When Carmen Quagliata was promoted to Executive Chef at Union Square Café in September 2007, he became the first new Executive Chef there in 20 years. At Union Square Café, with the Greenmarket at his doorstep, Executive Chef Carmen Quagliata is able to explore and develop his passion for his native Italian cuisine in one of the country’s most beloved restaurants. He was formerly Chef at The Vault in Boston, where he quickly garnered three stars from both the Boston Herald and Boston Globe. Earlier, he had a dream opportunity to develop his Italian technique under the guidance of Lydia Bastianich at Felidia in New York. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1988, Carmen worked in kitchens across the country, including the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida, and Tra Vigne in Napa Valley where he was quickly promoted from Sous Chef to Executive Sous Chef to Executive Chef/Partner. Carmen grew up in upstate New York, where he attributes his early love of Italian food to the aroma of his mom’s fresh-baked Easter breads, his Grandmother’s homemade sausages, and the wild oregano and oil-cured olives sent by his relatives in Sicily.