Brooklyn Restaurant & Lounge is a Black-owned restaurant in the vibrant El Poblado neighborhood in Medellín.
The restaurant is the brainchild of Brooklyn-native Johnathan Metellus, who left his federal job in America to open the restaurant with his Colombian wife Jelitz.
According to the Medellin Guru, the restaurant pays homage to Johnathan’s life in Brooklyn and his travels.
“Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I was always fascinated by its diversity within the different populations of people living there and the variety of food available that represented different countries right within my neighborhood area,” Metellus’ website reads. “It is a multiculturalism at work in the United States.”
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Chef Metellus was trained at the Culinary Institute of America and began his career in the military as a food service specialist.
From there, he went on to work in large hotels, independent restaurants, education, corporate and healthcare systems.
“I go to different countries to find something distinctive and bring it back with me,” said the chef, who has visited more than 33 countries.
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Some of his credentials include executive chef and/or sous chef at the Sheraton Hotel in New York; Howard University in Washington, D.C; Big Banana in Antiqua; and he worked in Amsterdam, Netherlands; the U.S Air Force in Fussa, Japan; U.S. Army in Seoul, South Korea; and more.
Also, Chef Metellus holds the distinction of Certified Executive Chef and Certified Culinary Educator from the American Culinary Federation.
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“It is the perfect place to savor and indulge in good food from around the globe, coupled with “friendship” service and immaculately mixed drinks in style,” the website further explains.
On the menu you’ll find blackened shrimp and chicken linguini; Jamaican Me Hungry, a dish of guava jerk chicken with vegetable rice pilaf, and stewed cabbage; Carolina smoked pulled pork, shrimp and grits, and more.
To learn more, visit the website brooklynrl.com.