About Chef and Owner Marco Moreira

Born in Brazil and originally trained as a sushi chef, Marco Moreira, chef-proprietor of Tocqueville and 15EAST, has cooked at Bouley, the Mark and the Quilted Giraffe. Since opening Tocqueville in 2000 and 15EAST in 2005, Marco has become widely recognized for his devotion to the farmers at the sprawling Union Square Greenmarket, just steps from his restaurants. His inventive contemporary cuisine—whether French-American or Japanese—aims to showcase the simplicity of beautiful, local and seasonal ingredients and bring some dazzle and wonder to the plate and the palate. Tocqueville has received consistent praise from critics, receiving two stars from the New York Times in 2000 and again in 2006. Tocqueville has been rated by the Zagat Survey as one of New York's Top Restaurants, and also been rated “Top French” and “Top Service.” Marco lives in New York City. His daughter Francesca is a freshman at the University of Connecticut, which she attends on Zoom.