Tatiana Rosana

A first generation American, Tatiana Pairot Rosana grew up in Miami in a traditional Cuban family where food always took center stage, whether in times of joy, sorrow or celebration. It was comfort and security, instilling her passion for food from a very young age.

However, Rosana didn’t consider a culinary career until she was in the throes of a biomedical science degree, pursuing a career as a doctor. After failing calculus twice, she was unhappy and contemplating whether she’d made the wrong career choice when Rosana’s father asked her what made her happiest. She responded “writing and cooking,” so that’s what she did, switching majors to earn a bachelors degree in English before attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.

After graduating in 2010, Rosana moved to Boston to nourish her culinary career and landed an externship at Harvest Restaurant in Harvard Square, where she met the first great female chef that would become her mentor. At Harvest, Rosana worked with noted Chef Brian Young and former Iron Chef Contestant, Chef Mary Dumont, who Rosana credits with shaping the course of her culinary career and teaching her more than she ever could have learned in school.

In 2011, Rosana joined the team at Mandarin Oriental Hotel where she worked under the supportive guidance of award-winning Chef Rachel Klein, another great mentor with whom Rosana still remains close. It was during this time Rosana sharpened her skills as a kitchen manager, team leader and quickly moved up the ranks to earn the title of Chef de Partie. It was also at the Mandarin that Rosana met her wife, Alexis, a foodie in her own right and an encouraging influence that pushes Rosana “to be a better chef every single day.”

Today, Rosana heads Outlook Kitchen and Bar, Lookout Rooftop and Bar as well as The Envoy Hotel’s in-room dining.  She describes her culinary approach as more of a philosophy than a style. Inspired by her wife’s Korean heritage, her own Cuban background, French training and New England experience, Rosana is guided by her curiosity and openness to new cuisines.

She values local, regional ingredients and allows those flavors to shine in her dishes, showcased in creative pairings and interesting textures within dishes “unique enough to keep guests interested but also familiar enough to keep them satisfied.” Rosana’s passion for writing also plays a part in developing her menus, which she believes should be as much about how it reads as how it tastes. As Rosana puts it, “Writing a menu and executing a menu go hand in hand.”

In her free time, Rosana spends time with her wife and their Yorkie, King Alfie. She enjoys reading, writing, drawing and Instagramming (@iateidrank_), often posting about #TheArtOfPlating, and her approach to cooking as a form of art, where her job is making the masterpiece.

Restaurants

  • Outlook Kitchen + Bar