Executive chef and owner Pat Duran grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico with eleven brothers and sisters. The kitchen was an exciting place full of love and magic. Pat would hang out with his mom for hours, watching her make art with whatever ingredients she had on-hand. Her creativity and passion for cooking is what first prompted Pat to pursue the culinary arts. He got his start as a Paratrooper in the military, traveling all over the world. When he returned, he completed his formal chef training.

As a classically trained chef, Pat has cooked for independent restaurants in places like San Francisco, Sacramento, and Traverse City, MI. Pat has also worked for large corporations, like Sara Lee, researching and developing. It was love for family and a desire for Mom’s cooking that brought him back to the Ozarks. In 2005, he purchased the Metropolitan Grill, then a traditional Sicilian Italian restaurant. Incorporating his travels, his respect for traditional cuisine, and his passion for creativity and invention, Pat turned the Metropolitan Grill into the vibrant and well-loved mainstay of southwest Missouri it is today.