Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

---

In this episode of Secret’s Out, we followed Mason Acevado, a former data analyst at Google who, in his off-hours launched a pop-up specializing in whole fish branzino.

Piscator operates every Saturday afternoon in the backyard of Troost, a small bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where customers eat perfectly cooked fish, focaccia, cabbage slaw and seasonal berries.

At his last service, Mason sold 50 pre-orders in just two minutes.

He officially put in his notice at Google to pursue Piscator full time, leaving the stability of his Fortune 500 tech job for the unpredictable struggle of the restaurant industry.
------------------------------------------

Download the Cooking app for daily dinner picks, helpful tools, and even more videos: apps.apple.com/us/app/nyt-cooking/id911422904

VISIT NYT COOKING: cooking.nytimes.com

SUBSCRIBE to NYT COOKING: https://nyti.ms/3FfKmfb
A paid subscription gets you full access to our recipes, daily inspiration and a digital Recipe Box.

YOUTUBE: bit.ly/2MrEFxh

INSTAGRAM: bit.ly/2DqJMuD
FACEBOOK: bit.ly/2MrTjEC
PINTEREST: bit.ly/2W44xng

About NYT Cooking:
All the food that’s fit to eat (yes, it’s an official New York Times production).