Tom Colicchio Has Been a Judge on the Hit Culinary Competition TV Show for Over 21 Seasons, But What Do We Really Know About Him?
Tom Colicchio is a renowned chef, restaurateur, and television personality best known for his role as head judge on the reality cooking competition show, Top Chef. Colicchio began his culinary career by teaching himself to cook with the help of Jacques Pépin’s legendary illustrated manuals on French cooking, La Technique, and La Méthode.
After working in some of the most prominent restaurants in NYC such as Gotham Bar & Grill, Rakel, and Mondrian, Food & Wine magazine selected him as one of 1991’s top ten “Best New Chefs” in the US. In 1994, he partnered with Danny Meyer to open Gramercy Tavern which really catapulted his career to new heights, quickly garnering critical acclaim and earning him numerous accolades. He has since created and expanded his own restaurant empire.
Through his appearances on television and his cookbooks, Colicchio has become a prominent figure in the culinary world, admired for his expertise, passion for food, and commitment to proper technique.
5 Facts About Tom Colicchio
1. Tom Realized The Power of Food at an Early Age
Growing up in a small apartment in New Jersey, Colicchio learned to fish, grow, and prepare food from his grandparents. His family would grow tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant in buckets on their balcony.
On Saturdays, he would wake to the smell of his grandfather sauteeing onions and peppers before their early morning fishing expeditions. They would bring back bushels of clams and crabs for his grandmother to prepare. The whole family would join in for the meal: in-laws, aunts and uncles, friends, and more family would crowd around for the long meals and even longer conversations.
He understood the power of food and its ability to bring people around a table together at a very early age. He often recalled that “they didn’t have much, but good food made from fresh ingredients was important.”
2. Colicchio Gave Every Employee a Monthly Budget to Eat at Gramercy Tavern as a Customer.
Every employee received a monthly budget to eat at the restaurant on their off days so they could experience it as a customer. The employee discount may be a given, but this seemingly small work perk can foster a deeper appreciation for the guests’ dining experience while promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement. By dining as customers, employees could better understand the nuances of service and the impact of their roles on the overall dining experience.
An article by Vice wrote, “Gramercy’s former Beverage Director Paul Grieco remembers eating there one day when Colicchio walked over and asked if he could cook for them. ‘The shit that he made for us was not highfalutin. It was just so pure’.”
3. Tom Colicchio Once Saved a Woman’s Life
Joan Nathan, an award-winning cookbook author, was choking on a piece of chicken while she attended a fundraising event in Washington, D.C., back in 2009. Colicchio was one of many famous Chefs in attendance and was standing a few feet away when he witnessed people scurrying around her.
He said it all happened so fast, but he swiftly remembered his lifeguard training from his teenage years and performed the Heimlich maneuver on the woman, dislodging the food from her throat.
4. Tom Colicchio is a Big Advocate for Food Sustainability
Colicchio has long advocated for food sustainability, leveraging his platform to promote more equitable and environmentally responsible food systems within the US. Through this work, he has helped champion initiatives that address hunger issues, food waste, farmworkers’ welfare, ethical sourcing, and farm-to-table practices.
Tom has always been a vocal supporter of policies that encourage reducing the environmental impact of food production. He has even testified in front of Congress on many issues concerning food security, emphasizing the need for governmental support for smaller farms that practice ecological farming.
5. Tom Was the Executive Producer of the Documentary That Examined the Issue of Food Insecurity in America
As a strong advocate for food sustainability, Colicchio played a crucial role in the production of the documentary “A Place at the Table.” Released in 2013 and directed by his wife, Lori Silverbush, the film showcases the stories of individuals and families struggling with hunger across the nation, revealing the systemic issues that contribute to food insecurity.
The documentary not only exposes the harsh realities of millions of Americans but also addresses the absence of any food assistance programs and policies that could help.
Tom declared in an article, “Lori’s film made clear: people aren’t hungry in this country for the reasons you’d think; it’s not war or famine or drought. We have the resources in America to feed everyone; we just don’t have the political will. So what could I do? I went to where the politicians were and tried to talk to the people who made the decisions.”
Stay tuned for more fun facts that you might now know about other famous chefs.
