meet the team
christiane gehami
chef/owner
christiane moved from egypt when she was just 6 years old. as long as she could remember, her life centered around the food her mother made for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. the family never ate out, and the heart centered around the kitchen. her mother, for three months prior to her marriage, patiently taught christiane flavors and how to marry them with food to create the dishes she loved so much. as Christiane marched down the aisle on that fateful september afternoon, little did she know, she was actually starting a love affair with food. breakfast, lunch and dinner soon started spilling out of her small apartment kitchen. she even created a fictionalized restaurant - miss marie's...only room for two. at the age of 33, Christiane enrolled at mmc in their culinary program, and entered professional kitchens for the first time, and never looked back. christiane opened arugula with michael kask in 1996, in the back of what was oneta gallery with 8 seats. after the gallery closed, she expanded, kept adding tables and finally in 1998, closed for a month to remodel, add a kitchen, and reopen as it stands today. christiane cooks with love, it is evident in her dishes. she enjoys the complexity and authenticity of food and is passionate about her wine list. Read more about that here.
michael kask
chef/partner
christiane and mike's friendship was forged over two decades ago at the Barney House. after being let go from a prior job, christiane and mike opened arugula in the back of an art gallery with only six seats. while both christiane and michael create plates, mike is responsible for plating and saucing. together, they have worked side-by-side for 26 years. michael is a life-long resident of west hartford. he has a son, who loves to come to work with his dad and cannot wait to join the team one day.
stephen reynolds
bar manager
steve has worked with arugula since 2007, when he joined the team after a long career at many of the area’s finest restaurants. he is responsible for sourcing and stocking a diverse list of beers, liquors and liqueurs, developing our signature and specialty cocktails, and crafting our housemade mixers and infusions. steve has a memory like a steel trap and has an amazing aptitude for history, art, and pop culture facts. he lives in west hartford.
scott burns
bar
scotty is a beloved max downtown bar alum and longtime friend of arugula. In his “retirement,” scotty can be found behind our bar making a mean martini, as well as slinging beer at local farmers’ markets for new park brewing. he enjoys long walks on the beach, reading Bukowski, and dancing to disco. scotty lives in hartford.
luis garcia
pantry
lu has been with arugula since 2016, and while his official position is “pantry,” he is always willing to do anything and everything needed. a quick learner and fiercely loyal, lu started in the dishroom, worked his way up to the line, and is now responsible for our delicious salads, flatbreads, housemade desserts, and more. to know Lu is to love him!
michael fernandez
server
michael came to arugula from restaurant bricco as a host in 2021, and patiently waited 7 months for the bistro’s renovation to be complete! He trained as a server in 2022, and has quickly become proficient in the art of fine dining service. extremely detail-oriented, knowledgeable, and professional, michael knows our wine list like the back of his hand, loves a good steak, and will stop anything he is doing to pet a passing dog. he is a lifelong resident of west hartford.