Millburn-Short Hills Magazine Holiday 2017 | Page 30

chefs

HIGH-END FRENCH , LOW-KEY CHARM Humberto Campos finds the right balance at Lorena ’ s

Humberto Campos is afamily man . The 46- year-old chef co-owns Lorena ’ swith his wife , the restaurant ’ sname- sake , and spends weekday afternoons picking up his 5-year-old son from preschool . His low-key , down-home vibe contrasts with his high-end , perfectly crafted French cuisine , but it ’ sacombination that works for both Campos and the restaurant .

In its 12-year history , the intimate eatery has received countless positive reviews , including being named one of three New Jersey restaurants among the country ’ s 100 best by Opentable . com , and built asteady clientele of repeat customers .
How did you know you wanted to be a chef ? I had a short attention span as a child . Nothing really grasped me , and I didn ’ t do great in school . I bounced around jobs once I turned 18 … I didn ’ t find anything I really enjoyed . Iended up getting ajob as a waiter at LouCas in Edison , and on my days off , the chef let me go intothe kitchen . A switch turned on , Iwas so taken . Ilovedthe thrill , the excitement , the controlled chaos . I never looked back .
How did you come to open Lorena ’ s ? When I was working at LouCas , my boss realized I had a differentattention to detail , and I should consider working in a higher-end restaurant . I went to go work at the Stage House Inn , run by David Drake . It wasa Michelin star-quality restaurant . I ended up at the C . I . A . [ Culinary Institute of America ] in ’ 97 , and then went on to work at the Ryland Inn . One night , my wife and I wereinMaplewood , we went to get a cup of coffee and stumbled across Jocelyn ’ s [ a former restaurant at the site of Lorena ’ s ]. We found out it wasfor sale , and two weeks later , we bought the restaurant .
How would you describe your food ? It ’ s inspired by the technicality of French cuisine . The French are very detail oriented . I love that type of service , but I realized it ’ s not all that realistic for the space I
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have [ atLorena ’ s ]. So we ’ ve downplayedit , altered it , but we don ’ t compromise ingredients .
What ’ s the best part about being a chef ? Meeting wonderful people . Everyone shares a common denominator — we all love food . Whether it ’ s inthe kitchen , the dining room , everyone loves food here . It ’ s a rewarding profession , it ’ s not easy , but at the end of the day , making people happy makes it all worthwhile .
What ’ s the worst part ? Being on your feet all day . Your body begins to feel it . Plus , the challenge of balancing home life with work .

HUMBERTO CAMPOS Restaurant Lorena ’ s 168 Maplewood Ave ., Maplewood , ( 973 ) 763-4460 , restaurantlorena . com

“ I [ GOT ] AJOB AS AWAITERATLOUCAS IN EDISON , AND ON MY DAYS OFF , THE CHEF LET ME GO INTO THE KITCHEN . ASWITCH TURNEDON … ILOVED THE THRILL , THE EXCITEMENT , THECONTROLLED CHAOS . INEVER LOOKED BACK .”
CAMPOS AND FOOD : DANIELLE PARHIZKARAN
28 HOLIDAY 2017 MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE