Tom Valenti facts for kids
Tom Valenti
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| Born | March 23, 1959 Ithaca, New York |
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| Cooking style | French, Italian |
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Rating(s)
Zagat Survey 2008
Food=25 Décor=21 Service=22 |
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Previous restaurant(s)
Le Cirque
Ouest West Branch Cesa Butterfield 81 Cascabel Alison on Dominick Gotham Bar & Grill Guy Savoy Paris Guy Savoy Greenwich |
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Television show(s)
CBS The Early Show
NBC The Today Show |
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Tom Valenti is a famous American chef. He is currently the Executive Chef at Jockey Hollow Bar and Kitchen in Morristown, New Jersey. He used to own and run Oxbow Tavern in Manhattan, New York City. Chef Valenti is also known for being the Executive Chef at the famous Le Cirque Restaurant.
He has won many awards for his cooking style. People especially love his salmon gravlax (a cured salmon dish) and his slow-cooked meats, like braised lamb shanks. Chef Valenti has written three cookbooks. One of them is for people with diabetes. He also helped start the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund. This fund helped families of people who worked in the food industry and were affected by the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Chef Tom's Journey
Learning Fancy Cooking
After high school, Tom Valenti started working in a French restaurant in Ithaca, New York. He made pastries there. This job taught him about traditional French cooking styles. He then moved to Rye, New York, to work as a private chef for a rich family. He could create any menu he wanted, as long as he didn't repeat a meal for 200 days! He worked there for two years.
Next, Valenti got a job in Greenwich, Connecticut. He worked at a new restaurant opened by the famous French chef Guy Savoy. Chef Savoy noticed Tom's talent. He sent Tom to his main restaurant in Paris, France. Tom spent 15 months there, learning even more advanced cooking skills.
Working at Gotham Bar & Grill
After his time in Paris, Tom Valenti met Alfred Portale at the airport. Soon after, Portale took over his famous restaurant, Gotham Bar & Grill. He hired Valenti as his first sous-chef (a chef who works under the head chef). Tom used his new, precise cooking skills from France at Gotham. He worked there for two years.
Becoming an Executive Chef
While at Gotham, Tom Valenti became friends with Alison Becker, who managed the front of the restaurant. They decided to open their own restaurant together, called Alison on Dominick. This was Tom's first big chance to be an Executive Chef. In 1989, Esquire magazine called it the "Best New Restaurant" in New York City. In 1990, Food & Wine magazine named Valenti one of the "Ten Best New Chefs" in the country.
In 1994, after five successful years, Valenti and Becker went their separate ways. Tom became the Executive Chef at Cascabel for two years. Then, in 1998, he took over the kitchen at Butterfield 81. Food critics loved his cooking right away. One critic called him a "clairvoyant in the kitchen," meaning he seemed to know exactly what people wanted to eat. Another critic praised his "mythic lamb shanks." Tom worked there for two years before starting his own restaurant.
Opening Ouest
In 2001, Tom Valenti opened his own special restaurant, Ouest, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The menu was French-style, focusing on flavorful meat dishes. The restaurant used to be a dry cleaner's shop. It was redesigned to have cozy leather booths and soft lighting. The New York Times gave Ouest two stars, saying the main dishes were very comforting. New York magazine gave it three stars, saying almost every dish was instantly lovable. Ouest is often credited with bringing fancy cooking to the Upper West Side. The restaurant closed in 2015.
Oxbow Tavern
In March 2018, Valenti opened "Oxbow Tavern" in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan.
Windows of Hope Fund
After the terrible September 11, 2001 attacks, Tom Valenti helped create the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund. He worked with other chefs and a lawyer to do this. The fund was set up to help the families of people from the food industry who lost their lives in the attacks.
They planned a "Dine Out" day on October 11, 2001. The idea was for restaurants in New York City to donate money from that evening. But the news spread, and over 5,000 restaurants around the world joined in! Big companies also helped. In total, over $23 million was raised to help the families.
In 2005, Valenti continued his charity work. He helped lead the Restaurants for Relief effort to help people affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Other Restaurants
In 2003, Valenti opened 'Cesca. The menu was a tribute to his grandmother's cooking, focusing on Italian dishes. It quickly became very popular.
Valenti also has a small share in Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, a traditional barbecue restaurant in New York.
In 2008, Valenti opened another restaurant called The West Branch. It was located inside a hotel. This restaurant closed in 2010.
Famous Dishes
- Braised Lamb Shanks
- Salmon Gravlax
Television Appearances
Tom Valenti has appeared on several TV shows:
- The Martha Stewart Show – 3 episodes
- The Today Show – 3 episodes
- The Early Show – 7 episodes
- Boy Meets Grill - 1 episode
Cookbooks
Tom Valenti has written several cookbooks:
- Tom Valenti: Welcome to My Kitchen: A New York Chef Shares His Robust Recipes and Secret Techniques William Morrow Cookbooks, ISBN: 978-0-06-019819-0
- Tom Valenti: Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals: 125 Home Recipes from the Chef-Owner of New York City's Ouest and 'CescaScribner, ISBN: 978-0-7432-4375-9
- Tom Valenti: You Don't Have to be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook Workman, ISBN: 978-0-7611-5550-8 June 2009
Awards and Recognition
- Food & Wine Magazine - Best New Chef (1990)
- James Beard Foundation - Nominee for Best Chef of New York (2004)
- James Beard Foundation - Nominee for Best New Restaurant (2004)
- New York Magazine - Top 10 Chefs of the Year (2002)
- New York Magazine – Best Italian Restaurant (2004)
About Tom's Life
Growing Up in Ithaca
Tom Valenti was born on March 23, 1959, in Ithaca, New York. He was raised by his mother and his Italian immigrant grandparents. It was in his grandmother Nonni's kitchen, after school, that Tom first learned how to cook traditional Italian dishes.
Fly-fishing in the Catskills
Tom Valenti loves to fish. He enjoys spending his free time fishing in the Beaverkill River in Upstate New York. He even owns a small fishing cabin there. He always practices "catch and release," meaning he lets the fish go after catching them.
Family Life
Tom Valenti lives in Northern New Jersey with his Maine Coon cat, Cosmo.
Images for kids
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Ouest Restaurant
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Chefs supporting Windows of Hope
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The West Branch Restaurant
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Tom Valenti and cookbook co-author Andrew Friedman
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Tom Valenti and Sirio Maccioni
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Tom Valenti and Eric Ripert
