Head Chef

Executive Chef:

Ever go out to eat and wonder who the mastermind behind your food is? At Above Restaurant and Bar your dishes are dreamed up and prepared by Chef Joseph Catalano.

A New Jersey native of Italian ancestry, Chef Catalano grew up in the kitchen and discovered his love for cooking at an early age. The passion for cooking runs in the Catalano family; Chef Joseph’s father was also a trained chef. Although his formal training is from the New York Restaurant School, Chef Catalano first learned to cook in his family’s kitchen under the direction of his parents. These early learning experiences were highly beneficial to Catalano’s eventual career.

 Chef Joseph Catalano came to Above with 18 years of experience in luxurious restaurants including The Dining Room at the Short Hills Hilton and The Kobe Club in NYC. His dishes have been featured in magazines such as Food Arts magazine and have won numerous honors including a four-star rating from The Star-Ledger.

Chef Catalano has also dabbled in the ownership side of the restaurant business and has experience managing successful restaurants. Semolina Restaurant was the brain-child of Catalano and he owned and managed this restaurant for five years before deciding to return to being solely a chef. He is pleased to once again be able to focus his energy on creating and cooking amazing menus.