Tom Colicchio facts for kids
Colicchio at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival
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| Born | Thomas Patrick Colicchio August 15, 1962 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
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Current restaurant(s)
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Television show(s)
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Award(s) won
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Thomas "Tom" Patrick Colicchio (born August 15, 1962) is a famous American celebrity chef. He is well-known for his amazing cooking skills. Tom Colicchio helped start the popular restaurant Gramercy Tavern in New York City. He also created his own company called Crafted Hospitality. This company runs several successful restaurants, including Craft and Craftsteak.
Tom Colicchio has won five James Beard Foundation Awards. These awards are like the "Oscars" for chefs. He is also the main judge on the TV show Top Chef. He was also an executive producer for Best New Restaurant.
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Early Life and Education
Tom Colicchio was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He grew up with two brothers. His mother worked in a school lunchroom. His father was a union organizer. Tom Colicchio graduated from Elizabeth High School in 1980.
Culinary Journey and Achievements
In the mid-1980s, Tom Colicchio worked as a sous-chef. This means he was a head assistant chef. He worked for another famous chef, Thomas Keller, at a restaurant called Rakel in Manhattan.
Opening Gramercy Tavern
In July 1994, Colicchio and his partner Danny Meyer opened the Gramercy Tavern. This restaurant is in the Gramercy Park area of Manhattan. It quickly became very popular. In 2003 and 2005, it was voted the Most Popular Restaurant in New York City. Tom Colicchio sold his share in the restaurant in 2006.
Creating Crafted Hospitality
In 2001, Tom Colicchio opened his first Craft restaurant. It was very close to Gramercy Tavern. A year later, he opened Craftsteak in Las Vegas. After the events of September 11, 2001, Colicchio helped by serving food to rescue workers. In 2003, he started his sandwich shop called 'wichcraft.
In 2010, he opened two more restaurants: Colicchio & Sons and Riverpark. That same year, he won the "Outstanding Chef" award from the James Beard Foundation.
Helping the Community
Tom Colicchio cares about helping people. He is part of the Food Council at City Harvest. He also serves on the Culinary Council at Food Bank for New York City. These groups work to help people who don't have enough food. Colicchio has always been involved in making sure people have access to good food.
He has also written three cookbooks. These books share his recipes and cooking tips.
Television Appearances
Tom Colicchio is very well-known from his work on television.
Judging on Top Chef
Since 2006, Tom Colicchio has been the head judge on Top Chef. This is a popular Bravo reality TV show. He also helps produce a spin-off show called Top Chef Masters. In 2010, he won an Emmy Award for his work as an executive producer on Top Chef.
Other TV Shows
In 2015, Colicchio hosted a reality series called Best New Restaurant. This show was based on a British TV show. He also made guest appearances on other TV shows. He appeared as himself in the HBO series Treme. He also had cameos in The Simpsons and The Smurfs. In 2020, he appeared as a chef in the Showtime TV series Billions.
Podcasting
In June 2020, Tom Colicchio started his own podcast. It is called "Citizen Chef." The podcast talks about food, politics, and how people can be good citizens.
Restaurants
Tom Colicchio has opened many restaurants throughout his career.
Current Restaurants
- Craft in New York City
- Craftsteak in Las Vegas
- Small Batch in Garden City, NY
- Temple Court in New York City
- 'wichcraft in New York City
Past Restaurants
- Beachcraft, Miami Beach
- Craft, Dallas
- Craft, Los Angeles
- Craft and Craftbar, Atlanta
- Craftbar, New York City
- Craftsteak, MGM Grand at Foxwoods
- Colicchio & Sons, New York City
- Gramercy Tavern, New York City (he is no longer involved)
- Riverpark, New York City (he is no longer involved)
- Tom Colicchio's Heritage Steak, Las Vegas (he is no longer involved)
- Topping Rose House, Bridgehampton, NY (he is no longer involved)
- 'wichcraft, Las Vegas
- 'wichcraft, San Francisco
Personal Life
Tom Colicchio is married to filmmaker Lori Silverbush. They got married in 2001. He has three sons. His oldest son, Dante, was born in 1993. His two younger sons, Luka Bodhi and Mateo Lev, were born in 2009 and 2011.
