Tom Colicchio
Contributor
Tom Colicchio is the chef and owner of Crafted Hospitality, which currently includes New York’s Craft, Temple Court, and Vallata; Long Island's Small Batch; Los Angeles’s Craft Los Angeles; and Las Vegas’ Heritage Steak and Craftsteak. He has also served as the head judge for Bravo's Top Chef during the show's 17-plus year run.
Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Colicchio made his New York cooking debut at prominent New York restaurants including The Quilted Giraffe, Gotham Bar & Grill, and Gramercy Tavern before opening Craft in 2001. Outside of his fine dining restaurants, Colicchio opened ‘wichcraft, a sandwich and salad fast casual concept rooted in the same food and hospitality philosophies as Craft, in New York City in 2003.
In an effort to broaden his long-standing activism around food issues, Colicchio served as an executive producer for the 2013 documentary A Place at the Table about the underlying causes of hunger in the United States. This eye-opening experience led him on a journey to Washington, DC where he has been a mainstay in our nation’s capital in the years since. From holding members of Congress accountable for their voting records around food to working with former FLOTUS Michelle Obama on the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, Tom has established himself as the leading “Citizen Chef” advocating for a food system that values access, affordability, and nutrition over corporate interests. In 2020, Tom took this moniker to the airwaves launching a podcast with iHeartRadio. Citizen Chef dives into food and policy issues with lawmakers, journalists, and food producers by connecting the dots of how our food system really works.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Colicchio co-founded the Independent Restaurant Coalition and was instrumental in the passage of the American Rescue Act. He serves on the boards for Children of Bellevue, City Harvest, and Wholesome Wave, while his restaurants support community organizations like Edible Schoolyard NYC, FEAST, and Gods Love We Deliver.
Colicchio lives in Brooklyn with his wife Lori Silverbush and their three sons. When he’s not in the kitchen, he can be found tending to his garden on the North Fork of Long Island, enjoying a day of fishing, or playing guitar.
