Todd English
Encyclopedia
William Todd English is a celebrity chef
, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and television personality based in Boston
, Massachusetts
, United States
. He is best known for his restaurant, Olives, located in both Boston, Massachusetts
, and Las Vegas
, Nevada
and his TV cooking show, Food Trip with Todd English, on PBS.
His life and career received a chapter in Super Chef by Juliette Rossant
who had written previously about English for Forbes magazine's Celebrity 100 list.
Todd English also works as lead chef for Delta Air Lines
(US).
, grew up in Sandy Springs, Georgia
and later Branford, Connecticut
. He matriculated at Guilford College
in North Carolina
on a baseball
scholarship, but quit and entered the Culinary Institute of America
in 1978 and graduated in 1982.
He worked under Jean-Jacques Rachou at New York’s La Cote Basque
, and then moved to Italy
to work at several restaurants there.
He returned to the United States at age 25 and served as the Executive Chef of the Italian restaurant Michela’s in Cambridge, Massachusetts
for three years before opening the original Olives restaurant in 1989.
He was engaged to Erica Wang, but the planned wedding was canceled in 2009 shortly before it was to begin.
. The restaurant was named Best New Restaurant by Boston
magazine, and has been honored as Best Food and Top Table by Gourmet
magazine. Olives is known for two signature desserts - a molten chocolate cake
and a vanilla bean
soufflé
- which must be ordered with the main meal. Olives has been cited by the Health Department for sanitation discrepancies and animal waste hazards.
In May of 2010 Olives was closed due to damage done by a grease fire. This was the third time the Charlestown eatery was closed due to fire damage since 2001.
In addition to the Boston restaurant, English holds a second Olives at the five-star Bellagio
hotel in Las Vegas
. He alternates between both Olives restaurants on a regular basis.
in the Boston area. Figs offers authentic, Neapolitan
-style pizzas with very thin crusts, served on inverted sheet pans, as well as salads and pasta
s. Figs won the "Hot Concept" award from Nation's Restaurant News
magazine.
.
Celebrity chef
A celebrity chef is a kitchen chef who has become famous and well known. Today celebrity chefs often become celebrities by presenting cookery advice and demonstrations via mass media, especially television. Historically, celebrity chefs have included Antoine Carême and Martino da Como.-External...
, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and television personality based in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He is best known for his restaurant, Olives, located in both Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
and his TV cooking show, Food Trip with Todd English, on PBS.
His life and career received a chapter in Super Chef by Juliette Rossant
Juliette Rossant
Juliette Rossant is an American author, journalist, and poet, best known for her writings about top-grossing celebrity chefs about whom she first wrote for Forbes magazine and for whom she has defined the term Super Chef, also the title of her first book and of her online magazine.- Background...
who had written previously about English for Forbes magazine's Celebrity 100 list.
Todd English also works as lead chef for Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
(US).
Early life and career
English was born in Amarillo, TexasAmarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, grew up in Sandy Springs, Georgia
Sandy Springs, Georgia
Sandy Springs is a city in north Georgia, United States. It is a northern suburb of Atlanta. With a 2010 population of 93,853, Sandy Springs is the sixth-largest city in the state and the second-largest city in Metro Atlanta. Sandy Springs is located in north Fulton County, Georgia, just south of...
and later Branford, Connecticut
Branford, Connecticut
-Landmarks and attractions:Branford has six historic districts that are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . These include buildings in Federal, Arts and Crafts, and Queen Anne styles of architecture...
. He matriculated at Guilford College
Guilford College
Guilford College, founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends , is an independent college whose stated mission is to: provide a transformative, practical and excellent liberal arts education that produces critical thinkers in an inclusive, diverse environment, guided by Quaker...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
on a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
scholarship, but quit and entered the Culinary Institute of America
Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of America is a non-profit culinary college located in Hyde Park USA, founded in 1946. The CIA also has branch campuses in St. Helena, California, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as a campus in Singapore. It is a not-for-profit academic institution of higher learning...
in 1978 and graduated in 1982.
He worked under Jean-Jacques Rachou at New York’s La Cote Basque
La Côte Basque
La Côte Basque was a New York restaurant. It opened in the late 1950s and operated until it closed on March 7, 2004. In business for 45 years, upon its closing the New York Times called it a "former high-society temple of French cuisine at 60 West 55th Street."-History:The restaurant opened in the...
, and then moved to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
to work at several restaurants there.
He returned to the United States at age 25 and served as the Executive Chef of the Italian restaurant Michela’s in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
for three years before opening the original Olives restaurant in 1989.
Personal life
English has been married once, to Olivia Disch English, his classmate at the Culinary Institute of America , but they divorced. They have three children: Oliver, Isabelle, and Simon.He was engaged to Erica Wang, but the planned wedding was canceled in 2009 shortly before it was to begin.
Olives
English's first restaurant, Olives, opened in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston in April 1989. The restaurant's name is a tribute to his then-wife, Olivia. The food is "rustic Mediterranean," with a strong influence from Italian cuisineItalian cuisine
Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BCE. Italian cuisine in itself takes heavy influences, including Etruscan, ancient Greek, ancient Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Arab cuisines...
. The restaurant was named Best New Restaurant by Boston
Boston magazine
Boston is a monthly magazine concerning life in the Greater Boston area and has been in publication for more than 40 years.-About the magazine:The magazine is self-described as:...
magazine, and has been honored as Best Food and Top Table by Gourmet
Gourmet (magazine)
Gourmet magazine was a monthly publication of Condé Nast and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine. Founded by Earle R. MacAusland and first published in 1941, Gourmet also covered "good living" on a wider scale....
magazine. Olives is known for two signature desserts - a molten chocolate cake
Molten chocolate cake
Molten chocolate cake, or lava cake, is a popular dessert that combines the elements of a flourless chocolate cake and a soufflé...
and a vanilla bean
Vanilla
Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla . The word vanilla derives from the Spanish word "", little pod...
soufflé
Soufflé
A soufflé is a light baked cake made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert...
- which must be ordered with the main meal. Olives has been cited by the Health Department for sanitation discrepancies and animal waste hazards.
In May of 2010 Olives was closed due to damage done by a grease fire. This was the third time the Charlestown eatery was closed due to fire damage since 2001.
In addition to the Boston restaurant, English holds a second Olives at the five-star Bellagio
Bellagio (hotel and casino)
Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino.Inspired by the...
hotel in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. He alternates between both Olives restaurants on a regular basis.
Figs
Figs is the name of two high-end pizzeriasPizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
in the Boston area. Figs offers authentic, Neapolitan
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
-style pizzas with very thin crusts, served on inverted sheet pans, as well as salads and pasta
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
s. Figs won the "Hot Concept" award from Nation's Restaurant News
Nation's Restaurant News
Nation's Restaurant News is an American trade publication, founded in 1967, that covers the foodservice industry, including restaurants, restaurant chains, operations, marketing, and events. It is owned by Penton Media, who purchased it from founding company Lebhar-Friedman in December 2010...
magazine.
Other restaurants
English's other restaurants include:- Beso, a Latino-concept restaurant in partnership with actress Eva LongoriaEva LongoriaEva Jacqueline Longoria is an American actress, best known for portraying Gabrielle Solis on the ABC television series Desperate Housewives...
, with venues in Los Angeles and Las Vegasresort in Uncasville, ConnecticutUncasville, ConnecticutUncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River... - Kingfish, a seafoodSeafoodSeafood is any form of marine life regarded as food by humans. Seafoods include fish, molluscs , crustaceans , echinoderms . Edible sea plants, such as some seaweeds and microalgae, are also seafood, and are widely eaten around the world, especially in Asia...
Marketplace in downtown Boston - Bonfire, a steakhouseSteakhouseA steakhouse is a restaurant that specializes in beef steaks. The same type of restaurant is also known as a chophouse.The steakhouse started in the USA in the late 19th century as a development of traditional inns and bars....
in Boston and New York - Todd English, an alternative restaurant aboard the luxury RMS Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria
- BlueZoo, a restaurant at the Dolphin HotelWalt Disney World DolphinThe Walt Disney World Dolphin is a resort hotel designed by architect Michael Graves located between Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios in the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, next to Disney's BoardWalk Resort area...
in OrlandoOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... - Da Campo Osteria, in the Il Lugano Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, FL, featuring views of the intracoastal waterway
- Todd English P.U.B in the CityCenter resort complex in Las Vegas, NV.
- Wild Olives at The Shops at Boca Center in Boca Raton, FL
- Wild Olives Cafe at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, FL
- Plaza Food Hall at the Plaza HotelPlaza HotelThe Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel with a height of and length of that occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue extends along the east side of Grand Army Plaza...
in New York, NY - Figs at 29 Fair in Nantucket, MA
- Tuscany at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut
- Ember Room in New York, NY
Books
English has authored or co-authored three cookbooks: The Olives Table, The Figs Table, and The Olives Dessert Table, all published by Simon & SchusterSimon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
.
Further reading
- Atkinson, Kim, "Being Todd English", Boston magazine, May 2006