Meet Executive Chef Joe Boko & Executive Sous Chef Kelvin Gomez

The Cornell Club is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Joe Boko as Executive Chef of The Cornell Club-New York.

Joe was born into a family with a deep love of food. Everyone in his family cooks and it seemed inevitable that he would find his way into the restaurant industry, although his initial dream was to become a history teacher. His path was redirected during a summer job employed alongside his father at Aramark at New York Life Insurance corporate headquarters. Under the mentorship of Executive Chef Paul Thompson, his passion for culinary arts was born. At his urging, Joe enrolled in culinary school at the Arts Institute of New York and graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management. 
During his time in culinary school, he refined his skills at the Short Hills Hilton in Short Hills, NJ, which at the time was the states only AAA Five Diamond Hotel. It was there under the guidance of Executive Chef Robert Trainor, Executive Sous Chef Sean Cznadel and Banquet Chef Michael Schreck that he gained invaluable experience working in all facets of the kitchen. After three years of attending culinary school and working at the Short Hills Hilton, Joe embarked on an internship at Per Se, Thomas Keller's Three Michelin starred fine dining restaurant, under the tutelage of Executive Chef Jonathan Benno.
Following graduation, Joe joined The Club's culinary team as a line cook. Recognizing his dedication and talent, he was promoted to Sous Chef within one year. Under the guidance of Executive Chef Michael Rizzo, he was entrusted with menu development for The Club's a la carte dining rooms, banquet department, and the program department. With a talented hardworking team of cooks, and his background in fine dining, he set out to change the perception of what Club food could be with an emphasis on seasonality and sustainability. Joe was promoted to Executive Sous Chef in 2021, and he continued to showcase his creativity with the launch of the successful Pop-Up Dinner series. 
Upon Chef Michael Rizzo's recent retirement, Joe has been promoted to Executive Chef. His goal as the Executive Chef is to provide an unforgettable dining experience with unsurpassed quality, creativity, and attention to detail.

Join us in congratulating Joe as he takes the helm as Executive Chef of The Cornell Club-New York!

Want to congratulate Chef Boko directly?  You can email him at [email protected].

The Cornell Club is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Kelvin Gomez as Executive Sous Chef of The Cornell Club-New York.

Kelvin never thought he would end up working in the culinary field, instead his interest gravitated more towards creative writing, dreaming of one day writing a best-selling novel. Observing his family cooking nightly dinners, his interest in cooking was piqued and he asked his parents to teach him. During high school Kelvin began experimenting with different flavors as his love of cooking grew. Soon he found his family asking him to do the cooking. It wasn't until he met his now wife, that she urged him to follow his passion and turn it into a career. While enrolled at The Institute of Culinary Education, Kelvin secured an internship at The Mercer Kitchen, Jean George's highly acclaimed restaurant in the Mercer Hotel. Upon graduating The Institute of Culinary Education with an associate's degree in culinary arts, and having impressed Executive Chef Chris Beischer, Kelvin was asked to stay on at The Mercer Kitchen. Following a successful three years, Kelvin decided to expand his culinary knowledge by working for Top Chef Season 2 winner, Ilan Hall at The Gorbals in Brooklyn. Subsequently Kelvin found his way to The Cornell Club where he has been a line cook and an integral part of the kitchen for the last seven years. Kelvin's creativity and passion for cooking coupled with his hard work ethic made him the natural choice to move up to Executive Sous Chef. He looks forward to contributing to the artistry of the culinary department and continuing to add to The Cornell Club-New York's prestigious reputation as one of New York City's finest clubs. 

Want to congratulate Sous Chef Gomez directly?  You can email him at [email protected].