APRIL 29, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD
Michael Pereira , Roots Steakhouse, Ridgewood NJ
Trinidad-born Michael Pereira settled in Hoboken with his family when he was 5 years old and, for the most part, hasn’t strayed too far since. While earning a science engineering degree at NJIT, Pereira worked as a line cook at the Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Weehawken. When he graduated and was offered a full-time job as a sous-chef, Pereira made the nerve-wracking decision to abandon a career in engineering before it could even begin and pursue what he was passionate about: cooking.
It’s something he grew up doing with his mother and grandmother, making traditional Trinidadian dishes, including stews, curry chicken and rice with peas.
For 21 years he worked for different Ruth’s Chris locations as a sous-chef, executive corporate chef for the northeast region and general manager. In 2011 he joined the Harvest Group (the company that owns Roots and a slew of other restaurants) as front-of-house manager, and soon after was offered the opportunity to return to the kitchen.
Today, Pereira, who lives in Cedar Knolls, is the 44-year-old married father of two. He is also the distinguished winner of a recent contest between the chefs at all three Roots locations (Summit, Morristown and Ridgewood); his recipe was selected to be Roots’ signature steak sauce.
Here, he shares his best tip for cooking steak at home, his proudest moment as a chef and whether or not a dry-aged steak is superior.
how are the price’s.
Yes, root’s is a good place, but it is not really worth the price