Scott Conant

Scott Conant is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and cookbook author.

Scott Conant
Born (1971-02-19) February 19, 1971
Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
EducationCulinary Institute of America
Culinary career
Cooking styleItalian
Websitescottconant.com

Early life

Conant was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He is the son of Anne (Varrone) Conant and Charles Conant. He is of Italian descent on his mother's side. He began cooking at a young age, taking cooking classes at the local community college at age 11. At 15, he enrolled in W.F. Kaynor Technical High School for culinary arts, and then attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).[1][2]

Professional career

While at the CIA, Conant interned at the famous New York City restaurant San Domenico, an experience that had a decisive impact on the young chef.[1] After graduation, he spent a year in Munich, Germany, mastering the art of pastry at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof. He returned to the United States and San Domenico, working as a sous chef and helping the restaurant garner three stars from The New York Times.[3]

In 1995, Cesare Casella selected him to be chef de cuisine at Il Toscanaccio, an Upper East Side Tuscan-style restaurant. A year later, Conant went on to revamp two institutions: Barolo in SoHo and Chianti on the Upper East Side. Conant then became executive chef at City Eatery, located on the Bowery in New York City.

Conant and his modern take on Italian cuisine got the attention of New Yorkers, earning him a loyal following and a glowing two-star review from The New York Times in 2000.[4]

In September 2002, Conant opened L'Impero in Tudor City. Within weeks, the restaurant received a rave three-star review from The New York Times, which stated, "[Conant is] turning out dishes full of flavors that are joyous and highly refined. From the simplest preparations to the most complex he is almost always in control and in tune."[5]

Gourmet declared that Conant “raises the roof on the Manhattan school of Italian cooking.”[6]

A year later, Conant's signature pastas appeared on the cover of Food & Wine, and the magazine went on to name Conant one of America's “Best New Chefs” in 2004.[7]

L'Impero received top honors from the James Beard Foundation in 2003, including “Best New Restaurant” in the U.S. and “Outstanding Restaurant Design.”[8]

In October 2003, Conant was featured on the cover of Gourmet for its “Chefs Rock” issue, and in March 2004, Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl named L’Impero one of her favorite New York restaurants.[9]

Following L’Impero, Conant went on to open Alto, a "sophisticated"[10] Italian restaurant in midtown Manhattan that offered his interpretation of Northern Italian cuisine.

Conant's initial television appearances included segments of The Today Show and, in 2007, on Home Shopping Network with a line of cookware, "Scott Conant's Signature Creations."[11][12]

Conant left L'Impero and Alto in 2007, and in 2008 opened a new restaurant, Scarpetta, located in Chelsea, Manhattan. In July 2008, Scarpetta received a positive three-star review from The New York Times[13] and New York Magazine.[14]

In November 2008, Scarpetta was named one of the “Best New Restaurants in America” by Esquire magazine.[15]

Scarpetta was nominated in early 2009 for "Best New Restaurant in America" by the James Beard Foundation.[16]

In November 2008, Conant opened a second restaurant in the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, where it received four stars from the Miami Herald. In October 2010, Conant opened Scarpetta in Beverly Hills at the Montage. The Los Angeles Times voted Conant Best New Chef in Los Angeles.

In July 2010, the reality food-competition television show "24 Hour Restaurant Battle" premiered on the Food Network, starring Conant as the host and head judge. The television show pits two teams of two people against each other as they open up a restaurant from scratch in 24 hours.[17] The show ran two seasons.

In December 2010, Conant opened a fourth location of Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. Enoteca, a casual wine bar, both at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. D.O.C.G. Enoteca closed on June 20, 2017.[18]

Conant's current ventures include Mora Italian, a modern osteria in Phoenix, Arizona.[19] Most recently, Conant opened Cellaio Steak at Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, New York.

Television appearances

Conant also has a strong aversion to onions.[21]

Awards
  • Three Stars from The New York Times for "L'Impero" and "Scarpetta New York"
  • Four Stars from Miami Herald for "Scarpetta Miami"
  • "Best New Restaurant of 2003" from the James Beard Foundation for "L'Impero"
  • "Best New Chef" from Food & Wine Magazine in 2004
  • Winner of Season 3 of "Chopped All-Stars"

Cookbooks
  • Scott Conant's New Italian Cooking (2005), ISBN 0-7679-1682-4
  • Bold Italian (2008), ISBN 978-0-7679-1683-7
  • The Scarpetta Cookbook (2013), ISBN 978-1118508701

References
  1. "Tomato King Scott Conant Resurrects Roman Regime". The New York Observer. August 12, 2008. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  2. Bruni, Frank (September 1, 2006). "Q&A: Scott Conant". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  3. Bryan Miller (July 22, 1988). "Restaurants". Nytimes.com. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  4. "City Eatery (NYC Restaurant) Review - New York City Restaurant Reviews - The New York Times". Events.nytimes.com. November 15, 2000. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  5. "L'Impero (NYC Restaurant) Review - New York City Restaurant Reviews - The New York Times". Events.nytimes.com. December 4, 2002. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  6. "OCTOBER 2006: Robert P. Bremner '62 on Chairman of the Fed The Tap Room Takes Off!". Webcache.googleusercontent.com. February 22, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  7. "Best New Chefs". Foodandwine.com. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  8. "The James Beard Foundation Events: December 2005". Jamesbeard.starchefs.com. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  9. "Ruth Reichl's 25 favorite New York City restaurants". A Full Belly. February 23, 2004. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  10. Platt, Adam. "Alto - New York Magazine Restaurant Review". Nymag.com. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  11. Freeman, Danyelle (June 13, 2007). "Q & A with Scott Conant". restaurantgirl.com. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  12. Ulster, Laurie (April 24, 2014). "The Many Sides of Scott Conant". The Chefs Connection. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  13. Bruni, Frank (July 30, 2008). "On Top of Spaghetti". The New York Times. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  14. Platt, Adam (July 14, 2008). "Scarpetta - New York Magazine Restaurant Review". Nymag.com. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  15. "Best New Restaurants 2008". Esquire. October 20, 2008. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  16. "2009 James Beard Foundation Awards Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists" (PDF). jamesbeard.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 16, 2012.
  17. "24 Hour Restaurant Battle". 24hourrestaurantbattle.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011.
  18. "D.O.C.G. Enoteca at Cosmopolitan closing June 20". Las Vegas Review-Journal. June 7, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  19. "SCOTT CONANT TO OPEN MASSO OSTERIA AT RED ROCK CASINO, RESORT & SPA - No Vacancy". No Vacancy. December 15, 2017.
  20. Chopped Sweets, retrieved May 12, 2020
  21. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUvP8Od8qS0&feature=youtu.be
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