Hyde Park, NY – When
the 2017 Eater Awards for New York were
announced this week, two alumni from The Culinary Institute of America stood at
the helm of the city’s Restaurant of the Year. CIA grads Mario
Carbone and Rich Torrisi, along with partner Jeff Zalaznick, earned the coveted
award for The Grill, their popular Manhattan-based venue housed in
the former Four Seasons space.
“Mario and Rich are great examples of the entrepreneurial
spirit our graduates are bringing to the food world,” said CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan. “It’s
gratifying to have not only one, but two CIA alumni leading Eater’s Restaurant
of the Year.”
Former CIA classmates Carbone and Torrisi joined Zalaznick in 2010 to form acclaimed restaurant
and hospitality company Major Food Group, whose nine concepts include The Grill
and a pair of Michelin-starred
restaurants, Carbone and ZZ’s Clam Bar in New York.
Eater’s annual celebration of top talent honors “the
restaurants and chefs that stood out above the rest...that have driven the
conversation and impressed the hordes in dining this year.” And The Grill has
certainly done all that and more since its opening last May. The editors at
Eater had high praise for its top New York City restaurant: “The food’s
fantastic. The service is chatty yet fancy. Dining there feels like old-school
New York luxury, and though it’s been a destination for celebrities, even the
common folk who save up to eat there can feel like a Kennedy.”
Eater’s 2017 Readers’ Choice Winner for All-Day Restaurant
of the Year was Daily Provisions, whose chef is CIA graduate Carmen Quagliata. Daily Provisions is a part of Danny Meyer’s world-renowned Union Square
Hospitality Group.
Photo Caption and Hi-Res Image:
Michelin-starred
chefs and CIA alumni Mario Carbone (left) and Rich Torrisi,
co-owners of The Grill, named 2017 New York City Restaurant of the Year by
Eater. The former CIA classmates and a third partner, Jeff Zalaznick,
have created a thriving New York restaurant empire with their nine-concept
Major Food Group. (Photo credit: Courtesy
of Major Food Group)
View hi-res image >
Media Contact:
Jeff Levine
Communications Writer
845-451-1372
Jeff.Levine@culinary.edu
Founded in 1946, The Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier
culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and
hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers bachelor’s degrees in
management, culinary arts, culinary science, and applied food studies, and
associate degrees in either culinary arts or baking and pastry arts. The
college also offers executive education through its Food Business School along
with certificate programs and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its
conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made the CIA
the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of nearly 50,000
alumni includes innovators in every area of the food business. The CIA has
locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.
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