Andrew Carmellini is an American chef and restaurateur who lives and cooks in New York City. He's been in the game for 20 years, and he's cooked in some amazing places and tasted some amazing things. Andrew loves to cook food from all over the world. For him, it’s all about having a good time and making people happy. Andrew started cooking at age 14 at this local Italian joint in his hometown, Seven Hills, OH, then at a fine-dining French place on the lake. He moved east to go to school at the CIA and spent his weekends cooking for New York’s Governor Mario Cuomo in Albany.

After Andrew graduated, he came to Manhattan and spent some time on the line at San Domenico. Then he took off for Italy to work for Valentino Mercatile at San Domenico in Emilio-Romagna, plus a few other spots. He hunted truffles, learned from pastafarians, and hung around with some Italians who made wine, cheese, and prosciutto.

Andrew came back to New York to work with Gray Kunz at Lespinasse. After three years on the line there (and a four-star review from The New York Times), he headed back to Europe, where he spent a year cooking and traveling in France. His next gig: Opening sous chef at the new Le Cirque in Manhattan. Then in 1998, he opened Café Boulud as the chef de cuisine. Six years, two James Beard Awards, a Food & Wine Best New Chef nod and a three-star review from The New York Times later, Andrew launched an Italian restaurant in Madison Square Park. He hasn't been affiliated with that restaurant since 2008, but he's got some good memories -- it’s where he earned his first Michelin star.

In 2009, Andrew opened Locanda Verde in Robert DeNiro’s Greenwich Hotel in Tribeca.

Next came The Dutch, a roots-inspired American restaurant he opened in SoHo with two of his partners from Locanda Verde -- Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom. Later that year, we took The Dutch on the road down to Miami Beach, FL not too far from where his grandfather ran The Surf Club back in the day.

Andrew got involved up at The Public Theater making sure everybody there had something nice to eat and something good to drink inside Joe’s Pub, one of his favorite music venues in the city, and The Library at The Public.

Andrew also opened Lafayette in NoHo with partners, their French grand café and bakery open morning, noon and night on the corner of Lafayette and Great Jones Street inside a Hardenbergh landmark building.

He has also written two cookbooks with his wife, "Gwen Hyman: Urban Italian: True Stories and Simple Recipes from a Life In Food" (Bloomsbury) and "American Flavor" (Ecco/HarperCollins).

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