Who

Alfred Portale is the chef and co-owner of one of New York's most celebrated restaurants, Gotham Bar and Grill.

Backstory

Portale started out his career in, of all things, jewelry design, switching to food in the '70s, supposedly after reading Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The first time he applied to the Culinary Institute of America, he was rejected, but a year later, after he'd gained some experience at an Italian restaurant in Buffalo, he reapplied and was accepted. He ended up graduating first in his class, and in 1985 restaurateur Jerry Kretchmer tapped 28-year-old Portale to revive his sagging Village eatery Gotham, which was teetering on the brink of closure. The young chef promptly transformed the restaurant into a three-star powerhouse, gaining fame for his so-called "architectural" approach to food, which consists of tall, elaborately-constructed dishes reminiscent of buildings.

Of note

Gotham continues to impress diners and critics more than two decades later, and it's become an institution on the city's dining scene. Portale has also developed a reputation as one of New York's best culinary talent scouts: now-famous chefs he discovered and groomed include Tom Colicchio, Tom Valenti, Gary Robbins, and Bill Telepan. He also stands out as possibly the only top-tier chef in the city who hasn't capitalized on his A-list status and opened a second (or third or fourth) restaurant. But although he hasn't stamped his name on a steakhouse in Vegas, he is willing to do work on the side. Along with Gordon Ramsay, Portale is a consultant on Singapore Airlines' International Culinary Panel (which apparently means he had a hand in designing the menu for business- and first-class passengers). And in 2004, he consulted on Stephen Starr's Philadelphia seafood spot Striped Bass. Portale's not camera-shy either; he occasionally pops up on the CBS Early Show to share recipes.

In print

Portale has published three books, the most recent of which was 2004's Alfred Portale Simple Pleasures: Home Cooking from the Gotham Bar and Grill's Acclaimed Chef.

Personal

Portale lives with his wife, Helen Chardack, and their two daughters, Victoria and Olympia, who are both students at Dalton. (Victoria's a budding chef, and has been helping out at Gotham since she was 10.) The family lives on East 59th Street.