Chef Eddie Cotto: A Missionary for Puerto Rican Cuisine

Our December article for Being Latino focuses on Chef Eddie Cotto, owner of the restaurant Me Casa in Jersey City. 

Chef Eddie Cotto

“I’m here because I love to cook.” To say that Chef Eddie Cotto is passionate about Puerto Rican food is an understatement. He’s on a mission, plate by plate not just to change, that’s too simple, but to revolutionize how Americans view his familial cuisine.

The Brooklyn born and raised former financier says, “I dream big, never small.” 

Chef Cotto aspires to see Puerto Rican food as ubiquitous as Mexican and Cuban food is throughout the United States. According to him, Puerto Ricans have not tooted their horns loud enough and have fallen short marketing their cuisine to a crossover audience as Mexicans and Cubans have. “Have we really made a mark on the world, culinarily, to really claim our spot? That’s where I think we haven’t.” The result, according to Chef Cotto is that many Americans identify and categorize Latino cuisine as either Mexican or Cuban.

To support his theory, Chef Cotto recently welcomed a new diner to his Jersey City (NJ) restaurant, Me Casa. In an effort to ensure that her inaugural experience at Me Casa was flawless, he left nothing to chance – single handedly preparing her dish.

At the end of the exceedingly satisfying meal, the diner proclaimed, “I’m so glad we have a new Mexican restaurant in the neighborhood.”

Read the full article on Being Latino.