It’s fair to say that creativity runs through chef Tom Borgia’s blood. The child of musically-inclined parents who also cooked dinners for hundreds at their church in Westborough, Mass., Borgia discovered his inner artist in the kitchen. A career brochure on professional chefs led him to Johnson & Wales in 1991 and then out into the restaurant world. 

Following culinary school, his first job was as the opening Sous Chef of Boston’s venerable Beacon Hill restaurant, The Federalist. After two years refining his skills in a high-end setting, Borgia took his talents overseas in 2001 to study the fundamentals of Italian food and culture. Cooking on the line at a family-run restaurant in Sienna, Italy, he worked for free; cutting carrots and chopping onions simply for the learning opportunity to prepare authentic Tuscan dishes. To this day, his signature dishes are flecked with influences from the region.  

It was his role as Sous Chef and eventually Chef de Cuisine at Montagna at The Little Nell in Aspen – one of Colorado’s only four-star properties – where he truly found his culinary voice. With local farmers pulling up to the restaurant to showcase the day’s bounty, his creativity kicked into overdrive finding ways to incorporate the freshest seasonal ingredients into his dishes.  

In 2007, Borgia traded the mountains of Colorado for the sunny skies of Southern California, where he served as the opening Chef de Cuisine at the ultra-modern Maryjane’s at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego. With nearly five years under his belt in the West Coast restaurant scene, he moved back to New England to raise his children closer to his family. 

He joined Grafton Group in 2013 as Executive Chef at Russell House Tavern, where his simple, straightforward treatment of local, seasonal ingredients built a loyal following. After two years behind the line in Harvard Square, he joined Grafton Group in their journey across the river to Boston proper as opening Executive Chef at State Street Provisions in 2015.

Now at the helm of the group’s flagship property, Grafton Street Pub & Grill, Borgia is thrilled to be back in Harvard Square – particularly in light of the challenges the hospitality industry has faced during COVID.

When he’s not in the kitchen, he enjoys gardening and spending time with his wife and two sons at their home in Weymouth and visiting family in Vera Cruz, Mexico.