Scott Conant facts for kids
| Born | February 19, 1971 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Cooking style | Italian |
| Education | Culinary Institute of America |
| Spouse |
Meltem Bozkurt Conant
(m. 2007) |
|
Current restaurant(s)
|
|
|
Previous restaurant(s)
|
|
|
Television show(s)
|
|
|
Award(s) won
|
|
Scott Conant (born February 19, 1971) is a famous American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. Since 2009, Chef Conant has been a judge on the popular cooking TV show Chopped. He has also written four cookbooks.
Contents
Early Life and Cooking Journey
Scott Conant was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. His mother's family came from Italy. He started cooking when he was very young. At age 11, he took cooking classes at a local college. When he was 15, he went to a special high school for culinary arts. After that, he studied at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). This is a very famous cooking school.
Becoming a Professional Chef
While at the Culinary Institute of America, Scott Conant worked at a well-known New York City restaurant called San Domenico. This experience really helped him decide his future. After finishing school, he spent a year in Munich, Germany. There, he learned how to make amazing pastries at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof.
He then came back to the United States and worked again at San Domenico. Later, he became the head chef at other restaurants like Il Toscanaccio and City Eatery in New York City.
Opening His Own Restaurants
In 2002, Chef Conant opened his own restaurant, L'Impero, in New York City. Soon after it opened, The New York Times gave it a fantastic review. They said his dishes were "joyous and highly refined." His special pasta recipes even appeared on the cover of Food & Wine magazine. In 2004, Food & Wine named him one of America's "Best New Chefs."
L'Impero also won big awards from the James Beard Foundation in 2003. It was named the “Best New Restaurant” in the U.S. and also won for its “Outstanding Restaurant Design.”
After L'Impero, Chef Conant opened another Italian restaurant called Alto. It was known for its fancy Northern Italian food. In 2008, he opened Scarpetta in Chelsea, Manhattan. This restaurant also received great reviews from The New York Times and New York Magazine.
Chef Conant helped the Scarpetta brand grow across the country. There were Scarpetta restaurants in cities like New York City, Miami, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas. He also wrote The Scarpetta Cookbook, which featured recipes from the restaurant.
Television Appearances
Scott Conant is well-known for his work on television. In 2010, he hosted and judged a reality cooking show called 24 Hour Restaurant Battle on the Food Network. On this show, two teams had to create a restaurant from scratch in just 24 hours. The show ran for two seasons.
Since 2009, Chef Conant has been a regular judge on the popular Food Network show Chopped. He has appeared in over 220 episodes of Chopped and Chopped Sweets. He has also been a judge or mentor on other shows like Top Chef, Beat Bobby Flay, and Food Network Star.
Cookbooks by Scott Conant
Chef Conant has shared his recipes and cooking tips in four cookbooks:
- Scott Conant's New Italian Cooking (2005)
- Bold Italian (2008)
- The Scarpetta Cookbook (2013)
- Peace, Love, & Pasta: Simple and Elegant Recipes from a Chef's Home Kitchen (2021)
Personal Life
Scott Conant is married to Meltem Bozkurt Conant. They got married in 2007 and have two daughters.
Awards and Recognition
Scott Conant has received many awards for his cooking and restaurants:
- Three Stars from The New York Times for his restaurants "L'Impero" and "Scarpetta New York."
- Four Stars from Miami Herald for "Scarpetta Miami."
- "Best New Restaurant of 2003" from the James Beard Foundation for "L'Impero."
- "Best New Chef" from Food & Wine Magazine in 2004.
- He was also the winner of Season 3 of "Chopped All-Stars."
External links
