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Rick Tramonto is a Chicago chef and cookbook author. He is executive chef and partner in Tru, a contemporary fine-dining restaurant from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises.

Biography

A native of Rochester, New York, Tramonto began his culinary career working in a Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers. He later worked in New York City and London, England. In 1994, while at Trio in Evanston, Illinois, Tramonto was named among Food & Wine Magazine's Top Ten Best New Chefs.

In 1999, he opened Tru with culinary partner and ex-wife Gale Gand and Rich Melman. Tramonto was named the "Best Chef: Midwest Region" by The James Beard Foundation in 2002. At this time, Rick was also a featured chef on Great Chef television, appearing in episodes of Great Chefs of America and Great Chefs - Great Cities.

In 2005, he became embroiled in a public controversy over foie gras, which led to a two-year ban on the delicacy by the Chicago City Council. Tramonto was quoted as saying it was somewhat hypocritical for meat-eaters to take an anti-foie gras stance, prompting anti-foie chef Charlie Trotter to suggest eating Tramonto's liver.

Tramonto and Gand co-founded Cenitare Restaurants in 2006, opening several restaurants in a Wheeling, Illinois hotel, including Tramonto's Steak & Seafood, Osteria di Tramonto (now closed) and RT Lounge. He left the company in 2009.^[2]

In 2007, he became the national spokesperson for The US Duck Council.

Works

• Butter, Sugar, Flour, Eggs ISBN 0-609-60420-1
• American Brasserie ISBN 0-02-861630-8
• Amuse-Bouche ISBN 0-375-507-60-4
• Tru ISBN 1-4000-6061-3
• Fantastico! - release date November 6, 2007
• Steak with Friends: At Home, with Rick Tramonto ISBN 978-0-7407-9257-1

References

External links

• RickTramonto.com
• GreatChefs.com
• Tru Restaurant