JOSEPH ROMANO
CHEF / OWNER
Joe Romano is a classically trained chef yet like so many before him, Joe’s first mentors were the women in his boisterous Sicilian family, his mom, grandmother and great grandmother. Following an exciting run as a player on the US soccer team in Amsterdam, Joe followed his true passion and embarked on another journey at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park NY. Most notably he worked for Chef Antoine Bouterin, Chef Charlie Palmer and enjoyed a four month cross-country stage working for the country’s best chefs.
Joe’s career highlights have been as Sous Chef of Aureole Restaurant in NYC a Ralais en Chateaux and Zagat Top Ten Best in the 90’s, opening Aureole Restaurant at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas as the Executive Chef a 350 seat fine dining restaurant featuring a four story wine tower and over 2500 selections, becoming VP of Food & Beverage at Golden Gaming Entertainment Group in Las Vegas managing over 50 taverns and 4 casinos.
And yet the most exciting part of his career is yet to come as his family opens Urban Kitchen and Salted Caramel Café in Bozeman Montana. For this culinary couple, it is an exciting return to a smaller town, home grown meals and reconnect with the great outdoors. Urban Kitchen and Salted Caramel Café are the fusion of the chefs’ fine-dining training, what they most enjoy eating at home and the exciting opportunity to cook with seasonal, local ingredients.
MEGAN ROMANO
CHEF / OWNER
Family and friends were not surprised that Meg Romano would one day end up in a professional kitchen after spending most of her time cooking while growing up in Connecticut. Her mom was an adventuresome cook with a bountiful vegetable and herb garden and tart apple trees. Following graduation from Northwestern University, Meg walked into Charlie Trotter’s restaurant and began her intense journey of learning on the job. This was a quick start to a lifetime passion for cooking leading Meg to work with some of the most talented chefs in the country, Chef Charlie Palmer and Chef Gray Kunz at Aureole and Lespinasse restaurants in New York City in all areas of the kitchen.
Meg and Joe worked together at Aureole in New York City and then opened Aureole in Las Vegas together as pastry chef and executive chefs respectively.
Chef Meg developed her extensive skills as a Pastry Chef during a 12-year tenure at Aureole in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas and ultimately opened her own bakery, Chocolate & Spice, which received multiple awards and exceptional reviews in local and national media.
“To me, Bozeman is the perfect spot to raise our children amidst the great outdoors and pursue our life long passion for cooking delicious food using ingredients harvested close to home. We are thrilled to finally be living here in Bozeman as a part of this amazing community.”