Boxerbrand's Recipe for Success

When Hurricane Sandy swamped The Inlet Café in 2012, flooding the 49-year-old New Jersey eatery beneath five feet of water, the second-generation owners did what their parents had taught them to do in the face of disaster—they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Like their parents had done in 1975 after a fast-moving fire leapt from a neighboring hotel and reduced the family business to rubble, siblings and co-owners Robin Lentz-Sundstrom and Douglas Lentz refused to be knocked…

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Salvatore Scarlata’s motto is “cooking with passion.” The native of Sicily, who demonstrated a flair for traditional Italian cooking as a young boy, chopped and diced his way through a lifelong pursuit of creating the “perfect dining experience” for his guests; a cozy environment where they could reliably find perfect atmosphere, food and service. After moving to the U.S. to expand his cooking repertoire, and logging in many hours apprenticing at local five-star restaurants, he realized his dream of restaurant…

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In a trendy corner of Cajun country Louisiana exists a gateway to Hemingway’s Spain via a red door in the stucco edifice of Pamplona Tapas Bar and Restaurant. Launched in 2007 by British chef William Annesley, the private chef for Gwen Stefani and Quentin Tarantino, and his wife Karina, the moody little restaurant that exudes all the ambience of the storied bullfighting passion of Spain is a crowning achievement for the couple. Rich in appearance, a room designed “from the…

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Nestled amid the rolled-gold hills of Carmel Valley, Calif. sits the stone and terracotta landmark Holman Ranch, a sprawling facility that embraces classic California and Mexican architecture, while offering the most modern conveniences in a broad swath of services at its vineyard: wedding and meeting venues, stables, a new restaurant and a hotel. On the sprawling 400-acre estate, guests step back in time as they drift into rooms accented by oak-beamed ceilings, or out onto grounds replete with vineyards, and…

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Overlooking the crashing waves of its private beach on Nantucket Sound, The Ocean House Restaurant has weathered the test of time to stand proudly among the Top 10 fine-dining restaurants on Cape Cod. Founded 30 years ago on the spot where restaurateur Janet Barbato’s family cottage once stood, the elegant façade with its large, arched windows overlooking the water sure isn’t her grandmother’s beach house anymore. Rather, it is a sophisticated surprise. Praised in numerous restaurant reviews for its “city…

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How a sophisticated and upscale Greek restaurant came to revive a burned-out Colonial in Tenafly, N.J. began when Michael Parlamis asked his wife Marguerite, “What’s for dinner?” The longtime principal with the famous restaurant construction firm Parlamis Group, and his wife were stymied one night, years ago, as they debated going to the same ol’ same ol.’ So they decided they, and the town they lived in, were ready for a change in dining destinations! “We were so discouraged when…

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Glancing around the converted 1790s strawberry barn, chef Jamie Knott turned to his business partner David Madison and exclaimed, “This is it!” As light from sconces danced off the rough-hewn pine walls that have withstood hundreds of years, Knott began to reimagine the iconic Saddle River Inn, owned and operated since 1981 by restaurateurs Imelda and Hans Egg, as the place where his dreams of restaurant ownership could come to fruition. “I still remember the night. We’d been privately looking…

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Selling sushi in landlocked Omaha, Neb. wasn’t the easiest restaurant business model to follow. But Charlie Yin and his family embraced the challenge of bringing raw fish to diners in the middle of the nation, converting many patrons to the sublime fine-dining experience at Hiro 88. And for those not yet ready to partake, a broad menu offering Korean, Japanese, Chinese and fusion cuisine paired with a sampling from the most extensive and finest sake selection in Omaha. “When my…

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Anna Maria Santorelli, the feisty female chef who once cooked for celebrities and dignitaries at New York City’s Gracie Mansion before fulfilling the lifelong dream of opening her own restaurant in 2006, knows how to pull culinary delights from a pressure-cooker kitchen. After working 12 years for Gracie Mansion in greater and greater roles, ultimately achieving the title of Executive Chef, the native of Italy continues to strive for and achieve her American dream with each Eggplant Parmesan she prepares,…

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When Fazio’s Restaurant founder and family patriarch Tino Fazio combined his powerhouse personality with his desire to establish a fine dining experience in a region of Ontario previously known as a “mixed drinks” crowd, people said he was crazy. But the immigrant from Sicily, Italy, who grew up poor and at times didn’t have money for shoes, had yet to meet a challenge he couldn’t overcome. Hard work, a charismatic personality, and Sonny Bono good looks drew customers in from…

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