Gabrielle Hamilton (chef) facts for kids
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Hamilton in 2021
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| Born | 1966 (age 58–59) New Hope, PA |
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| Cooking style | American cuisine |
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Gabrielle Hamilton (born 1966) is a famous American chef and writer. She is best known for owning the popular New York City restaurant, Prune, which is now closed. She also wrote a successful memoir called Blood, Bones, and Butter.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Gabrielle Hamilton was born in 1966 and grew up in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Her love for cooking was greatly inspired by her French mother. Hamilton explained in an interview that her mother taught her not to waste food.
Her family often gathered fresh ingredients from their own garden. They also foraged, which means searching for wild food, in the nearby forests and fields. After high school, Hamilton went to Hampshire College. She later earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in creative writing from the University of Michigan.
Career as a Chef and Writer
Opening Her Own Restaurant
After working in catering for a while, Hamilton decided to open her own restaurant. In 1999, she opened Prune in the East Village neighborhood of New York City. Even though she never went to a special school for cooking, her restaurant became a huge success.
Prune was a small restaurant with only 30 seats, but it was loved by customers, food critics, and other famous chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert. In 2014, Prune was recognized in the Michelin Guide, a famous book that rates restaurants.
Hamilton also appeared on television. She was featured on the PBS show The Mind of a Chef and was a guest judge on the ABC show The Taste.
Like many businesses, Prune had to close during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hamilton wrote an article in The New York Times about this difficult decision and how the pandemic affected restaurants across the United States.
A Successful Author
Besides being a great chef, Hamilton is also a talented writer. In 2011, she published her memoir, Blood, Bones, and Butter. A memoir is a book where a person writes about their own life experiences.
The book was a big hit. A critic for The New York Times called it "brilliantly written." Chef Anthony Bourdain said it was "simply the best memoir by a chef ever." In 2014, she released a cookbook named after her restaurant, Prune. She has also written articles for magazines like The New Yorker.
Awards and Honors
Hamilton has won several James Beard Awards, which are like the Oscars for the food world.
- 2011: Best Chef in New York City
- 2012: Best Writing for her memoir
- 2015: Best Journalism for an article about winemaking in Sicily, Italy
- 2018: Outstanding Chef in the nation
Personal Life
Hamilton was married for ten years to Michele Fuortes, a teacher and researcher. They have two children together, Marco and Leone. After they divorced, Hamilton married Ashley Merriman, who was also a chef at Prune.
Hamilton's family is also involved in the food world. Her sister, Melissa Hamilton, is a chef and cookbook author. Their father used to own a restaurant in Lambertville, New Jersey.
