Rocco DiSpirito

Rocco DiSpirito (born November 19, 1965 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City, New York) is an American chef based in New York City. He is a 1986 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and a 1990 graduate of Boston University with a bachelor's degree in business. DiSpirito is known for his Italian-American cuisine and his innovative fusion cooking; his mother, Nicolina, is known for her Italian meatballs.

DiSpirito is best known as a celebrity chef and a cookbook author. He is known for his involvement in Union Pacific, a restaurant he opened in 1997 in the Gramercy Park section of Manhattan to good reviews. He left Union Pacific in 2004. In 2003 and 2004, DiSpirito was the subject of the NBC reality television show "The Restaurant", which followed DiSpirito, his mother, Nicolina, and restaurant co-owner and financier Jeffrey Chodorow during the opening of their restaurant, Rocco's 22nd Street. Due to disagreements between DiSpirito and Chodorow, Chodorow closed the restaurant and reopened it as Caviar and Banana.Fact|date=September 2008

DiSpirito hosted his own radio talk show for WOR from October 2004 through December 2005. He was set to replace retiring WOR host Bob Grant on his mid-afternoon show in 2006, [cite web|last =Mainelli |first =John |title =Cafeteria Chef Heads for Radio |work=New York Post |date =January 16, 2006 |url =http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/nypost/access/970116661.html?dids=970116661:970116661&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+16%2C+2006&author=JOHN+MAINELLI&pub=New+York+Post&edition=&startpage=083&desc=CAFETERIA+CHEF+HEADS+FOR+RADIO |accessdate =2008-03-27] but left because of creative differences with the management over the new show. According to his official web site, as of 2007, he was developing a new cable television show in Manhattan.

He was also featured in a Lincoln MKX commercial, the ABC sitcom "The Knights of Prosperity", and as a guest judge on Bravo's "Top Chef". He returned in the season-three finale of "Top Chef" — in which three celebrity chefs were brought to work as sous chefs to the contestants, with DiSpirito assisting Hung Huynh — and was a guest judge on the March 14, 2008 season-four premiere. He appeared on NBC's "" (season 5) in an episode that aired on February 5, 2008 (episode 506), in which contestants were challenged to prepare three healthy courses based on DiSpirito's recipes; DiSpirito judged the food and determined the winning team. The following season he appeared on on the second episode (airing September 23, 2008), taking the "worst" cook of each pair shopping and teaching them to prepare healthy recipes.

DiSpirito is a contestant on season seven of "Dancing With The Stars", premiering September 22, 2008, paired with Karina Smirnoff. [ [http://pophangover.com/tv/?p=124 Pophangover TV: "Dancing With The Stars Season 7 Cast"] ]

Rocco stars in a new TV show on A&E called "Rocco Gets Real" [ [http://www.aetv.com/rocco-gets-real/ "Rocco Gets Real Website"] ]

Awards

* "James Beard Award"Citation | last = Chikiamco| first = Norma| author-link = | publication-date = December 2006 | date = January | year = 2007 | title = Everybody Loves Rocco | periodical = Food: The Philippines’ Largest Selling Culinary Magazine | publication-place =Philippines | pages = 62 | accessdate =2008-07-07] for his book "Flavor"
* "America's Best New Chef"Citation | last = Chikiamco| first = Norma| author-link = | publication-date = December 2006 | date = January | year = 2007 | title = Everybody Loves Rocco | periodical = Food: The Philippines’ Largest Selling Culinary Magazine | publication-place =Philippines | pages = 62 | accessdate =2008-07-07] by Food and Wine Magazine
* "Most Exciting Young Chef"Citation | last = Chikiamco| first = Norma| author-link = | publication-date = December 2006 | date = January | year = 2007 | title = Everybody Loves Rocco | periodical = Food: The Philippines’ Largest Selling Culinary Magazine | publication-place =Philippines | pages = 62 | accessdate =2008-07-07] by Gourmet Magazine
* "Sexiest Chef Alive"Citation | last = Chikiamco| first = Norma| author-link = | publication-date = December 2006 | date = January | year = 2007 | title = Everybody Loves Rocco | periodical = Food: The Philippines’ Largest Selling Culinary Magazine | publication-place =Philippines | pages = 62 | accessdate =2008-07-07] by People Magazine

Cookbooks

*"Rocco's Real-Life Recipes" (2007)
*"Flavor"
*"Rocco's Italian American"
*"Rocco's Five Minute Flavor"

Dancing with the Stars Performances

References

External links

* [http://www.roccodispirito.com/ Official website]
*Food Network [http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/rocco_dispirito/0,1974,FOOD_9939,00.html Biography]
*"New York Magazine" [http://nymag.com/nymetro/food/features/n_10216/ feature story] about fallout from the reality TV show