NEW BEDFORD – Although Joe Rego’s culinary creations have impressed tough judges during his winning appearances on the Food Network’s “Chopped” and “Cutthroat Kitchen” cooking competitions, the New Bedford chef was recently hoping to scoop up some praise from a local group of young picky eaters.
On July 15, Rego paid a surprise visit to the children attending Discovery Language Academy ’s ‘Art, Language and Culture Summer Program’ and cooked up a special treat for them – chocolate soup.
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“It’s a dessert I used to serve when I worked as a chef in Atlanta,” Rego told O Jornal. “It got voted the best dessert in Atlanta. Basically, it’s a chocolate fondue. It’s heavy cream infused with semi-sweet chocolate chips until it creates a fondue. Then it’s poured into a cup with sugar coated croutons and whip cream.”
Rego started off the cooking session with a lesson about the history of chocolate and then prepared the mouth-watering ‘soup’ in front of 67 children anxiously waiting to get a taste of it.
“It was delicious,” confirmed one of the youngsters afterwards.
Rego: ‘I love giving back to the community’
After the DLA visit, the Portuguese chef told O Jornal this was the first time he had the opportunity to share his culinary experience and talent with schoolchildren.
“It was a joy to see them smile,” he confessed. “I asked them if anybody had the intentions of becoming a chef. A couple of them raised their hand.”
Yet, Rego is no stranger to donating his time and talent to events and fundraisers. He has offered his chef services up for non-profit organizations to raffle off at silent and live auctions, which has helped raise dozens of thousands of dollars for local causes like Team Noah Foundation.
“I usually do a dinner for 10 people, where I go to the house and I perform a four-course dinner, usually with matching wines,” he said. “I love giving back to the community.”
Chef Rego’s personal journey spans across three continents
Rego was born in Luanda, Angola, when the African country was still under Portuguese rule.
He grew up in Lisbon, living there for 10 years. In 1984, he came to the United States with his parents and sister and they settled in New Bedford.
After graduating from high school, Rego worked some time at a shipyard to help support his family, but eventually was encouraged by a persistent friend to pursue a degree in culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University.
After completing his studies, he started his professional journey at The Union League Café, a French-inspired brasserie in New Haven, Conn. He went on to work at restaurants in Atlanta, such as South City Kitchen, Fritti, and Allegro. He continued to garner expertise in French cuisine while spending some time in St. Tropez and mastered the art of crafting fresh Italian pasta at Sotto Sotto restaurant in Atlanta.
“My specialty is a little bit of everything. A little of French, a little of Italian, a little of Portuguese,” explained Rego.
In 2012, he earned recognition as one of the top chefs to watch out for by Creative Loafing Atlanta.
He was the winner of Food Network’s ‘Chopped’ and ‘Cutthroat Kitchen’ competitions in 2012 and 2016, respectively. He also made appearances as a guide on Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s show ‘No Passport Required’ and ‘Emeril Florida.’
He has earned various awards and recognitions, including Bon Appétit’s “Best Italian Restaurant in Atlanta,” Atlanta magazine’s “Best Restaurant,” and a notable ninth ranking in “100 Top Best Restaurants” by Jezebel magazine.
He said his signature dishes include wild boar ragu, Portuguese steak, scallops and summer corn succotash, tuna tostada and piri piri shrimp, among others.
After returning to the New Bedford region about a decade ago, he has worked in several well-known establishments, such as Not Your Average Joe’s, Belcourt Mansion, Cask & Pig Kitchen and Alehouse, and Top Shelf Bar & Grill. Today, you will find him cooking at New Beige in downtown New Bedford.
During his leisure time he enjoys experimenting with new dishes.
“That’s what a chef does,” he said. “He tries to create many dishes that he hasn’t done to kind of keep, you know, things alive at the establishment.”
But opening his own restaurant is not on the menu, he said.
“I’ll just continue to do what I do and loving it while I do it… and always trying to perfect my craft. I’ll continue to give back to the community as much as I can. And that’s pretty much it,” he concluded.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Chef Joe Rego cooks up special treat for schoolchildren in New Bedford
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