About
The Restaurant
Sonora first opened it's doors in 1994 in New York City. A few years later Chef and owner Rafael Palomino brought Sonora to Port Chester, NY in 1999. While dining at Sonora you can expect a culinary taste tour through Latin America, Mexico, and Spain, as well as influences from Palomino's childhood in Bogotá, Colombia.
Chef Rafael Palomino
Whether he’s in the kitchen, penning his cookbooks—or working the stove in one of his eight-and-growing establishments, Palomino is the consummate creator and astute businessman. Keenly aware of flavors people love and crave, Colombian-born Chef Palomino draws from his childhood in Bogotá, his younger years in New York City—alongside such culinary legends as Larry Forgione and Charlie Palmer—as well as his time in France, with Michel Guèrard in Eugènie-les-Bains. Today his many restaurants—
his menus and his success—represent the culmination of his artistry and business savvy; he knows food, and he knows how people relish their dining experiences.
These days, in between scribing cookbooks (he’s got five published to date: Bistro Latino, Viva la Vida, Nueva Salsa, Fiesta Latina, and Latin Grill!) and teaching cooking classes, Chef Rafael Palomino is an active participant in all of his restaurants, which currently span four states and many miles! In addition to Sonora Restaurant, Palomino boasts ownership of three more in PA (Tapas on Main and Cachette Bistro & Creperie as well as Mesa Modern Mexican in Easton), one in Connecticut (Pacífico in New Haven), and one in Florida (BSquare in Fort Lauderdale), and of course more in the works!
Chef Rafael Palomino is living testament to his own motto, “If you dream it, you can live it!” Open any of his cookbooks, or enter any of his establishments, and you’ll soon see—and taste—the successful combination of Palomino-style ingredients.
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