Chef Anthony Bonett
Executive Chef
A second generation lifelong Philadelphian, Chef Anthony Bonett took an exciting road to his present position as Executive Chef of the Moshulu Restaurant and Bar. Throughout his culinary career Chef Bonett has developed a signature style that emphasizes fresh, seasonal ingredients to create fantastic dishes from the traditional to the more exotic.
Like many who make their livelihood behind the stove, Bonett watched and learned from his parents, both accomplished amateur cooks, in the family kitchen. But the culinary bug had not yet truly bitten. After attending Temple University, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy serving aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Forrestal. During his tour aboard ship he also worked in the ship’s kitchens, preparing meals for over 5,000 sailors, the Admiral and his executive staff. His voyages took him to Provence, the French Riviera, Italy, Greece and Turkey, affording him the opportunity to begin his appreciation of Mediterranean cuisines. This experience cemented his decision to trade his Navy tools for chef’s utensils. In 1992, following his discharge from the Navy, he enrolled at his hometown’s acclaimed Restaurant School; achieving his Associates Degree in Culinary Arts.
Chef Bonett launched his culinary career as an apprentice at Philadelphia’s Four Seasons Hotel, under Chef Jean-Marie Lacroix. Throughout his twenty-year career in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs; Chef Bonett has worked and headed the kitchens of some of Philadelphia’s most iconic restaurants including, The Fountain Restaurant, Tony Clarks, Philadelphia Fish and Company, Striped Bass, Opus 251 and the White Dog Cafe.
His favorite menu items at the Moshulu are the calamari, swordfish and Moshulu sushi roll. His menu is inspired by, “the desire to cook delicious food that is a reinvention of classic flavors. I dabble mostly in Mediterranean and Asian flavors with a healthy nod to seasonality,” he said.
When not in the kitchen at the Moshulu he likes to perpare one pot meals, “that taste great and don’t make too much of a mess, “adding, “My wife does most of the cooking at home.” Chef Bonett resides in Plymouth Meetings and in his spare time he said he enjoys, “Spending time with my wife cooking, playing piano, video games, fishing in summer, reading New Yorker Magazine, golfing, playing tennis, and walking our dog.” He added his great joy is being a father to his wife’s daughters Sky, 23; Miranda, 21, and his son Bruno, 18. “Sky has a one-year-old son, Sage who is my little buddy,” he added.
Chef Bonett was invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York on two separate occasions; one being an All Lobster Dinner in January of 2003, which he prepared to a sold-out group.
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