Born in Ithaca, NY, Tom developed his love of cooking from his Italian immigrant grandparents.
He began working in restaurant kitchens at an early age, spending time in the Greenwich, CT restaurant of legendary French Chef Guy Savoy, who sent Valenti to his signature
Restaurant Guy Savoy in Paris to hone his skills. Upon his return to the US, Valenti worked as sous chef under Alfred Portale at Gotham Bar + Grill, then collaborated with Alison Becker on Alison on Dominick, his first Executive Chef position.
Following rave reviews at Cascabel, then Butterfield 81, Valenti opened his signature restaurant, Ouest, in 2001 at the corner of Broadway and 84th Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Once again, his appealing, flavor-packed cooking won critical praise. Two years later, Valenti opened 'Cesca at Broadway & 75th Street. There, his menu was a tribute to the cooking style he learned in his grandmother's kitchen.
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Valenti was a Founder of the Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund in conjunction with good friends and fellow chefs. The fund benefited surviving family members of foodservice industry workers who lost their lives in the World Trade Center towers, eventually generating $23M.
Tom Valenti is the author of three bestselling cookbooks, including
Welcome to My Kitchen: A New York Chef Shares His Robust Recipes and Secret Techniques;
Tom Valenti's Soups, Stews, and One-Pot Meals; and
You Don't Have to be Diabetic to Love This Cookbook.
Accolades over the years include a profile in
Esquire; being named a
Food & Wine Top Ten Chef and a James Beard Foundation nominee (Best Chef New York, Best New Restaurant); multiple
New York magazine features; and appearances on
Martha Stewart,
Today and
The Early Show.
A resident of Stanhope, NJ since 2009, Valenti lives in a gloriously renovated 8,000+ sq. ft. 1840's barn relocated from nearby Waterloo Village and situated on 10 acres. He is a longtime collector of American art pottery and Craftsman-style furniture.
