Aretah Ettarh

The Path

At Gramercy Tavern, the work has been built through repetition, timing, and line discipline. Aretah Ettarh moved through the kitchen in steps that map a standard progression: Resident Assistant and AM Sauté Student Chef while at University of Delaware; Student Worker/Chef Assistant at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone; Chef de Partie at Nougatine at Jean Georges/Jean Georges; then Line Cook, Sous Chef, and Executive Sous Chef at Gramercy Tavern before becoming Chef de Cuisine. In 2019, she was also 1 of 4 Featured Female Chefs at The King is Dead in Martha's Vineyard, MA (2019). Chef de Cuisine at Gramercy Tavern has meant carrying the restaurant’s pace into service and keeping the seasonal menu moving with consistency. Aretah Ettarh now works at the level where execution depends on reading the board, the season, and the room without losing the line’s rhythm.

The Work Today

Seasonal menu work is a discipline of selection and restraint: what comes in, what gets highlighted, and what can be repeated cleanly night after night. Aretah Ettarh’s role centers on implementing and executing that menu, with timing, ingredients, and consistency doing the real work. That same approach shows up in where she looks for ideas before service. “I find a lot of my creativity comes from something as simple as walking through the Union Square Greenmarket on my way to work to see what’s coming into season and what’s in season that we want to highlight on the menu.”

In Their Words “I find a lot of my creativity comes from something as simple as walking through the Union Square Greenmarket on my way to work to see what’s coming into season and what’s in season that we want to highlight on the menu.” “I try to balance my work creativity by not constantly bombarding my mind with only food-related things.”

Acclaim

Aretah Ettarh has received StarChefs Rising Star (2023). Recognition for Aretah Ettarh includes Food & Wine Best New Chefs (2025).