From 'Hell's Kitchen' To The Streets Of Summit

SUMMIT, NJ - "Hell’s Kitchen" finalist Justin Antiorio has joined the Summit House restaurant as the owners prepare to open a new Mexican smokehouse next door.

Antiorio will serve as executive chef at both eateries.

Bar Bacoa, Mexican Smokehouse and Taqueria is being launched this fall, according to All My Friends, the ownership group behind Summit House.

Bar Bacoa, a slow-cooked Mexican smokehouse and taqueria will be located directly next door to Summit House in the space formerly occupied by Rosalita Mexican at 10 Maple Street.

Antiorio, runner-up on the 2012 season of Gordon Ramsay’s cooking show “Hell’s Kitchen,” will lead the kitchens of both Summit House and Bar Bacoa.

Antiorio, a native of Lyndhurst, was a fan favorite on “Hell’s Kitchen,” earning praise for his impeccable palate, teamwork and leadership skills, the owners said. He’s overseen numerous kitchens since participating in the show, including working as chef de cuisine at both Anthony David’s and Bin 14 in Hoboken, and as a sous chef at the famed NYC restaurant 21 Club.

The owners said as Summit House enters its third year of operation, Antiorio will add his approachably inventive style to the restaurant’s menu, continuing to feature the best of what’s local and in season.

As for the new venture, the owners said Bar Bacoa will have a killer tequila and mezcal bar and will serve taqueria standards such as carnitas and barbacoa, and new favorites such as sweet potato vegan tacos, all infused with flavor from a wood-fired old hickory smoker.

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