center.
A veteran of the Starr Restaurant Organization, Chef Nuñez was sous chef at Buddakan, Alma de Cuba and Morimoto restaurants. Most recently, he was the executive chef at Philadelphia’s Drexel University, responsible for all food production and menu selections for student dining services and event catering.
Trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, Chef Nuñez has also worked at another museum restaurant - the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
I had the pleasure of dining at the Gallery Café several days before the official opening. "The menu is very different from those in the other Museum dining spots," said Chef Nuñez. "It’s casual but offers a gourmet selection, with an emphasis on fresh and distinctive salads."
"We are very pleased to have J.C.on board. He’s been a tremendous help here at PMA," said Tijs Wolters, Restaurant Associate’s director of food and beverage operations for the Philadelphia Museum of Art who also attended our luncheon. "With a background in French, Cuban and pan-Asian fusion cuisines, he brings a great diversity of flavors to the kitchen."
