May 15, 2017

Meet Peter McCarthy of EVOO in Cambridge

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter McCarthy.

Peter , a Quincy native, began his culinary career working in kitchens during high school. Peter attended the Culinary Institute of American in Hyde Park, New York and was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by his graduating class. After graduation he began working at The Bostonian Hotel as a breakfast cook. Peter worked his way through the ranks and was ultimately the Executive Chef of Seasons at the Bostonian Hotel. During his tenure the restaurant received numerous awards and much acclaim, including a 1995 vote by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine as one of the “Top Fifty Restaurants in America.” In 1997, the James Beard Awards selected McCarthy as one of “America’s Great Hotel Chefs.”

In 1998, Peter ventured out and opened his first restaurant EVOO, in Somerville, with his wife Colleen. EVOO was named “One of the Best New Restaurants in America” by Bon Appetite. In 2004 Peter opened his second restaurant Za, in Arlington. In 2010 Peter relocated EVOO to Kendall Square and opened his second Za location in an adjacent space. His Kendall Square location is LEED (Leadership and Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certified. EVOO has been named “Boston’s #1 Eclectic restaurant” by The Zagat Guide in every issue since 2008. Zagat also recently named Za the # 1 and 2 “Best Cheap Eats” restaurants in Boston. Peter has been named “one of the Best Chefs in America” by BCA each year since its inception in 2013.

Peter is committed to using as many local, sustainable and organic ingredients as possible. His menus are constantly changing with the available local ingredients. He works with local farmers and even maintains his own rooftop garden in Kendall Square.

Peter is a charter member of the Chefs Collaborative, an organization that unites chefs and farmers to bring local sustainable agriculture to restaurants and classrooms. He has also been a supporter of The Food Project for many years.

When Peter isn’t in one of his kitchens you can find him enjoying some quality time with wife Colleen and two children or on a sailing adventure in the middle of the Atlantic.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been a long road, most of it smooth and very positive. A lot of hard work and perseverance has paid off with the biggest challenge has always been trying to balance family life and a job that requires you to be at work most nights and weekends. With the support of my in-laws and my very understanding wife, I / we have a great family who take advantage of the time we do have together.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about EVOO – what should we know?
EVOO is a restaurant that works very hard to be a part of its community, supporting local farms, designing the menu around local sustainable ingredients. Cooking nose-to-tail, utilizing every bit of the animal that gave their live for our food. Canning and preserving the local season so we can extend those ingredients through the winter months. We pride ourselves making everything at the restaurant.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The single person who deserves the most credit is my wife Colleen McCarthy, she has supported me my whole career. Going as far as giving up her job as a CPA to work with me in the restaurant.

Other people who I think have played a big role in our success are- first, Steve Kurland who joined us in 2004 as the General Manager of our second restaurant Za, located in Arlington, MA, and in 2010 when we moved EVOO from its original location in Somerville to the current location, and added a second Za location, we offered Steve the opportunity to join us as a partner. Steve is the general manager for EVOO and Za in Kendall Square. Second is Randy Platt, he joined EVOO as a line cook in 1998 and is my counterpart in everything culinary happening at EVOO.

Other notable staff are Kristen Smith the always affable manager at EVOO, Mark Diefenbach and Steve Pierce, sous chefs at EVOO.

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