Moshulu

Bios

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  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.

  Education:

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  Zach Grainda

  Regional Executive Chef

  Food has always been a centerpiece for Zach’s personal and professional life. From dinners with family and friends to cooking on the line at one of the three White Dog Cafe locations around the Philadelphia area, his passion for food is demonstrated every day in his restaurants. Cooking is not only his profession but his hobby. With over 25 years restaurant experience, Grainda started learning cooking techniques at an early age from his grandmother, prompting to landing his first restaurant job at the age of 13. Working in kitchens throughout high school, he knew it was a career suited for him and chose to expand his cooking skills by attending Johnson & Wales Culinary School in Providence, RI. During his time in New England leading up to completing culinary school, he spent two summers in Falmouth, MA as a Sous Chef for Cape Cod Restaurant Group, and completed an internship at Al Forno in Providence, RI under Chefs George Germon and Johanne Killeen. During his final year of college, he was hired as the Chef de Cuisine at Z Bar and Grill in Providence from 1997-1999. Grainda graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island in 2000. After graduation, Grainda moved back home to the Philadelphia area to be closer to family and to look for more challenging opportunities in a city close to his heart. He worked for a short time at Striped Bass in 2000 under Chef Terrence Feury, and in 2001, he joined Fearless Restaurants as Sous Chef at Passerelle in Radnor, PA under Chef Allan Vanesko and restauranteur Marty Grims. In 2005, Zach worked under Executive Chef Ralph Fernandez at Moshulu in Penn’s Landing, and then was promoted in 2006, as the opening Executive Chef of Daddy O Hotel & Restaurant in Long Beach Island, NJ. In 2010, he opened the second location of White Dog Cafe in Wayne as Executive Chef. In 2012, Grims asked Zach Grainda and General Manager/Partner Tamas Szene to oversee both locations of White Dog Cafe in Wayne and the original location in Philadelphia which opened in 1983 by Judy Wicks and was purchased in 2009 by Mary Grims. Grainda and Szene were tasked with maintaining Wicks’ vision of sustainable business practices, expanding partnerships with local farms and artisans, in addition to constantly aspiring to improve food quality and hospitality. In May 2015, Grainda, Grims and Szene opened a third location of White Dog Cafe in Haverford, PA. The duo of Grainda and Szene focus their time mentoring the next generation of chefs and dining room managers; keeping the standards, history, and approachability of White Dog Cafe as being a great neighborhood restaurant. In his free time, Zach enjoys cooking dinners for his family, dining out, fitness, sports and spending time with his 13-year-old son, Brady, and dog, Cody. At the age of 13 months, Brady was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and since then Brady and Zach have been very active with groups like Children with Diabetes and JDRF to raise awareness, support, and research for a cure.

  Education:

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  Tamas Szene

  Director of Restaurants

  Tamas Szene uses his vast experience to bring a depth of high-level expertise necessary for executing successful day to day operations. He enjoys the constantly changing, evolving and developing of new restaurant concepts and is a restaurant professional driven by his love of food, hospitality and fostering a healthy work environment. Tamas embodies the belief that company culture is at the center of a well-balanced and successful team where everyone’s talent, as different as they may be, play a unique and essential role in ensuring the experience. His leadership and support of his team members coupled with his guests-first philosophy are instrumental in providing a strong base for operations. Tamas moved to the United States from Hungary and has been part of the Fearless Restaurant group since he arrived in 2005. Before moving to the U.S., he spent time studying in his native Hungary, then in Ukraine followed by Germany and the United States. Following his studies, he started working in the hospitality industry joining Royal Caribbean Cruise Line as a busboy. He spent 7 years sailing the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas while working his way through the ranks. He met his wife while working on Voyager of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world at the time. The two of them settled here in the Philadelphia area where he began his career with Marty Grims, eventually partnering together in several restaurant projects. Currently, four of the Fearless Restaurants are under his oversight, including Autograph Brasserie and the three White Dog Cafe locations in Philadelphia, Haverford and Wayne. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters at their home in Wayne, exploring new restaurants and traveling abroad.

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  Kerrie Van Horn

  Director of Marketing & Communications

  Having worked in the hospitality industry for over 30 years, Kerrie has developed an expertise in marketing hospitality and services to guests. Starting as a server in high school working at a family restaurant in Exton, PA, Kerrie has always enjoyed every personal interaction as an opportunity to impact a guest’s experience. Graduating with a B.S. in Business Administration, Marketing from the University of Delaware, Kerrie worked throughout her studies in several fine dining hotel restaurants, also including the Columbus Inn in Wilmington, DE. While working for 1492 Hospitality Group, Kerrie elevated in the organization as a restaurant manager, event coordinator and General Manager of the Grille & Pub at Hartefeld National Golf Course in Avondale, PA. Promoted to Director of Marketing, Kerrie executed the marketing for four restaurants and two high-end public golf courses with restaurants and banquet facilities and executing an overall marketing budget over $250K a year. In 2003, Kerrie transitioned into event venue contract management for Sodexo Leisure Services as Director of Marketing for the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, DE. After an expansion and rebranding of the center, she expanded her event and catering sales and venue marketing supporting seven cultural attractions regionally, then nationally supporting the entire group of twenty-eight units. Her expertise included developing and executing marketing plans involving market research, branding and tactical communication strategies to drive revenue and increase guest participation. In 2013, Kerrie was the Director of Marketing & Communications for Stephen STARR Events and STARR Restaurant Catering Group assisting with the opening of catering and cafe operations at Carnegie Hall, New York Botanical Gardens and the Perez Art Museum in Miami before returning to her restaurant roots. In 2014, Kerrie joined Marty Grims, creating the Fearless Restaurants brand and developing marketing strategies for each of his existing restaurants, while assisting the launch of his last three restaurant concepts. Kerrie lives in Hockessin, DE with her restauranteur husband Joe, two daughters and dog Teddy. She enjoys gardening, reading and surfing social media and attending her daughter’s sporting events.

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  Marty Grims

  Managing Partner

  Marty is a third-generation restaurateur, who has owned restaurants in the Philadelphia and South Jersey area for over thirty years. After graduating from Cornell University with a B.S in Hotel Administration in 1983, Marty began his career opening the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. He applied that standard of quality in every restaurant he owns and operates. From the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia, he spent the next 20 years on Philadelphia’s Main Line. He was Partner/General Manager of La Fourchette in Wayne, PA, and joined Jean Francois Taquet as partners in Taquet and Bravo Bistro in Radnor, PA. In 1992, he took over the ownership as a sole proprietor and renamed the restaurant Passerelle. Grims had partnerships with two other popular Main Line restaurants—Tango Bar and Grill at the Bryn Mawr Train Station in Bryn Mawr, PA and Basil Bistro in Paoli, PA. He also opened the popular Du jour Cafés in Haverford Square and Philadelphia. Currently, Marty owns eight restaurants including Moshulu Restaurant on Penn's Landing, three White Dog Cafe’s in University City, Wayne and Haverford and most recently Autograph Brasserie in Wayne. He has extended hospitality offerings on Long Beach Island, New Jersey with Plantation Restaurant in Harvey Cedars, Daddy O Restaurant & Hotel in Brant Beach and Tuckers Tavern opened in 2014 in Beach Haven. Marty is actively engaged in the daily management of his restaurants, which employs over seven hundred people. He focuses his time on restaurant development and design, financing, as well as the day to day supervision of his eight entities. His team has worked hard with him over many years with many working for more than 10 years or more. Many of his restaurants have been critically acclaimed in the press including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Philadelphia Inquirer. His approach to developing a new restaurant concept is to ensure the restaurant will play an integral part in its surrounding neighborhood and community. Marty lives in Berwyn with his wife Laurie. His twin daughter and son are currently attending college both at Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania. His oldest daughter also works in hospitality in New York City.

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  Sydney Grims

  Director of Development
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  Jaimi Blackburn

  Director of Public Relations

  Jaimi Blackburn joined Fearless Restaurants in 2016 as Director of Public Relations with over two decades of public relations experience, specializing in the culinary and hospitality industries. Blackburn most recently served as Director of Public Relations for the Loews Philadelphia Hotel and Bank & Bourbon. Prior to going in-house for Loews Hotels, she owned her own public relations company where she opened or rebranded over 60 restaurants and has worked with celebrity chefs including two that have appeared on Bravo’s Top Chef. Blackburn handles all of the public relations duties for the eight Fearless Restaurants properties that include: the Moshulu Restaurant on Penn's Landing, White Dog Cafe in University City, Wayne, and Haverford, Autograph Brasserie in Wayne and on Long Beach Island; Plantation Restaurant, Daddy O Restaurant & Hotel and Tucker’s Tavern. In addition to her work in public relations, Blackburn has served for the past 14 years as an adjunct professor in the School of Media and Communication at Temple University. She resides in Villanova, PA with her husband, four daughters and her dog.