When cooking with dad means learning to run a restaurant, good things happen. Arturo Balderas, the chef and proprietor of Tavolo Pronto and Dos Banditos in Fair Haven, NJ, has owned Tavolo Pronto with his wife, Patti, a pastry chef, since 2010. Dos Banditos, which opened last year across from Tavolo Pronto on River Road, serves authentic Mexican street food inspired by Arturo’s hometown of Mexico City.
They have two teenage sons, Matteo and Marco, who were raised to know their way around a kitchen and eventually work in their family restaurants. Matteo is a senior at RBR High School and has worked making pizzas at Tavolo for the past four years. Marco is a sophomore at RBR and works at Dos Banditos. Matteo and Marco are seen here, with Arturo guiding them through the preparation of Linguini Basilicata.
