Geoffrey Zakarian facts for kids
Zakarian at the 2012 New York Comic Con
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| Born | July 25, 1959 Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Education | Worcester State University |
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Margaret Anne Williams
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Television show(s)
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Geoffrey Zakarian (born July 25, 1959) is a famous American chef. He is also a restaurateur, a TV star, and an author. He is the main chef at several restaurants. These are in New York City, Atlantic City, and Miami. You might know him from TV shows on the Food Network. These include Chopped and The Next Iron Chef. In 2011, he won The Next Iron Chef. This gave him the chance to join Iron Chef America.
Early Life and Education
Geoffrey Zakarian was born on July 25, 1959. His hometown is Worcester, Massachusetts. His father, George, was Armenian-American. His mother, Viola, was Polish-American. Geoffrey has a sister named Virginia and a brother named George.
He finished high school at Burncoat High School in 1977. He then studied economics at Worcester State University. After college, he traveled to France. It was there that he decided he wanted to become a chef.
He started his cooking career at the Culinary Institute of America. This school is in Hyde Park, New York. He worked as an apprentice chef. His first big job was with Chef Daniel Boulud at a restaurant called Le Cirque. He became a "Chef de Cuisine" there from 1982 to 1987. This means he was a head chef in charge of a kitchen section.
Chef Career Highlights
In 1990, Geoffrey Zakarian became the main chef at a restaurant called 44. This restaurant was inside the Royalton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. A food critic from The New York Times said that Zakarian made 44 much better than expected.
Later, he worked at the Blue Door restaurant. This was in the Delano Hotel in South Beach, Florida. In 1998, he became the main chef at Patroon in Manhattan. This restaurant earned three stars from New York Times critic Ruth Reichl. Three stars mean the food was excellent. In 2000, Zakarian even worked with Alain Passard. Passard is a famous French chef with three Michelin stars.
In the 2000s, Zakarian owned two restaurants in Manhattan. They were called Town and Country. Both of these restaurants also received three stars from The New York Times. Country even earned a Michelin Star. Today, Zakarian works as a consultant at the Water Club in Atlantic City. He is also the main chef at the Lamb's Club in New York City.
In 2006, Zakarian released his first cookbook. It was called Geoffrey Zakarian's Town / Country. The New York Times called it one of the best cookbooks of 2006. The book has 150 recipes. They are for cooking for family and friends.
He is also the chairman of the City Harvest Food Council. This group helps fight hunger in New York City. They rescue food that would otherwise be wasted.
His cooking style is called "modern." It has strong roots in French cuisine. He describes his style as "dynamic American."
Television Appearances
Geoffrey Zakarian is very well known for his TV work. He has appeared many times on Food Network's Chopped. He is a judge on the show. Other judges include Scott Conant, Amanda Freitag, and Alex Guarnaschelli. He also judged the Food Network show 24 Hour Restaurant Battle. He has been a judge on Top Chef and appeared on Hell's Kitchen.
In May 2010, Zakarian competed on Iron Chef America. He faced Chef Masaharu Morimoto but lost the battle. However, in December 2011, he won The Next Iron Chef. He beat Elizabeth Falkner in the final round. This win made him an official Iron Chef.
In January 2014, he became a co-host on the Food Network show The Kitchen. He hosts it with Jeff Mauro, Katie Lee, Marcela Valladolid, and Sunny Anderson. Zakarian has also been on Cutthroat Kitchen. He was both a judge and a contestant on that show. In 2016, he started hosting Cooks vs. Cons. On this show, judges try to guess if a winning dish was made by a professional chef or a home cook.
Personal Life
Geoffrey Zakarian married Margaret Anne Williams in 2005. She works as a marketing executive. They have three children together.
