Chef School Review Spotlight
The Rise to Top Chef: Tom Colicchio's Culinary Career
by Elizabeth Buckner
elizabethbuckner@chefschoolreview.com
Chef School Review Columnist
Tom Colicchio, head judge on Bravo’s hit cooking competition Top Chef, is one of the most successful chefs in the nation today. A self-taught super-chef and restaurateur, Colicchio is returning to Top Chef for its second season. Beloved by fans, he serves not only as mentor to the show’s competing chefs, but as an inspiration for aspiring chefs everywhere.
An Early Passion for Food and an Unexpected Culinary Career
Tom Colicchio began cooking at a young age with his mom and grandmother, but it was his dad who suggested that he turn his passion for food into a culinary career. Pursuing his enthusiasm by experimenting on his own, Tom taught himself to cook from Jacques Pépin’s French cookbooks, considered classic texts in the culinary arts.
A Quick Rise to Stardom as a Culinary Arts Artiste
Tom quickly made a name for himself and worked at well-known restaurants in New York City, including The Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar & Grill, Rakel and Mondrian. During his time at Mondrian, Tom was named one of the top ten “Best New Chefs” by Food & Wine Magazine. No stranger to recognition, Tom has also been named James Beard’s Best Chef New York Award in 2000 and Chef of the Year by the Food Network Awards.
More than Just Cooking: A Commitment to the Craft of Culinary Arts
In July 1994, Tom teamed up with Danny Meyer to open up Gramercy Tavern in Manhattan. A year later Tom founded Craft, a three star build-your-own meal in New York, which then launched CraftSteak, Craftbar and ‘wichCraft. Throughout his career, Tom Colicchio has maintained a commitment to ingredient-oriented dishes. In an interview with the Institute of Culinary Education, Tom explains, “It’s my belief that cooking is a craft…It starts with respect for raw ingredients.”
The Secret Ingredient for a Successful Culinary Career
Tom recognizes that pursuing a career in the culinary arts is different today than it was even 15 years ago. There is a lot more competition to be a “Top Chef” nowadays, which comes with pressure to succeed and more media attention. At the same time, pursuing a culinary career has become more respected and profitable. Today more than ever, making it as a top chef requires both an individual culinary style and the technical skills a culinary school can provide.
Tom Colicchio’s advice for aspiring chefs is to find their own style: “I tell a lot of young chefs today that they need to find their own styles…I try to emphasize the positive side of spending a year or two developing a style, away from scrutiny or the press. It really gives you a chance to experiment.” He tells chefs they should base their culinary career in their passion for food, “You need to go into this business because you love food and because you love to make people happy. If fame follows that, great.”
Sources:
Tom Colicchio Official Biography, Craft Restaurant
Tom Colicchio Biography, Bravo TV
Interview with Tom Colicchio, Institute of Culinary Education
About the Author
Elizabeth Buckner is a freelance writer and current Fulbright grantee to Morocco, where she is conducting research on language education and the growth of English. She holds a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology and Education from Swarthmore College.
Posted on November 3, 2006 at 5:40 PM
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