Scott Conant, New York (Rest.)

*****
Raised in an Italian-American household, Conant’s love of cooking started at an early age. He opened Scarpetta in New York City in 2008, which immediately received numerous awards and high praise from The New York Times. Conant has since opened additional locations in Miami, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, and Toronto, all while being a fixture on top-rated shows like Food Network’s Chopped. His new cookbook, The Scarpetta Cookbook, will be released in October 2013. Be sure to grab a copy when it hits shelves so you can take a little slice of his delicious Italian cooking home with you.

Date-night dinner: My wife and I seem to always be dieting, so if I’m cooking at home, I make curried vegetables with coconut milk, kale, and quinoa.

Favorite way to sweat: I love to swim. One of my favorite ways to relax is a long swim followed by the steam room.

Food splurge: The classic combination of popcorn and Champagne. Popcorn popped in extra-virgin olive oil and flaked sea-salt with a glass of Champagne is just delicious.

As one of New York’s most respected chefs, Scott Conant brings a deft touch and unwavering passion to creating food with soul. After 15 years of cooking, he opened Scarpetta in New York in 2008 to rave reviews and an enthusiastic following that to this day has established Conant as one of the country’s preeminent Italian chefs.Scarpetta went on to receive three-star reviews from The New York Times and New York magazine in July 2008, and both publications selected Scarpetta as a top 10 new restaurant of the year. In addition, Scarpetta was named one of the “Best New Restaurants in America” by Esquire magazine in November 2008, and received an “Award of Ultimate Distinction” from Wine Enthusiast and a three-star rating from Forbes every year from 2008 to 2011. The 2009 Zagat Guide included Scarpetta as a “Top Five Newcomer” and a “Top Five Italian Restaurant.” Scarpetta received a nomination for “Best New Restaurant” from the James Beard Foundation in 2009, and was also voted “Best Italian Restaurant” by Time Out New York readers.In November 2008, Conant opened Scarpetta in Miami Beach at the newly renovated Fontainebleau resort, which went on to receive a four-star review from The Miami Herald, the highest rating possible. Both Scarpetta locations were included in the 2009 “50 Best New U.S. Restaurants” feature in Travel + Leisure magazine. The following year brought three new Scarpetta locations, the first in July at the Thompson Toronto followed by the Montage Beverly Hills in October. In December, Conant opened a fifth location and D.O.C.G. Enoteca, a new wine bar, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Spring 2012 saw the unveiling of the SCM Culinary Suite, Conant’s private loft in SoHo where he hosts dinners, cocktail parties and cooking demos and develops new recipes. Growing up in an Italian-American household, Conant’s early love of cooking led him to begin taking cooking classes at age 11, and culminated at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America (CIA). After graduation, he studied pastry for a year at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany. Conant returned home to work as a sous chef at San Domenico, a famed Italian restaurant where he externed as a culinary student.

http://www.scottconant.com/restaurants