Meet Chef Gui Aguilar who curates an eclectic menu showcasing local flavors at 222 Union Restaurant and Bar at the Harbor Hotel.

New Bedford Spotlight: Chef Gui Aguilar

In downtown New Bedford there’s a charming place to stay when one day just isn’t enough time to explore the city. A short stroll from a few of the city’s historic attractions such as the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Visitor Center, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, you’ll find the New Bedford Harbor Hotel. Inside the hotel, you’re greeted in the lobby with ambient lighting and exposed brick walls spilling into a chic restaurant and lounge.

222 Union Restaurant and Bar, located inside the hotel, is the perfect place to refresh and wind down with a classic cocktail or mocktail and get the inside scoop on what’s going on in the city from locals who have come to love the charm and friendly staff of the hotel. You don’t have to stay at the hotel to enjoy the restaurant and lounge, making it a great after-work spot to grab a drink and a bite to eat with friends.

If exploring new flavors is your thing, then you will enjoy the mouthwatering menu of thoughtfully curated rotating specials that put a unique spin on local flavors and classic cultural dishes. Chef Gui (William) Aguilar learned to cook at the age of ten, “it was more of a necessity, but then it became a passion. I developed the ability to catch on quickly.” He began working in restaurants at fourteen. He emotes, “Learning cuisines is one of the most amazing things you can do.” As he delivers the special of the day to a regular patron, he explains his creative process for conceptualizing the dish, Mozambique scallops over garlic mashed potatoes. In New Bedford, shrimp Mozambique is a favorite served at Portuguese restaurants typically with rice and fries. The tangy spicy sauce derives from Portuguese colonial influence on traditional fare in Mozambique. Gui’s dish utilized another New Bedford staple brought in fresh through the Port of New Bedford, scallops. He comments on his creative process, Everybody’s different and I am meant to be unique. I want to bring in something special.”

One of the dishes that showcases Chef Gui’s creativity is the complex flavors he curates by combining oysters and chorizo. He explains, “I want to take the ingredients that are very common here and try to re-represent them. Chorizo is usually seen as broken down and crumbly. What if we changed that and turned it into a crust for fish? Apply some Louisiana aspects.” Gui spent time as a chef in Louisiana, an area rich in cultural diversity similar to New Bedford. Each oyster bursts with flavor and the texture of the chorizo is almost that of a smooth paté, which allows the oyster to maintain its mouthfeel and not overwhelm the intricacy of the experience central to enjoying a half dozen (or more).

Gui’s passion touches every aspect of the dining experience at 222 Union, from designing each week’s menu to even delivering the food himself as he enjoys explaining where he’s sourced his ingredients, the presentation, and the dynamism of flavor in every bite.

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