Chef Geoffrey Zakarian is the visionary behind Tudor House, and one of the nation’s most widely celebrated chefs. Throughout his career, he has helmed internationally acclaimed kitchens such as 21 Club, 44 at the Royalton, Blue Door at The Delano, Patroon, TOWN, Country and most recently, The Lambs Club and The National in New York City. Zakarian has received much praise for his work overseeing the food programs at The Water Club at Borgata in Atlantic City and his cookbook titled, Geoffrey Zakarian’s Town/ Country. 150 Recipes for Life Around the Table.

Chef Zakarian’s rise to culinary prominence began at LeCirque where he took his first job in a kitchen. Over a period of 5 years, he worked his way up from Pastry Sous Chef de Cuisine under Alain Sailhac. In 1987, Zakarian took his first turn as Executive Chef at the legendary 21’ Club. Shortly thereafter in 1988, Jeffrey Chodorow hired him to be the Executive Chef of 44 at the Royalton. There, he showed an easy affinity for presiding over a dining room where the food was just as important as the “scene”, and the restaurant enjoyed critical acclaim while also becoming a magnet for the city’s bold face names. Thus, Zakarian ushered in the era of the sexy hotel restaurant turning “44” into an emblem of 80’s chic. In 1995, with his reputation for pleasing both gourmands and scene makers firmly established, he opened the Blue Door at the Delano Hotel in Miami, helping to successfully create another dinning hot spot. In 1997, Zakarian became Executive Chef of Patroon re-enchanting its existing regulars, as well as drawing a new clientele and earning the restaurant rave reviews. In the successful footsteps of TOWN, he opened Country and thereafter, Patroon, TOWN, and Country were all awarded Three Stars from the New York Times, making Geoffrey Zakarian the only chef in New York to earn 3 Three Star reviews in a row.?

To keep his cooking and ideas fresh, Chef Zakarian turns to a variety of sources. He has taken sabbaticals to stage at some of Europe’s most notable kitchens, including Arpege, Au Quai des Ormes in Paris, Auberge de 1”Ill in Alsace, The Dorchester in London, Le Chantecler with Jacques Maximin in Nice, and Pierre Orsay in Lyon. Fashion and design provide inspiration as well. He explains, “Food goes through similar style trends and redefinitions as fashion. You need to know that landscape to understand how to achieve something timeless”.?

Zakarian can be seen on Food Network shows such as Chopped, 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, Best Thing I Ever Ate and on Next Iron Chef set to premier in October 2011.