Rocco DiSpirito

Rocco DiSpiritu was born and raised in Jamaica, Queens. His culinary experience began at age eleven in his mother Nicolin's kitchen. By the age of 16, DiSpirito entered the Culinary Institute of America. He graduated in 1986 and studied abroad at Jardin de Cygne in France with Dominique Cecillon and Gray Kunz. In 1990, DiSpirito earned a B.S. in Business from Boston University.


He worked at Adrienne in New York and as Chef de Partie at Aujourd'hui in Boston. DiSpirito then joined Lespinasse's opening team. In 1997, DiSpirito opened Union Pacific in New York City's Gramercy Park as Chef and Owner. In 1999, DiSpirito was named Food & Wine's Best New Chef, and in 2000, Gourmet magazine called him "America's Most Exciting Young Chef."

DiSpirito opened Rocco's 22nd Street in the summer of 2003 while cameras for NBC's The Restaurant watched
and took notes. Later that summer, more than nine million viewers a week tuned in to see the ups and downs of DiSpirito's family-inspired eatery. The second series aired in the spring of 2004.

DiSpirito is the author of Flavor (Hyperion, October 2003), a unique cook book that breaks down his concept of building dishes on the four basic flavors, making his unique approach to food accessible to the home cook. Rocco's new show on A&E will air June, 2007 and DiSpirito's fifth book, Rocco Gets Real will be released in September of 2008 (by Meredith).

Here's more of (my husband) Chef Rocco...
































And here are 2 of his reciped from http://www.roccodispirito.com/

Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Celery and Blue Cheese Salad
© Spirit Media 2004-2008 All Rights Reserved
Estimated Cost: $20

canola oil 1 gallon*
corn flour for dredging*
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
salt and pepper to taste*
3/4 cup Steve and Ed's Buffalo Wing Sauce, or other buffalo wing sauce of choice
2 celery hearts, sliced on a bias
1 1/4 cups crumbled blue cheese
2/3 cup mayonnaise

Heat oil in a large pot to 400 degrees. Dredge chicken tenders in corn flour. Add tenders to hot oil and stir occasionally during cooking. Cook for about 5 minutes or until tenders are golden brown and cooked through. Drain on paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Toss in a large bowl with hot sauce. While wings are cooking, combine celery hearts, blue cheese and mayo in a large bowl. Mix to coat and season with salt and pepper. To serve, divide celery salad among four plates and pile an equal amount of tenders on top of each salad.
Yield: Serves: 4

Mama's Meat Balls
© Spirit Media 2004-2008 All Rights Reserved

1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 yellow onion
1 clove garlic
¼ cup fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground veal
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
3-6 cups Mama's Marinara, or your favorite marinara
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic and parsley in a blender of food processor and puree.

2. In a large bowl, combine the pureed stock mix, meat, bread crumbs, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, red pepper flakes, parsley and salt. Combine with both hands until mixture is uniform. Do not over mix.

3. Put a little olive oil on your hands and form mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls. They should be about ¼ cup each, though if you prefer bigger or smaller, it will only affect the browning time.

4. Pour about 1/2-inch of extra virgin olive oil into a straight-sided, 10-inch-wide sauté pan and heat over medium-high flame. Add the meatballs to the pan (working in batches if necessary) and brown meatballs, turning once. This will take about 10-15 minutes.

5. While the meatballs are browning, heat the marinara sauce in a stockpot over medium heat. Lift the meatballs out of the sauté pan with a slotted spoon and put them in the marinara sauce. Stir gently. Simmer for one hour.

6. Serve with a little extra Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled on top. Serve alone or over spaghetti (in which case, you will need 6 cups of marinara).
Yield: Serves 4 as antipasto or over spaghetti

Oh my, i love him.. <3

Ooooh lala! He is so adorable!!! kyowt!
I'm itching to go to NY this March. Happy hunting to me! :) harhar.

SOURCE of ARTICLE, PICTURES & RECIPE'S can be found at: www.roccosdispirito.com