Geoffrey Zakarian

As Partner and Chef at three upscale restaurants, Geoffrey Zakarian is a well-recognized name in contemporary American cuisine. Mr. Zakarian operates The Lambs Club at The Chatwal Hotel and The National at The Benjamin, both in midtown Manhattan. The National recently earned distinction as one of New York Times food critic Sam Sifton’s top 50 restaurants in New York City. His latest restaurant is Tudor House at Dream South Beach, which enjoys a beachfront location in Miami. Geoffrey Zakarian has additional experience in Hospitality Consultant capacities with Atlantic City’s The Water Club at Borgata.

After training at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Geoffrey Zakarian began his career with New York’s legendary Le Cirque. Over a period of five years, Mr. Zakarian developed classical French culinary skills, eventually earning a position as Chef de Cuisine. His first role as Executive Chef was with the ‘21’ Club in 1987, which led to a similar engagement with Forty Four at the Royalton hotel the next year. In this capacity, Geoffrey Zakarian gained a reputation for attention to detail in ingredients, cooking technique, and presentation, turning Forty Four into a leading hotel-restaurant destination.

In 1995, Mr. Zakarian ventured to Miami, opening Blue Door at the Delano. He returned to New York three years later, reestablishing Aretsky’s Patroon as one of the city’s top culinary experiences. In 2001, after time spent in Paris at the Michelin three-star L’Arpège, he established Town. The success of this establishment led to the creation of Country, which earned a Michelin star in its first year. Mr. Zakarian took recipes from these restaurants in creating the acclaimed cookbook Geoffrey Zakarian's Town/Country: 150 Recipes for Life Around the Table.

His longstanding reputation for excellence within a competitive New York culinary world has led to appearances on Television Food Network shows. Geoffrey Zakarian has served as a recurrent judge on Chopped and 24 Hour Restaurant Battle, and he competed on the most recent season of The Next Iron Chef.