Meet Chad! The wildly entertaining chef and owner of Porcos. Want a laugh and a belly full of grub? He’s your guy!
Bio
Meet Chad! Born and mostly raised in NJ. Chad moved to Philly after high school because he received a scholarship to The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill. He did tours of all the culinary schools, but Philly was his favorite. He could sense “the real vibes” from the food scene in Philadelphia.
Chad struggled a lot in the beginning of his career. Barely making any money, he often had to decide between food and gas, “but at the end of the day…I cooked, I ate, I was taken care of by my city and food scene.” Chad found himself traveling the world, entered a lot of competitions, but throughout it all he always called Philly his home.
Several opportunities to open restaurants in Philly and the surrounding area arose. But it was TV that launched his career. Chad continued his education, receiving a masters in food engineering, while also working in pastry manufacturing. That led him to meet Buddy Valastro aka “The Cake Boss”. Chad was a main proponent in opening Valastro’s 24 bakeries and 3 restaurants. It was during this time Chad was able to start saving for what he really wanted to do…open his own place.
Origin Story
While Chad was living in Sao Paulo, opening up a bakery for Buddy, he stumbled on a late night porchetteria stand in front of a bar. It was basic, easy, and most of all delicious. Well, that set Chad’s wheels in motion. He wanted to make his own porchetta, just like his family used to make for holidays and events. This idea was close to his heart.
Chad knew he had a good idea: branding and delicious food. He just needed a place to serve the masses! Through some random encounters and previous networks, the owners of Kermit’s (which ironically was where Chad had already helped open his bakery and pizzeria concept) were looking to sell. It was meant to be. In December of 2019 Porcos Porchetteria was born…an extension of Chad’s two loves, pork and pastries.
Roses and Thorns
The restaurant industry can be brutal. It’s others expectations that Chad finds to be the most difficult. People in general have high expectations without an understanding of how hard it is with staff, training, supplies, and costs. He is still able to separate the good from the bad. And the good is pretty great. “I feel lucky, blessed, honored, all of it, and for that we work our asses off to be that community place to walk up, grab a coffee, pastry, or sammie anytime and get consistency, great quality, and good customer service. We are not trying to be the ‘best bakery in the world’ or ‘top chef sandwich’ , nope, I make real food that I love to make, and am happy to spend 12 hours a day doing it. We like to have fun, joke, work, then go home, like everyone else. We are true to ourselves and I hope that shines through everything we do.”
One of the most important things to Chad as a business owner is how he treats his employees. His business is an employee first structure. His decisions, as a boss, are based on the well being of his staff. If they are working too hard, they take a break, whether that’s a one day or a two week paid vacation. If Chad is going to “make it”, that means they are all going to make it. If you ask Chad’s customers, they’re all confident the Porcos team has made it!
2204 Washington Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 545-2939
https://www.smallovenpastryshop.com/
@porcosphilly
