Tom Colicchio American celebrity chef Date of Birth: 15.08.1962 Country: USA

1. Biography of Tom Colicchio
2. Early Life and Career
3. Gramercy Tavern and Craft
4. Later Career and Advocacy

Biography of Tom Colicchio

Tom Colicchio, an American celebrity chef, is one of the most renowned figures in the culinary world. He is the founder of the New York City restaurant "Gramercy Tavern" and has also opened "Colicchio & Sons" and "Craft" restaurants. Colicchio gained true fame when he became the head judge of the reality show "Top Chef". However, today the culinary star is focused on educating Americans about the ongoing issue of hunger and believes that pressing the government is crucial to resolving this problem.

Early Life and Career

Thomas Patrick Colicchio was born on August 15, 1962, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He spent his childhood cooking alongside his mother and grandmother. However, it was his father who sparked his interest in becoming a professional chef. Colicchio taught himself to cook using Jacques Pépin's beautifully illustrated culinary book "La Technique and La Méthode", which encompassed everything about French cuisine.

At the age of 17, Colicchio made his debut in the culinary world at Evelyn's Seafood Restaurant in his hometown. After gaining success, he began cooking at renowned New York City restaurants such as The Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar & Grill, Mondrian, and Rakel. During his tenure as the chef at Mondrian, Colicchio was recognized by Food & Wine magazine as one of the top ten "Best New Chefs" in the United States. The New York Times also awarded his restaurant three stars.

Gramercy Tavern and Craft

In July 1994, Colicchio, along with his partner Danny Meyer, opened Gramercy Tavern near the Gramercy Park neighborhood in Manhattan. The restaurant quickly became popular among food enthusiasts. In 1996, restaurant critic Ruth Reichl awarded Gramercy Tavern three stars, praising Colicchio for his "incredible confidence in creating dishes that exhibit bold flavors and unique harmony."

Colicchio's culinary innovations at Gramercy Tavern earned him the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef in New York" in 2000. A year later, he opened another restaurant called Craft, located just one block south of Gramercy Tavern. Craft also received three stars from William Grimes of The New York Times. In 2002, Craft received the James Beard Award for "Best Restaurant," and Colicchio himself was honored with the American Food and Entertaining Award.

Continuing his expansion, Colicchio opened Craftbar in New York City and Craftsteak in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand in July 2002. In the fall of 2003, he launched Wichcraft, a sandwich shop that offered the same high-quality food and hospitality as Craft. Today, Colicchio's sandwich shops can be found in 14 locations in New York City, Las Vegas, and San Francisco.

Later Career and Advocacy

Colicchio further expanded his culinary empire by opening Craftsteak New York and Craft Dallas in 2006, followed by Craft Los Angeles in the summer of 2007. Craft Atlanta and another Craftsteak in the MGM at Foxwoods hotel opened in the fall of 2008. During this time, Colicchio also served as a consultant for restaurants in private clubs such as Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey, Kiawah Island Club in South Carolina, and Doonbeg Golf Club in Ireland.

Colicchio has authored three cookbooks to date. His first book, "Think Like a Chef," won the James Beard KitchenAid Cookbook Award in May 2001. The second book, "Craft of Cooking," was published in October 2003. Lastly, a sandwich recipe book was presented in March 2009.

In January 2010, Colicchio opened the restaurant Colicchio & Sons, where he began improvising and incorporating ingredients sourced from small family farms and producers. The restaurant was also awarded three stars by critic Sam Sifton of The New York Times. In May 2010, Thomas was once again honored by the James Beard Foundation, this time as an "Outstanding Chef," which served as a culmination of his 30 years of dedicated work in the restaurant industry.

In October 2010, Colicchio opened Riverpark, and his wife, Lori Silverbush, directed and produced the documentary film "A Place at the Table," which sheds light on hunger in America. Together, they have raised serious concerns about hunger, which Colicchio believes can be easier to address compared to issues like climate change or terrorism. He firmly believes that the government is responsible for ensuring food security for its citizens.