About Us

Our Story

After a culinary quest spanning two decades and three continents, our team brings the globe’s best tastes home to Connecticut. At Toro Loco, we evoke the warmth and glow of abuela’s kitchen table with fresh, modern twists on authentic Mexican and Spanish cuisine. We believe great food has the power to turn ordinary moments extraordinary, strangers into friends, and restaurants into communities.

We craft unpretentious food with heart and multicultural perspective. Every item on our menu is the product of thorough research, exhaustive effort, and incessant care for our guests. Our favorite part of the restaurant business is creating a space where everyone feels at home.

The Chef

Anthony J Camilleri

My career in the food and beverage business has given me the experience to perform at an expert level in any environment. Having started early on in this business I quickly realized the importance of a very good work ethic and whatever it takes to get the job done attitude. Earlier in my career, I was fortunate enough to work side by side with several great local chefs. I have been a part of multiple restaurant openings including my own French American bistro-Simsbury, Grants in West Hartford, Rizzutos-Stamford and several consulting contract openings throughout Hartford and Fairfield counties. Being a part of several ala carte style restaurants, hotel, and private club settings, there is no situation I am not comfortable in. I take pride in training my brigade of cooks on a daily basis so they will perform to their best ability and ensuring delivery of the highest standards of food.

Another group of accomplishments includes the successful takeover of 2 separate school cafeterias. My colleague Terry Walters, cookbook author, chef and advocate for healthy and clean eating, together we transformed the cafeteria food program at Thompson Brook School in Avon & Aiken school in West Hartford. This was a complete redesign and menu re-engineering of the entire foodservice to include all fresh cooked healthy foods using healthy, local and sustainable foods.

Along with my ala carte dining experiences I have extensive on and off-site catering experience. This includes events of all sizes and themes. Many weddings and corporate business gatherings executed from 50 people up to 500. A great amount of these included setting up mock kitchens.

My most recent stay of three years was at Barcelona as and senior executive chef overseeing multiple locations and training new chefs I fell in love with the cuisine of Spain and tapas-style dining and that has led me to my newest venture of my hybrid Toro Loco which incorporates authentic Mexica My most recent stay of three years was at Barcelona as and senior executive chef overseeing multiple locations and training new chefs I fell in love with the cuisine of Spain and tapas-style dining and that has led me to the newest venture of my hybrid Toro Loco which incorporates authentic Mexican cuisine With Spanish and South American flavors and influences all in the tapas-style dining.

Professional Accomplishments
Web commercial for Veal Coalition of America. Several appearances on local TV show as a featured chef. Lead Chef in March of Dimes charity fundraiser. Several articles of food published in newspapers, ACF magazine, and Cooks magazine. Servsafe certified American Culinary Federation member

Participation in several volunteer fundraising events, SOS, March of Dimes, Walk for Cancer

The Owner

Stretch

Stretch’s passion for food in grounded in his 20 year friendship with Chef Tony. Over that time both knew they wanted to open a restaurant together and Toro Loco was perfect opportunity to make that dream a reality. Stretch’s background as a business owner and artist was instrumental in the physical transformation of Toro Loco into a warm, inviting experience where guests feel like they are family. When he isn’t building custom art pieces for the dining room, Stretch can be found underwater exploring the seventy percent of the Earth’s surface that is unknown to most. He lives in Simsbury with his wife, daughter, and Japanese Chin.

The Other Owner

James LaFond

James started his first company, Grey Matter Technologies, over 20 years ago and has been successful in multiple business ventures including telecom, AI, construction, entertainment and restaurants. His companies have locations in and both Connecticut & Manhattan and serve clients globally. After a long friendship with Stretch & Tony, James decided to help build and expand the Toro Loco brand leveraging his passion for great food and entrepreneurial spirit. He spends most of his time in New York City and at home in Glastonbury with his wife Brenda and their two kids Liam & Aria.