New Chef, New Menu At Montclair Hotel: Tartamella Takes Helm

MONTCLAIR, NJ — There’s a new chef – and a new menu – at The MC Hotel in Montclair.

Last week, the hotel – which is part of Marriott International’s Autograph Collection Hotels and managed by Aparium Hotel Group – announced that Joe Tartamella has taken over as its new executive chef.

Tartamella will be leading all culinary programming for the 159-room property at 690 Bloomfield Avenue, including its lobby-level restaurant, Allegory, and rooftop bar, Alto.

Since taking over the helm at The MC Hotel, Tartamella has “completely revamped” all of its menus, which spokespeople described as “New American meets Mediterranean fare.” Tartamella has also unveiled a new rooftop herb and vegetable garden for the hotel, has partnered with a local beekeeper to harvest in-house honey, and has changed the hotel’s lobby market concept to offer more “hyper-local” foods and beverages.

The MC Hotel offered some background about its new executive chef:

“A son of a Sicilian immigrant who owned a bakery in Staten Island, 33-year-old Chef Tartamella’s upbringing ignited his passion for cooking and baking, leading him to enroll in the prestigious French Culinary Institute in New York, where he trained under some of the most renowned instructors in the world. [His] experiences span from executive culinary positions across hotels in New York City, such as the Park Hyatt New York and Intercontinental New York Times Square, as well as a tenured history with renowned Celebrity Chef Todd English and The Plaza Food Hall by Todd English.”

Hotel spokespeople continued:

“After many years in New York City, Tartamella joined New Jersey’s Harvest Restaurant Group as executive chef. His time in New Jersey, which he now calls home, inspired him to cultivate relationships with local farmers and small business vendors, who, like [Tartamella], pride themselves on the state and local communities they are inherently part of. A family-oriented chef who believes in merging tradition with modern culinary techniques, Tartamella was a natural fit for The MC Hotel ... It was critical for Tartamella to celebrate the hotel’s New Jersey destination and work with vendors and local farms across the state, whether it was sourcing burrata from Jersey Girl Cheese, fresh vegetables from small farms or getting the best homemade pastas from Lo Re.”

In addition, as part of his “commitment to providing the freshest seasonal flavors and local ingredients” – and as a way to celebrate the nostalgia of his childhood and his own family’s passion for planting – Tartamella and his team have created a rooftop garden dubbed Jersey Roots.

The garden will feature a variety of herbs and vegetables including eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, jalapenos, lemon, shishito peppers, basil, parsley, thyme, rosemary, radishes, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. The vegetables and herbs will be used in dishes throughout the hotel, as well as serve as complementary ingredients and garnishes for Alto and Allegory’s craft cocktails.

Meanwhile, Tartamella has partnered with an Essex County small business, Bee Haven Bees, to create dedicated beehives for the hotel. In addition to harvesting honey for food and drink throughout the hotel, Bee Haven Bees will partner with The MC to create bottles of honey that will be sold in the hotel’s ground-level market.

Tartamella has also “reimaged” the hotel’s lobby market to include this hyper-local approach, which now includes Sweet Home Montclair chocolates alongside house-made “grab ‘n go items.”

“Joining The MC Hotel as executive chef is an important step for me, as I am looking forward to building a culinary team with great leaders to create a dining experience that celebrates Mediterranean meets New American flavors, pays homage to the local destination, and supports local farms and businesses,” Tartamella said.

• See related article: Montclair's MC Hotel Opens, Taps Into Local Artistic Scene

Send local news tips and correction requests to [email protected]. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page.