Harold Dieterle's strong Italian-American upbringing is what first inspired him to be a chef. Raised on Long Island and his mother's Sicilian cooking, Harold was destined to cook. His middle school home economics class (where he admits to studying the girls more than the recipes) and his first job as a dishwasher at The Marina on Fire Island also had a hand in fostering his love of the kitchen. At The Marina, Harold soon became a cook. He thrived in the unique fraternal atmosphere of the back of the restaurant, and he found he loved the sense of satisfaction that cooking provided.

In the kitchen, Harold learned to appreciate the various cultural cuisines of the kitchen crew. Whether it was Chinese, Mexican or Salvadoran, Harold embraced all types of food. This appreciation for other cultures took Harold to Spain in the summer of 1995, where he worked his way through some of the country's top kitchens. Upon his return, he was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, New York, where he continued to surround himself with a diverse group of friends, each of whom had a different influence on his cooking. During his time at CIA, Harold accepted an internship at The Island Mermaid on Fire Island, where he demonstrated a strong work ethic and a willingness to learn everything he possibly could about being a chef.

After graduating from CIA, Harold moved to the Hamptons, where he cooked at Della Femina. In the summer of 1997, he was instrumental in launching Della Femina's Manhattan restaurant, before moving on to a three-year stint as a chef at Red Bar on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Following his time at Red Bar, Harold was offered a position at the New York Times two-star 1770 House. After a mutual friend introduced him to Jimmy Bradley in 2002, it appeared Harold's seemingly endless search for just the right restaurant had ended. The kitchen at The Harrison was where Harold refined his skills, under the tutelage of chefs Joey Campanaro and Brian Bistrong.

In early 2004, Harold went on sabbatical to Thailand to immerse himself in Southeast Asian cuisine and culture. While there, he studied with some of Thailand's top chefs, and learned how best to cook with rare and exotic ingredients, such as mamay (a sweet fruit similar to a sweet potato) and dragonfruit. It was this trip, coupled with all he had learned to that point, which began to round out Harold's culinary education. He returned to New York ready to use his experiences and to build a place of his own.

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