Is there a connection between cars and cuisine? We spoke to some local chefs who happen to be car enthusiasts. They occasionally get together to hang out and collaborate on restoration projects and talk shop, because they share much in common: They love cooking and they love cars.

THE RESTORER

Jay Silva was the executive chef of Bambara Kitchen & Bar in Cambridge for eight years, and now he runs two restaurants of his own: Marco and JW’s in Winthrop. (He took over JW’s in July, and Marco opened in December). When he’s not working at these two establishments, he enjoys spending his free time (what little of it he has, that is) fixing up his 1972 Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

For him, restoring his silver Monte Carlo (“gun-metal metallic’’ is the actual color, he says) is a way for him to relax and take his mind off things.

“You can only talk about meat and fish for so long,’’ said Silva, 49. “It’s a real passion. It’s a lot of fun.’’

Silva grew up with eight older brothers who all love cars. He has been fixing up his Monte Carlo in the garage at his home in Winthrop, and at Cape Cod Restorations, an auto body shop in Cataumet that his brother owns. The car had 80,000 original miles on it. “It was in great shape because it was originally from California,’’ he said. “The motor is a ZZ427 with 480 horsepower.’’

Does he find tinkering in the garage to be a little like perfecting a recipe in the kitchen?

“The similarities are that you have to love to do it, and you definitely have to have some artistic vision,’’ he said. “But it ends there. It’s a great escape for me. It’s good to use your hands in a completely different way.’’

After driving the Monte Carlo around for two years, Silva took it off the road and has spent the past few years restoring it. It has new exhaust, new brakes, new wiring. And when he’s finished it will have all the amenities of a new car (including bluetooth stereo) but with the classic look of a vintage vehicle.

“It’s 92 percent done,’’ he said. “It’ll be ready to run the streets in the spring.’’

THE MUSCLE CAR FAN

Evan Deluty is the chef-owner of Stella in the South End, and the proud owner of a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme convertible. It’s painted bright orange with black stripes down the middle, making it hard to miss on the street.

“I loved muscle cars since I was a kid,’’ said Deluty, 46. “It’s funny so many chefs are into muscle cars. We don’t have any money, and we don’t have any time.’’

When one of his colleagues found the convertible for sale in Peabody, Deluty went and checked it out. It was in great condition, so he decided to buy it.

“My 40th was coming up, and I decided, I’m going to have an early mid-life crisis and buy myself a muscle car,’’ said Deluty.

That was seven years ago, and he hasn’t had any trouble with it since (knock on wood).

“I just turned the key and off I went,’’ he said. “I’ve been very lucky.’’

Deluty said the Cutlass has a 350 Rocket engine and about 155,000 miles on it. It has “some giddyup,’’ he said, but he’s not really looking for speed. He just enjoys cruising around, especially with his children.

“I just like to cruise around in the convertible, take the kids out, or go play golf,’’ he said. “It’s great for the kids. They grew up with it. I take them to the beach in it, or amusement park. It’s fun.’’

Deluty confessed that he almost came close to changing the colors of the convertible.

“I’m not a flashy person,’’ he said. “When I first got it, I thought, ‘I can’t be driving around in a flashy car.’ ’’

But after conferring with his friends, he opted to keep the paint job. Since then, the orange-and-black color combo has grown on him. The fact that he’s an alum of Newton North High School (class of 1988), where orange and black are the school colors, doesn’t hurt either.

When he’s not riding around with the top down (“I never put the roof up,’’ he said) the car stays in a heated garage. He takes it out for a drive whenever the weather cooperates.

Deluty is always checking the forecast — and looking forward to the next 50-degree day when he can take the convertible out for a spin.

“I don’t like to have her sit all winter,’’ he said.

THE GO-GETTER

Daniel Gursha, 31, is the executive chef at Beacon Hill Bistro, and his labor of love is a blue 1981 Pontiac Firebird.

Gursha’s Firebird has a roll cage, a big block Chevy engine, and has only 20,000 miles on it. It was “only ever used as a drag car,’’ he said. “It only goes on the street for short cruises.’’

Gursha bought the Firebird seven years ago and says it’s still a “work in progress.’’ How much time has he invested in it?

“I can’t even tell you how many hours,’’ Gursha said, adding, “but I’m sure my girlfriend could.’’

He keeps his beloved Firebird in storage in Hopedale during the winter. He put in a new suspension, new transmission, and has worked on the interior. His next project will be getting a new motor for it.

Gursha recalls the first time he ever saw the Firebird. He was just a young kid living in Holliston and working in an auto shop in Ashland. He was sweeping floors and cleaning tools in the garage when he was just 11 years old.

The owner of the shop, Rick Brown, was a “father figure to me,’’ he said.

The Firebird “had been sitting in his garage for years,’’ he said. “I had always loved that car. It was the first car I was ever scared in. With 700 and some odd horsepower . . . it was really fast.’’

Gursha also has a 1972 Harley kickstart motorcycle that he bought when he was 16 years old. He recalls how Brown handed him the manual, and said, “Here, you’re gonna learn how to fix this.’’

“I took it apart and put it back together 16 times,’’ Gursha said. “It was a problem-solving experience for me. That’s been key in my career . . . to be able to take a step forward and figure things out on your own. It’s important to be a problem solver, in a kitchen situation, especially.’’

He’s found that there are some similarities between working in a kitchen and working in a garage.

“Clean your tools, clean up after yourself, stay organized — it’s all part of it,’’ said Gursha. “And there’s a lot of time you gotta put in, a lot of dedication.’’

Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com.