Justin Bazdarich

The Path

Justin Bazdarich trained at French Culinary Institute before going on to work as intern to sous chef at Jean-Georges Vongerichten / Perry St in New York, NY. Those years put him inside a kitchen where timing, repetition, and precision are not concepts but daily work. From there, he moved into ownership, taking on the operational and creative responsibilities that come with building a restaurant from within. He later served as chef/owner at Xilonen in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY (2021–2022), a chapter that aligned with a cooking style built around texture, smoke, and immediacy. The work there carried the same practical momentum that has marked his career. Today, Justin is chef/owner of Speedy Romeo (since 2012) and chef/owner of Oxomoco (since 2018), directing both kitchens with the kind of steady pace that defines his rise. In each room, the title is less a badge than a working condition: heat, seasoning, and seasonality kept in constant adjustment.

The Work Today

At Oxomoco in Brooklyn, New York City, Bazdarich has been chef/owner since 2018 and is also owner and executive chef of the restaurant. One of its early signatures was the 2018 Frittata Tostada, made with salsa macha, Provel cheese, fingerling potatoes, and sesame seeds. The dish sits squarely in his lane: layered, textural, and built with enough crispness and depth to carry across the table. Ask where the flavor starts, and his answer is direct: "The wood-fired grill! The flavor cannot be achieved in any other way." It is a plain statement of technique, and it matches the way he cooks—through fire, with no interest in disguising the source. He speaks about seasonality with the same practical emphasis: "Summer is my favorite time to cook. The markets are at their fullest and most bountiful. The flavors of all these fresh seasonal ingredients are easy to prepare on the grill. Being outside and cooking is the best." At Xilonen, he taught a Scrambled Egg Tostada as a live dish, and in 2021 there was also a carrot tostada associated with his work. Together, those dishes show the range of his tostada format: direct, compact, and organized around char, freshness, and contrast.

Signature

Justin's signature dishes include Tuna Tostada, Frittata Tostada, Scrambled Egg Tostada, and carrot tostada. The common thread is a format that can hold brightness, crunch, and flame in one bite, and that approach has become closely associated with his name.

In Their Words “Summer is my favorite time to cook. The markets are at their fullest and most bountiful. The flavors of all these fresh seasonal ingredients are easy to prepare on the grill. Being outside and cooking is the best.” “The wood-fired grill! The flavor cannot be achieved in any other way.”

Acclaim

Justin Bazdarich has received Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand (2019). Justin's honors include Bib Gourmand and One Star.