Cooking is art and one of the most successful chefs today is Tom Colicchio. In my exclusive interview the star of Bravo’s Top Chef, author of four best-selling books, and winner of five prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards; opens up about his business success as a restaurateur, the importance of going organic and how cooking can strengthen family bonds.

Colicchio is one of the culinary world’s most celebrated figures andthe head judge of one of the most well-known food shows on the planet. It all began in 1994 with his first restaurant, the iconic Gramercy Tavern (voted the Most Popular Restaurant in New York City twice by Zagat). Since then he has built a restaurant empire that includes Craft (Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York), Craftbar (Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York), Craftsteak (Las Vegas, Ledyard, New York), ’wichcraft sandwich shops (Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco), a new concept in private dining – the bi-weekly restaurant Tom: Tuesday Dinner (New York), the recently opened Riverpark (New York) and Colicchio & Sons (New York), where we met for our chat.

HOMBRE: What’s the secret ingredient that keeps guest coming back to your restaurants for almost two decades?

Tom Colicchio: We use only high quality, fresh, healthy ingredients from small family farms and other specialized venues to make every dish burst with flavor. 90% of ingredients at our restaurants are organic. When you work with food every day, you look for the best out there. Organic food is produced without the use of potentially hazardous synthetic chemicals like artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, fertilizers, antibiotics, growth hormones, genetically modified seeds (GMOs) or pesticides. 

H: Why does organic matter to you and how did you get into it?

TC: It happened a long time ago mostly because we started shopping at the farmers’ market locally here for our restaurant. If you think about the organic movement, it actually started back in the 60s by activists who opposed the use of pesticides. People started to realize that chemicals like DDT, Agent Orange etc are dangerous for the environment, capable of inflicting horrible damage to the body, and the movement took off from there.

Nowadays, we have entirely organic stores and more and more farmers are growing healthy produce. We need the farmers that are doing this. There’s a certain connection they have and a certain passion they have for it and we absolutely share that passion. Our restaurants buy a lot of food from the local farmers and this is how we support them.

H: I’m sure, many readers would find it hard to give up the fast food altogether and figure out what to buy instead and where to buy it. How can someone go organic in the easiest way possible?

TC: Learning how to cook nutritious food starts with going out and buying healthy vegetables.

H: Who does the cooking at home?

TC: We both do. My wife is actually pretty good, she’s learned a lot, so we both do, it depends.

H: How does it feel to cook at home vs cooking for the restaurant?

TC: When I cook at home, I don’t do it the same way as I do at the restaurant. I take a head of broccoli, I chop it up, I cook some pasta and put in the broccoli and let it cook together, drain it, add olive oil, salt and pepper. You know, that’s a pasta dish.”

Learning how to turn a few simple things into a healthy nutritious meal is more important than learning how to cook foie gras.

H: It looks like cooking can be more play than work!

TC: Exactly! People are too focused on learning dishes and recipes. If you learn how to cook green vegetables, you will know how to cook green vegetables. It doesn’t matter what it is. So, learn how to cook a few things and how to put them together and don’t worry about making gourmet food. Start with practical things and simple preparation. Start cooking nutritious and healthy food.

H: Why is it important for men to cook at home?

TC: You can be that role model for your kids – show them how to cook. It’s a new way to connect with them, it’s fun, and it’s also about teaching them an endlessly practical skill and to eat healthy.

Tom Colicchio joined Shazi Visram, founder and CEO of Happy Family to discuss the importance of organic food in her most recent segment of Happy TV.
The next season of the Bravo’s reality show Top Chef airs Wednesday’s at 10pm ET.

Maryna Dar is a writer, model and correspondent for HOMBRE TV.