Husband and wife team Chino and Karen Pedemonte met at a Restaurant in New York where they were both employed. Chino started there as a dishwasher after moving to the city from Peru in search of the ‘American Dream.’ Karen grew up in New York, graduating from the Culinary Institute of America. After falling in love, they soon realized they had to get out of New York in order to own their own resta
urant. Karen and Chino moved to the Eastern Shore to be closer to Karen’s family. When the two discovered Bon Appétit was for sale in 1991, they put everything they had into fulfilling their dream. Chef Chino learned to blend cuisines growing up in Peru, known for it’s melting pot population. His mother influenced him to be creative with the supplies you have, but to never compromise freshness. He uses a mixture of cuisines including French, German, Incan, Chinese, Japanese and Swiss in his recipes. Chino makes all of the soups and sauces from stock, working behind the line from Tuesday morning until close on Saturday. With only the assistance of his sous chef, you can guarantee consistency in the quality of food. She devotes her attention to every detail in the dining room, from the fresh flowers to the crisp napkins. When she is not busy with customers, Karen is in the back preparing desserts and salad dressings from scratch. With a staff under ten employees who have all been working at the restaurant for five years or more, they have become family and really know how to pull together to make the customers happy.
