- Tom Valenti
Infobox Chef
name = Tom Valenti
caption = Tom Valenti
birthdate = birth date and age|1959|3|23
birthplace = Ithaca,New York
deathdate =
deathplace =
style = French, Italian
education =
ratings =Zagat Survey 2008
Food=25
Décor=21
Service=22
restaurants = [http://www.ouestny.com Ouest] 2001-Present
West Branch - Spring 2008
television = CBS The Early Show
NBC The Today Show
prevrests = Cesa
Butterfield 81
Cascabel
Alison on Dominick
Gotham Bar & Grill
Guy Savoy Paris
Guy Savoy Greenwich
website = http://www.ouestny.com/Tom Valenti is the Executive Chef and co-owner of " [http://www.ouestny.com Ouest Restaurant] " on the
Upper West Side ofManhattan , inNew York City . The recipient of many awards for his comfortable cooking style, Valenti is best known for his salmon gravlax and slow-cooked meats, particularly braised lamb shanks. In September 2008, he opens a new restaurant, named "The West Branch," just a few blocks south of his flagship location. Additionally, Valenti will release his third cookbook, "The Diabetic Gourmet," in May 2009, dedicated to recipes fordiabetic diets. Valenti was the driving force behind the establishment of the [http://www.windowsofhope.org Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund] , established to benefit the surviving family members offoodservice -related victims of theSeptember 11, 2001 attacks . [ [http://www.treasurecoastwinefestival.com/chefs.php Treasure Coast Wine Festival - Vero Beach, Florida ] ]Professional Life
Introduction to Haute Cuisine
After graduating from
High School , Valenti took a job workingpastry at a local Ithaca French restaurant "l’Auberge du Cochon Rouge." Exposure to the traditionalEscoffier style ofFrench cooking led him to relocate toRye, New York where he accepted a job as a private chef to a wealthy family. He was free to design the menu as he pleased with the stipulation that the same meal not be repeated for at least 200 days. [http://nymag.com/restaurants/articles/02/valenti1.htm New York Metro: Ouest Side Story ] ] This job lasted for 2 years until the couple employing him divorced.Valenti next landed a position at the
Greenwich, Connecticut restaurant being opened by famous French chefGuy Savoy . Savoy took note of Valenti’s culinary abilities and sent him over to his signature restaurant inParis ,France to further his skills over the next 15 months.Gotham Bar & Grill
Upon completion of his internship at Savoy’s Paris restaurant, Valenti departed France via
Charles de Gaulle International Airport where a friend introduced him toAlfred Portale who was returning from his own culinary study period. Shortly after returning to the USA, Portale took control of his now famous restaurant, "Gotham Bar & Grill," and hired Valenti as his firstsous-chef . It was here that Valenti put to use the precision culinary skills he had developed during his time in France. Valenti would remain at Gotham for 2 years. [http://www.greatchefsusa.com/great_chefs_of_ny/t_valenti/ Great Chefs Of New York - Chef Thomas Valenti ] ]Executive Chef
During his time at Gotham, Valenti became friends with the font-of-house manager, Alison Becker. Soon they would collaborate to open "Alison on Dominick," Valenti’s breakout opportunity as Executive Chef. [ [http://www.craveny.com/featuredetails.php?id=24 Crave NEW YORK... the taste of the city ] ] In 1989,
Esquire magazine called their venture “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 5 years and much critical acclaim, Valenti and Becker parted ways and he assumed the Executive Chef position at Cascabel where he worked for 2 years before taking off some time from the rigors of kitchen work. In 1998, Valenti assumed the lead position at Ken Aretsky’s
Upper East Side bistro "Butterfield 81." Critical acclaim was almost immediate. New York Times Food Critic Ruth Reichl declared Valenti a “clairvoyant in the kitchen,” describing his “meat-oriented dishes” as “offering exactly what I wanted to eat.” [http://events.nytimes.com/mem/nycreview.html?res=9A03E5DA133CF937A15755C0A96E958260] New York magazine’s Gail Greene waxed-poetic about the “mythic lamb shanks.” [ [http://nymag.com/nymetro/food/reviews/insatiable/2889/ Next Up at the Plate ] ] Valenti would run the kitchen for 2 years before departing to work on his own venture.Ouest
In the spring of 2001, Valenti opened his signature restaurant "Ouest" on the corner of Broadway and 84th street in Manhattan’s
Upper West Side . The French style menu was reminiscent of his days at "Butterfield 81," focused on lesser cuts of meat with bold flavors. A converted dry cleaner store, the “L-shaped” interior layout was remodeled by designer Peter Neimetz, focusing on cozy leather booths and soft lighting with balcony alcoves.The New York Times awarded "Ouest" 2 stars, saying that the “main courses drift toward the comfort zone.” [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9801E5DD1E39F937A35754C0A9679C8B63&scp=1&sq=grimes+ouest&st=nyt RESTAURANTS; Quickly at Home on the Upper West Side - New York Times ] ]New York magazine , in a 3-star review, declares that “Valenti has honed the menu to the point where almost every dish resonates with love-it-in-an-instant flavors.” [ [http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/ouest/ Ouest - Upper West Side - New York Magazine Restaurant Guide ] ] "Ouest" is frequently credited with bringingHaute Cuisine to theUpper West Side .Windows of Hope
Following the
September 11, 2001 attacks , Valenti assembled his good friends Waldy Malouf of "Beacon", Michael Lomonaco of "Windows on the World " and attorney-restaurant financier David Emil, establishing the " [http://www.windowsofhope.org Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund] " dedicated to benefit the surviving family members of victims from the foodservice industry. A “Dine Out” date ofOctober 11 ,2001 was established to generate fund contributions. Originally intended as a city-wide restaurant response to a need within their community, news of the event soon spread to other cities and eventually over 5,000 restaurants around the world participated in contributing proceeds from that evening to the fund. Corporate sponsors also contributed to Windows of Hope and, in total, over $23 million were raised to help the families in need. [ [http://www.windowsofhope.org Windows Of Hope - Homepage ] ]In 2005, Valenti continued his charitable efforts in helping to lead the "Restaurants for Relief" effort to benefit victims of
Hurricane Katrina .Other Ventures
In 2003 Valenti open "‘Cesca" at Broadway & 75th Street. The menu, a tribute to the cooking style he learned in his grandmother’s kitchen, was decidedly Italian in nature and quickly gained notoriety and acclaim. [ [http://thestrongbuzz.com/reviews/review_search_results.php?area=&cuisine=&occasion=&rating= reviews » the strong buzz, by andrea strong ] ] Valenti ran the kitchen at "‘Cesca" for 3 years until an egregious decision by his business partner led Valenti to sever their relations, trading his interest in "‘Cesca" for full control of "Ouest."
Valenti holds a small interest in the New York location of [http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com Dinosaur Bar-B-Que] , a traditional
barbecue restaurant situated under the Riverside Drive bridge on 12th Ave at 131st St.In September 2008, Valenti will open his new restaurant "The West Branch" at Broadway and W. 77th St. in
New York City . The restaurant is attached to the [http://www.ontheave-nyc.com On The Ave Hotel] .ignature Dishes
* Braised Lamb Shanks
* Salmon GravlaxTelevision
* The Martha Stewart Show – 3 episodes
* The Today Show – 3 episodes [ [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/?search=MSNBC&q=Tom+Valenti+today+show&id=11881780&FORM=AE&os=0&gs=1&p=1 Search Results - MSNBC.com ] ]
*The Early Show – 7 episodes [ [http://search.cbsnews.com/?source=cbs&q=tom+valenti CBS News - Search Results ] ]
*Boy Meets Grill - 1 episode [ [http://television.aol.com/episode/braising/boy-meets-grill/200114 Boy Meets Grill - Braising - AOL Television ] ]Books
Valenti has authored several cookbooks, including:
*Tom Valenti : "Welcome to My Kitchen: A New York Chef Shares His Robust Recipes and Secret Techniques"> William Morrow Cookbooks, ISBN 9780060198190
*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 'Cesca"Scribner, ISBN 9780743243759
*Tom Valenti : "The Diabetic Gourmet" Workman, ISBN 9780761154112 May 2009Awards
*
Food & Wine Magazine - Best new Chef (1990) [ [http://www.foodandwine.com/bestnewchefs/?year=1990&chef=82F0F1AE-3029-4C8A-8AD513AB226165F5 Best New Chefs - 1990 - Tom Valenti | Food & Wine ] ]
*James Beard Foundation - Best Chef of New York Nominee (2004) [http://www.jamesbeard.org/awards/awards.php?year=2004&category=3#44]
*James Beard Foundation - Best New Restaurant Nominee (2004) [http://www.jamesbeard.org/awards/awards.php?year=2004&category=3#354]
*New York Magazine - Top 10 Chefs of the Year (2002) [ [http://nymag.com/nymetro/food/industry/chefawards2002/n_7947/ 2002 Chefs Awards ] ]
*New York Magazine – Best Italian Restaurant (2004) [ [http://nymag.com/nymetro/food/guides/wheretoeat2004/n_9681/index14.html Where to Eat Now 2004 ] ]Personal life
Early life in Ithaca
Valenti was born
March 27 ,1959 inIthaca, New York to Louis and Aurora Valenti. His father left at an early age and Valenti was raised by his mother and Italian immigrant maternal grandparents. It was after school in his grandmother Nonni’s kitchen that Valenti first learned the craft of cooking traditional Italian dishes. [ [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E4DA1E3DF933A25751C1A9659C8B63 AT LUNCH WITH: Tom Valenti; For Grandma, With Amore - New York Times ] ]Fly-Fishing in the Catskills
Valenti is described as a chef who “cooks to live,” preferring to spend his time fishing the
Beaverkill River inUpstate New York where he owns a small seasonal fishing cabin. [ [http://www.nyrestaurantinsider.com/august2006_valenti.asp Tom Valenti - North of Ouest by Matt DeLucia ] ] He exclusively practicescatch and release angling . [ [http://www.restaurantgirl.com/restaurantgirl/2007/04/q_a_with_tom_va.html restaurantgirl ] ]Family
Valenti is married to his second wife Abigail Wolcott, a former model turned
cosmetics manufacturer fromWestport, Connecticut . Along with theirMaine Coon cats, they live on Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.External links
Businesses
* [http://www.ouestny.com Ouest Restaurant]
* [http://www.thewestbranchnyc.com The West Branch Restaurant]
* [http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com Dinosaur Bar-B-Que]
* [http://www.greatchefsusa.com/great_chefs_of_ny/t_valenti/ Private Event Cooking at Great Chefs of New York]Articles
* [http://nymag.com/restaurants/articles/02/valenti1.htm New York Magazine]
March 4 ,2002
* [http://nymag.com/nymetro/food/homeent/features/n_10179/ New York Magazine]May 21 ,2005
* [http://www.craveny.com/featuredetails.php?id=24 Crave New York]May 24 ,2005 Image Gallery
* [http://www.photographybydiana.com/store/search.php?search=%20ouest Diana DeLuca at Restaurant Insider]
* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvsbond/sets/72157603788710928/ Peter Bond at Flickr.com]Interviews
* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E4DA1E3DF933A25751C1A9659C8B63 New York Times]
December 10 ,2003
* [http://www.nypost.com/seven/04262007/realestate/quest_for_glory_realestate_micki_siegel.htm New York Post]April 26 ,2007
* [http://74.54.115.114/node/713 Resident Publications]June 12 ,2007
* [http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=43 The Daily Gullet]March 27 ,2002
* [http://www.newyorkrestaurantinsider.com/august2006_valenti.asp Restaurant InsiderAugust ,2006 ]References
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