Thomas Patrick Colicchio (; born August 15, 1962) is an American celebrity chef. He co-founded the Gramercy Tavern in New York City, and formerly served as a co-owner and as the executive chef. He is also the founder of Crafted Hospitality, which includes Craft (NYC and Los Angeles), Riverpark (NYC), Temple Court (NYC), Craftsteak (MGM Grand Las Vegas), Heritage Steak (Mirage Las Vegas) and Small Batch (Long Island) restaurants. Colicchio is the recipient of five James Beard Foundation Awards for cooking accomplishments. He has been the head judge on every season of Bravo reality TV show Top Chef as well as Best New Restaurant which he also executive produces. Colicchio has also been a featured chef on Great Chefs shows. Early life Colicchio was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the middle son of Beverly Ann (née Corvelli) and Thomas Patrick Colicchio. He has an older brother Michael and a younger brother Philip John. His father was a union organizer. He is of Italian descent on both sides. He graduated in 1980 from Elizabeth High School.<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-how-did-i-get-here/tom-colicchio.html How Did I Get Here? Tom Colicchio; Owner, Crafted Hospitality; head judge, Top Chef"], Bloomberg Businessweek. Accessed November 2, 2019. "Elizabeth High School, Elizabeth, N.J., class of 1980"</ref> Career In the mid-1980s, Colicchio served as a sous-chef to Thomas Keller at Rakel. In July 1994, Colicchio and his partner Danny Meyer opened the Gramercy Tavern in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan. It was voted Most Popular Restaurant in New York City by the Zagat Survey in 2003 and 2005. He sold his interest in 2006 and is no longer affiliated with the restaurant. In spring 2001, he opened the first Craft restaurant one block south of Gramercy Tavern. A year later, he opened the first Craftsteak at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In 2003, he began the first , his sandwich shop. In 2010, he opened Colicchio & Sons, and also Riverpark. Shortly after the September 11 attacks, Colicchio volunteered serving food to rescue workers at Ground Zero. Colicchio won the 2010 Outstanding Chef award from the James Beard Foundation. Colicchio has written three cookbooks. He, Jeff Bridges, and Raj Patel appeared in the documentary film A Place at the Table released in the U.S. on March 1, 2013. The movie was directed by his wife Lori Silverbush. He is also Executive Producer of A Place At The Table. Colicchio serves on the