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With one restaurant, Tryst in Arlington, Massachusetts, under his belt, Chef Paul Turano plans to open his newest venture very soon. Located in Newton, Massachusetts, Cook aims to provide quality food in a relaxed atmosphere that will suit any occasion or mealtime. The menu is varied at every time of day, ensuring that there’s something for everyone’s taste buds. Chef Turano places high priority on a delicious, fun, unpretentious dining experience; when Cook opens, it is sure to provide just that.
I was able to speak with Chef Turano, who shares his plans for Cook with enthusiasm.
JL: Why did you decide to open a second restaurant?
CT: My first restaurant Tryst in Arlington took some time to get into a good groove. It’s always hard trying to provide exactly what your customers want and balancing your own creativity. I think we finally got it right, and we’ve just come off our two best years. It’s never about money for me. I mean if you think about it, we’re finally in a good place with debt to profit/income and here I go again! I’m taking a huge risk opening a second location. It’s almost like starting all over again. With Tryst I took over a space and did modifications. I didn’t build it from the ground up. With Cook I did. It’s been a huge task. I can’t wait for it to open.
JL: When will it open?
CT: That’s the magic question. It’s looking like end of August maybe early September.
JL: What will the food be like?
CT: I hate labels, but if pushed I’d say new American? But, honestly it is a bit all over the place. Flat breads, great burgers, pastas, fresh fish and seafood, great meat dishes and a lot more. We have shared plates, a snack section and a great craft cocktail program. I want it to be a true neighborhood restaurant in every sense of the word. I don’t want people to feel like they have to spend a certain amount to come in and hang out. If you want to come in and have a drink and just hang out. Awesome. If you want to come in for a full dinner on Friday night, we’re you’re spot. Brunch with the family we got you covered. Grab and go lunch during the work day. Got that too.
JL: So, you’ll be serving lunch, dinner and brunch?
CT: Yup, cat’s out of the bag. We’ll open and do dinner for a few weeks, then add brunch, then lunch.
JL: What will the space look like?
CT: Cool. I’m really excited by the design. We’ve used reclaimed wood for our bar, there will be brushed chrome accents and there are great big storefront windows. Maybe modern meets rustic?
JL: So, Why is it called Cook?
CT: That’ a funny story. My entire team and I were laboring over a name. We probably came up with a list of over 100 names! One night my daughter was coloring at the kitchen table while I was going through the list. She asked me what I was doing and I told her trying to find a name for the new restaurant. Without even looking up she said, “Daddy, don’t you cook?” That was pretty much it. It made sense. Why am I trying to look for all these “cool” names when in honestly all I want to do is just cook simple straight forward food with fresh ingredients. It all just made sense to me.
JL: How can people find out when you are officially open?
CT: Follow us on twitter @CookRestaurant!
