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
(m. 2005) |
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Television show(s)
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Geoffrey Zakarian was born on July 25, 1959. He is a famous American chef, restaurant owner, TV star, and author. He is the main chef at several restaurants in big cities like New York City, Atlantic City, and Miami. You might know him from his many appearances on Food Network TV shows. These include Chopped and The Next Iron Chef. In 2011, he won The Next Iron Chef. This win gave him a spot on Iron Chef America.
Early Life and Learning
Geoffrey Zakarian was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. His father, George, was Armenian-American and a musician. His mother, Viola, was Polish-American. Geoffrey has two siblings, a sister named Virginia and a brother named George. He finished high school in 1977.
He studied economics at Worcester State University. After college, he traveled to France. It was there that he decided he wanted to be a chef. He then earned a degree from the Culinary Institute of America. This school is in Hyde Park, New York.
Geoffrey started his cooking career as an apprentice. He worked under a famous chef named Daniel Boulud at a restaurant called Le Cirque. He became a "Chef de Cuisine" there. This means he was a head chef in charge of the kitchen.
Cooking Career Highlights
In 1990, Geoffrey became the main chef at a restaurant called 44. It was inside the Royalton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. A food critic from The New York Times said his cooking made the restaurant much better.
Later, he worked at other well-known restaurants. These included the Blue Door in Miami Beach, Florida. In 1998, he became the main chef at Patroon in Manhattan. This restaurant earned three stars from The New York Times. In 2000, he even worked with Alain Passard. Passard is a very famous French chef.
In the 2000s, Geoffrey owned two popular restaurants in Manhattan. They were called Town and Country. Both restaurants received three stars from The New York Times. Country also earned a Michelin Star. Today, Geoffrey is 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, Geoffrey released his first cookbook. It was called Geoffrey Zakarian's Town / Country. The New York Times called it one of the best cookbooks of that year. The book has 150 recipes. They are perfect for cooking for family and friends.
Geoffrey 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 it as "dynamic American" cooking.
Television Appearances
Geoffrey Zakarian is very well-known from his many TV appearances. He has been a judge on Food Network's Chopped many times. He judges alongside other famous chefs. He also appeared as a judge on 24 Hour Restaurant Battle. He has been a judge on Top Chef and appeared on Hell's Kitchen.
In May 2010, Geoffrey competed on Iron Chef America. He faced Chef Masaharu Morimoto but did not win that time. However, in December 2011, he won The Next Iron Chef. He beat Chef Elizabeth Falkner in the final competition. This victory made him an official Iron Chef.
Since January 2014, he has been a co-host on Food Network's The Kitchen. He hosts the show with Jeff Mauro, Katie Lee, Marcela Valladolid, and Sunny Anderson. Geoffrey has also been on Cutthroat Kitchen as both a judge and a contestant. 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. Before this, he was married to Heather Karaman for about ten years.
