Good food doesn’t come from just anywhere. We at Bank+Vine pride ourselves not only on the excellent customer service we provide but the menu our guests come here to enjoy. Our kitchen is full of talented individuals who put in hard work to make our menu as diverse and complete as it is. Every brunch item, every dinner meal, even our pub selection, goes through our team in the back room. Everyone is important, but a team can’t be complete without a leader, and our team is led by our Executive Chef, Chad Gelso.
Chef Gelso dreamed of opening his own restaurant right here in the valley. He envisioned a restaurant that serves a farm-focused menu, a welcomed nod to the area’s agricultural past. But before he helped found Bank+Vine, Chef Gelso studied, trained, and gained the experience to lead the kitchen our guests know and love today.
Where Do You Know Chad Gelso From?
If his name and face sound familiar to you, don’t be surprised – you might have seen him on the hit show, Hell’s Kitchen. That’s right, our Chef Chad Gelso is the same Chef Chad Gelso who competed on the world-famous reality competition show run by Chef Gordon Ramsey!
While on Hell’s Kitchen, he gained experience cooking in a high-stress environment, where only the best was acceptable. While our kitchen isn’t as hectic or volatile, it means our Executive Chef is ready for anything our guests and the kitchen can throw at him. We are happy to have him as a leader!
Make no mistake, though, this is not the extent of his culinary experience.
Where Did Our Executive Chef Get All of His Experience?
At 17, Chef Gelso was accepted to the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont. This well-respected culinary school is where Chef Gelso acquired his culinary degree before it sadly closed its doors earlier this year.
With his degree, he went from major city to major city, experiencing culinary culture, practices, and environments in high-octane locations like Chicago and Washington, D.C. He even went across the pond for a time to work in London, where he learned how English kitchens operated.
Most recently, he was Head Chef at Suraya, an award-winning Lebanese restaurant. Under his leadership, the eatery earned the title of “Best New Restaurant,” even maintaining the number one spot for restaurants in Philadelphia for two years running, until his departure.
What Does Chef Gelso Bring to Bank+Vine?
His talent and experience exceed what most chefs can bring to a kitchen, but Executive Chef Chad Gelso brings more than that. He’s a valley local who wants to use his talent and skill to serve food to other valley locals. He’s said he’s wanted to work in a local restaurant with natural food from local farms, and that’s what Bank+Vine does.
When he came to Bank+Vine, he said, “We have some absolutely incredible produce right here in our backyard of NEPA. I would love to show off some of those local farmers and fishermen and purveyors who are the real artists in this business, and then prepare those ingredients simply, and in the height of their season.”
We think that’s what he’s done so far, and if you want to have a taste of his cooking for yourself, make a reservation at Bank+Vine today!
