Geoffrey Zakarian
Geoffrey Zakarian
Geoffrey Zakarianis an Armenian-American Iron Chef, restaurateur, television personality and author. He is the executive chef of several restaurants in New York City, Atlantic City and Miami. He is featured on several television programs on the Food Network, including Chopped and in 2011, The Next Iron Chef, where he won the right to join Iron Chef America...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionChef
Date of Birth25 July 1959
CountryUnited States of America
cooking use helping
Everyone could use instructions on every aspect of cooking: pantry, storage, refrigeration, cooking, what to buy. Everyone that I come into contact with could use help.
wine glasses wife
Days off are few and far between in the restaurant business. But on an hour off, I like to have a glass of wine with my wife.
cooking kitchen ease
I love hospitality, and I love cooking. The kitchen is where I feel most at ease and where I feel most like myself.
wine buckets restaurants
I like old fashioned things. We have these old wine buckets at the restaurant and none of them match.
color should-have personality
A plate of food has to have balance. For example, a mild fish like skate mustnt be overwhelmed by the side dishes. They should have personality and color, but they also have to be subtle.
stars want chef
Everybody these days wants to be a star, including myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm a chef but you want to market yourself and your projects.
thinking two kitchen
When you have a chef that wants to be in the spotlight, maybe after one or two appearances on a show, they think they're at a certain level that they haven't reached yet in the kitchen. Shows like 'Top Chef', 'Hell's Kitchen' have helped bring attention to the culinary world.
hotel whole-life whole
I've been working in boutique hotels my whole life.
cooking way limits
I really don't limit myself in any way. I just search for great flavors and marriages wherever they come from.
things-in-life important eating
The most important things in life happen over conversations while eating.
long
I'll transform anything as long as it's edible.
real giving quality
If you give a discount there's a desperation there and I like to substitute desperation with service and real quality. And the desperation goes away.
passion journey thinking
I don't even look at resumes anymore. I think they're misguided. I talk to them, ask them where they've been, "What's your favorite experience in a restaurant?" Where do they like to eat? Blah blah blah. All that stuff, but I can only really describe my journey with another person if I can connect with them and their passion. Otherwise, I don't care where they've worked. It doesn't matter to me. Really I have to feel it, and then I can teach them anything.
daughter cities two
I'm very active. I've got two small daughters and four restaurants in three cities. I'm busy.