Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Encyclopedia
Jean-Georges Vongerichten (ˌʒɑ̃ː ˌʒɔrʒ vɒn.ɡəˈrɪxtən) is a French chef. He was born in Alsace, France, in 1956 and now resides in the United States of America. Vongerichten commands restaurants in culinary capitals Las Vegas, London, Paris and Shanghai, as well as New York's Jean Georges restaurant. He is author of five cookbooks, two with Mark Bittman
.
in Alsace, France, Vongerichten’s earliest family memories are about food. The Vongerichten home centered around the kitchen, where each day his mother and grandmother would prepare lunch for the almost 50 employees in their family-owned business. His love for food cemented his choice of career at the age of 16, when his parents brought him to the 3-star Michelin-rated Auberge de l’ill for a birthday dinner.
. He went on to work with the top chefs in France, including Paul Bocuse
and Louis Outhier
at L’Oasis in the south of France. Often working with Outhier, Vongerichten opened 10 restaurants around the world from 1980 to 1985, including the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok
, the Meridien Hotel in Singapore
, and the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong.
. A year later he arrived in New York to take over the executive Chef position at Lafayette in the Drake Swissôtel, generating critical acclaim with his innovative interpretation of classic French cuisine and earning four stars from The New York Times
at the age of 29. There he met financier Phil Suarez, a loyal dining patron. Vongerichten and Suarez opened a bistro
, JoJo, in 1991. JoJo was named Best New Restaurant of the Year, and earned three stars from The New York Times
, in which Food critic
Ruth Reichl claimed: "His food took my breath away".
Vong
His next venture, Vong, paid homage to his passion for the spices and flavors of the East. Using over 150 different herbs and spices to create his take on Thai-inspired French cuisine, the menu at Vong impressed critics, earning another three-star review from The New York Times for his "explosive flavorful food". In an adjacent space to Vong, Vongerichten also opened The Lipstick Cafe, catering to the midtown business crowd and serving breakfast and lunch in a casual, upscale setting. The Lipstick Cafe has since closed. In November 2009 it was revealed that Vong was closing at its longtime location indefinitely after it decided not to renew the lease
.
Trump Tower location
In March 1997, Vongerichten opened Jean Georges restaurant in the Trump International Hotel and Tower, earning a four star review from The New York Times less than three months after opening, and the "Chef of the Year Award" from John Mariani at Esquire
. Jean Georges Restaurant remains one of five restaurants in the city awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide
.
Frank Bruni of The Times said it offers “accessible elegance,” providing “classic French indulgence with a contemporary flair.” The restaurant trades “the richness of traditional French cooking for a different kind of intensity,” he added – it eliminates “thick sauces and embraces oils and broths, preferring them for their lightness and for the way they release their scents, like the perfume of lemon grass that rose from a bath of Asian herbs and seeds around a delicately baked lobster tartine.”
Other Vong locations
A year and a half later, Vongerichten opened a second Vong in the Knightsbridge
area of London, earning a three-star review and the 1996 vote for the Evening Standard
s "Newcomer of the Year". In September 1997, he opened Vong in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong, which Robb Report awarded "Best Restaurant in the World" award in 1998. A fourth Vong in Chicago
, partnering with restaurant corporation Lettuce Entertain You and Geoff Alexander to become VTK (Vong's Thai Kitchen) in 2002. This change was to make the signature Jean-George style available to a wider audience at a more accessible price point. All three additional Vongs, including VTK, have since closed.
Vongerichten followed with The Mercer Kitchen, opened in July 1998, in the stylish Mercer Hotel in Soho
. This venture features an American-Provincial menu and ‘communal’ style tables in the open kitchen area. Another addition is the Prime Steakhouse in Steve Wynn’s Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas
, which opened in October 1998.
Vongerichten opened Spice Market (Southeast Asian street food) in 2004 and Perry Street in 2005 (French-American) in NYC, as well as the Chambers Kitchen in Minneapolis in 2007.
In 2008 Jean Georges teamed up with the Matsushita Brothers from Tokyo to open Matsugen
. Matsugen's cuisine focuses on Japanese Soba
dishes, but also served sushi and other items including shabu-shabu
and sukiyaki
.
His latest projects for 2009 include Jean-Georges at Aria in Las Vegas, a restaurant in the Mark Hotel in NYC, a Market and Spice Market in the W Hotel in Doha
and a J&G Steakhouse in Scottsdale, Arizona
and Washington, D.C.. J&G Steakhouse opened opposite the White House in the W Hotel on July 8, 2009.
Starwood Hotels
Vongerichten and partner Phil Suarez have formed a new company with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Catterton Partners
, a consumer-focused private-equity firm which will own, operate, manage and license restaurants in Starwood properties as well as freestanding concepts not attached to the hotel giant's lodging outlets. The deal calls for seven Spice Markets and other concepts world wide. The total number of eating destinations could total 56 with this contract. The first to open were two Spice Markets at the W Hotel in both Atlanta and Istanbul
, respectively.
J&G Steakhouse (Scottsdale)
Vongerichten opened his newest steakhouse
in December 2008 atop The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona
. Described as a "sleek, sexy, glamorous restaurant, floor to ceiling windows frame the dramatic views of the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. With fare consisting of steak
s and seafood
, the restaurant has received 4 stars from the Arizona Republic and is regarded as one of the top 3 steakhouses in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.
Hotel Shangri-La
Vongerichten opened a restaurant at the Hotel Shangri-La Vancouver, a luxury hotel that Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts opened in 2009. “Market by Jean-Georges” is the first collaboration between Shangri-La and Vongerichten and is the famous chef's first involvement with Canadian or west coast dining.
Jean-Georges Steakhouse
Vongerichten is set to open a namesake restaurant inside Aria, one of the first properties to open in the newly-built CityCenter on the Las Vegas Strip. The restaurant will feature fine steaks served on hot lava rocks as well as sustainable and organic ingredients.
Market (Boston)
In November 2009 Vongerichten opened 'Market' in Boston
's new W Hotel, inspired by the casual, simple elegance of the setting, Jean-Georges has created a relaxed menu that emphasizes fresh, locally produced ingredients. Emphasizing comfort and creativity, the menu reinvents classic dishes with eclectic flair, allowing guests to try new flavor combinations and explore spices from other regions, all while remaining close to home. Dishes crafted with seasonal market ingredients and local fish, can be selected from enticing categories on the menu such as Simply Raw, Fish, Meat and a Market tasting menu to enliven the senses and satisfy any craving.
wrote that in the past two decades, no single chef has had more influence on the way New Yorkers dine out—or on the way other chefs cook and other restaurants look. “He invented America’s answer to nouvelle cuisine,” says Mario Batali. “When I first came to New York, his book Simple Cuisine was the holy grail for young chefs, and JoJo was the hottest ticket in town.”
Vongerichten claims to have invented molten chocolate cake
in New York City in 1987, but the French chef and chocolatier Jacques Torres
has disputed that, arguing that such a dish already existed in France. According to Vongerichten, he pulled a chocolate sponge cake
from the oven before it was done and found that the center was still runny, but was warm and had both a good taste and a good texture.
In June 2009, Vongerichten catered a dinner party at the home of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
. Guests included New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg
and former President Bill Clinton
.
Mark Bittman
Mark Bittman is an American food journalist and author. He is columnist for The New York Times.-Education:Bittman is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School Class of 1967 and of Clark University.-Career:...
.
Early life
Born and raised on the outskirts of StrasbourgStrasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
in Alsace, France, Vongerichten’s earliest family memories are about food. The Vongerichten home centered around the kitchen, where each day his mother and grandmother would prepare lunch for the almost 50 employees in their family-owned business. His love for food cemented his choice of career at the age of 16, when his parents brought him to the 3-star Michelin-rated Auberge de l’ill for a birthday dinner.
Culinary education
Vongerichten began his training soon after in a work-study program at the Auberge de l'ill as an apprentice to Chef Paul HaeberlinPaul Haeberlin (chef)
Paul Haeberlin was a French chef and restaurateur. He was the owner of Auberge de l’Ill, classical French restaurant, which was first awarded a 3-star Michelin Rating in 1967 and continues to be one of the oldest 3-star establishments in France...
. He went on to work with the top chefs in France, including Paul Bocuse
Paul Bocuse
Paul Bocuse is a French chef based in Lyon who is famous for the high quality of his restaurants and his innovative approaches to cuisine...
and Louis Outhier
Louis Outhier
Louis Outhier is a French chef best known for Restaurant L'Oasis, a restaurant he ran in La Napoule, a village near Cannes on the French Riviera, from 1954 to 1988.-Career:...
at L’Oasis in the south of France. Often working with Outhier, Vongerichten opened 10 restaurants around the world from 1980 to 1985, including the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, the Meridien Hotel in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and the Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong.
Relocation to America
Vongerichten arrived in the United States in 1985 under the auspices of consulting chef Louis Outhier, opening the Le Marquis de Lafayette restaurant in BostonBoston
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...
. A year later he arrived in New York to take over the executive Chef position at Lafayette in the Drake Swissôtel, generating critical acclaim with his innovative interpretation of classic French cuisine and earning four stars from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
at the age of 29. There he met financier Phil Suarez, a loyal dining patron. Vongerichten and Suarez opened a bistro
Bistro
A bistro, sometimes spelled bistrot, is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. Home cooking with robust earthy dishes, and slow-cooked foods like cassoulet are typical...
, JoJo, in 1991. JoJo was named Best New Restaurant of the Year, and earned three stars from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, in which Food critic
Food critic
The terms food critic, food writer, and restaurant critic can all be used to describe a writer who analyzes food or restaurants and then publishes the results of their findings. While these terms are not strictly synonymous they are often used interchangeably, at least in some circumstances...
Ruth Reichl claimed: "His food took my breath away".
Vong
His next venture, Vong, paid homage to his passion for the spices and flavors of the East. Using over 150 different herbs and spices to create his take on Thai-inspired French cuisine, the menu at Vong impressed critics, earning another three-star review from The New York Times for his "explosive flavorful food". In an adjacent space to Vong, Vongerichten also opened The Lipstick Cafe, catering to the midtown business crowd and serving breakfast and lunch in a casual, upscale setting. The Lipstick Cafe has since closed. In November 2009 it was revealed that Vong was closing at its longtime location indefinitely after it decided not to renew the lease
Lease
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee to pay the lessor for use of an asset. A rental agreement is a lease in which the asset is tangible property...
.
Trump Tower location
In March 1997, Vongerichten opened Jean Georges restaurant in the Trump International Hotel and Tower, earning a four star review from The New York Times less than three months after opening, and the "Chef of the Year Award" from John Mariani at Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
. Jean Georges Restaurant remains one of five restaurants in the city awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
.
Frank Bruni of The Times said it offers “accessible elegance,” providing “classic French indulgence with a contemporary flair.” The restaurant trades “the richness of traditional French cooking for a different kind of intensity,” he added – it eliminates “thick sauces and embraces oils and broths, preferring them for their lightness and for the way they release their scents, like the perfume of lemon grass that rose from a bath of Asian herbs and seeds around a delicately baked lobster tartine.”
Other Vong locations
A year and a half later, Vongerichten opened a second Vong in the Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
area of London, earning a three-star review and the 1996 vote for the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
s "Newcomer of the Year". In September 1997, he opened Vong in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong, which Robb Report awarded "Best Restaurant in the World" award in 1998. A fourth Vong in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, partnering with restaurant corporation Lettuce Entertain You and Geoff Alexander to become VTK (Vong's Thai Kitchen) in 2002. This change was to make the signature Jean-George style available to a wider audience at a more accessible price point. All three additional Vongs, including VTK, have since closed.
Vongerichten followed with The Mercer Kitchen, opened in July 1998, in the stylish Mercer Hotel in Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
. This venture features an American-Provincial menu and ‘communal’ style tables in the open kitchen area. Another addition is the Prime Steakhouse in Steve Wynn’s Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, which opened in October 1998.
Vongerichten opened Spice Market (Southeast Asian street food) in 2004 and Perry Street in 2005 (French-American) in NYC, as well as the Chambers Kitchen in Minneapolis in 2007.
In 2008 Jean Georges teamed up with the Matsushita Brothers from Tokyo to open Matsugen
Matsugen
Matsugen is the name of several Japanese restaurants owned by the Matsushita brothers located in Tokyo, Hawaii and New York. The New York Matsugen is co-owned by the Matsushita brothers and Jean-Georges and received three stars from the New York Times....
. Matsugen's cuisine focuses on Japanese Soba
Soba
is the Japanese name for buckwheat. It is synonymous with a type of thin noodle made from buckwheat flour, and in Japan can refer to any thin noodle . Soba noodles are served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup...
dishes, but also served sushi and other items including shabu-shabu
Shabu-shabu
is a Japanese variant of hot pot. The name Shabu Shabu is derived from the "swish swish" sound of cooking the meat in the pot. The dish is related to sukiyaki in style, in that both use thinly sliced meat and vegetables and are usually served with dipping sauces, but it is considered to be more...
and sukiyaki
Sukiyaki
Sukiyaki is a Japanese dish in the nabemono style.It consists of meat which is slowly cooked or simmered at the table, alongside vegetables and other ingredients, in a shallow iron pot in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin...
.
His latest projects for 2009 include Jean-Georges at Aria in Las Vegas, a restaurant in the Mark Hotel in NYC, a Market and Spice Market in the W Hotel in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
and a J&G Steakhouse in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
and Washington, D.C.. J&G Steakhouse opened opposite the White House in the W Hotel on July 8, 2009.
Starwood Hotels
Vongerichten and partner Phil Suarez have formed a new company with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. and Catterton Partners
Catterton Partners
Catterton Partners is a private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations and growth capital investments in middle-market companies...
, a consumer-focused private-equity firm which will own, operate, manage and license restaurants in Starwood properties as well as freestanding concepts not attached to the hotel giant's lodging outlets. The deal calls for seven Spice Markets and other concepts world wide. The total number of eating destinations could total 56 with this contract. The first to open were two Spice Markets at the W Hotel in both Atlanta and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, respectively.
J&G Steakhouse (Scottsdale)
Vongerichten opened his newest steakhouse
Steakhouse
A 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 December 2008 atop The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale, Arizona
Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385...
. Described as a "sleek, sexy, glamorous restaurant, floor to ceiling windows frame the dramatic views of the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. With fare consisting of steak
Steak
A steak is a cut of meat . Most are cut perpendicular to the muscle fibers, improving the perceived tenderness of the meat. In North America, steaks are typically served grilled, pan-fried, or broiled. The more tender cuts from the loin and rib are cooked quickly, using dry heat, and served whole...
s and seafood
Seafood
Seafood 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...
, the restaurant has received 4 stars from the Arizona Republic and is regarded as one of the top 3 steakhouses in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.
Hotel Shangri-La
Vongerichten opened a restaurant at the Hotel Shangri-La Vancouver, a luxury hotel that Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts opened in 2009. “Market by Jean-Georges” is the first collaboration between Shangri-La and Vongerichten and is the famous chef's first involvement with Canadian or west coast dining.
Jean-Georges Steakhouse
Vongerichten is set to open a namesake restaurant inside Aria, one of the first properties to open in the newly-built CityCenter on the Las Vegas Strip. The restaurant will feature fine steaks served on hot lava rocks as well as sustainable and organic ingredients.
Market (Boston)
In November 2009 Vongerichten opened 'Market' 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...
's new W Hotel, inspired by the casual, simple elegance of the setting, Jean-Georges has created a relaxed menu that emphasizes fresh, locally produced ingredients. Emphasizing comfort and creativity, the menu reinvents classic dishes with eclectic flair, allowing guests to try new flavor combinations and explore spices from other regions, all while remaining close to home. Dishes crafted with seasonal market ingredients and local fish, can be selected from enticing categories on the menu such as Simply Raw, Fish, Meat and a Market tasting menu to enliven the senses and satisfy any craving.
Lawsuit
In September 2008, Vongerichten agreed to settle a lawsuit for $2.2 million filed by staff who claimed tips from several of his restaurants had been redirected to managers.Influence
New YorkNew York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
wrote that in the past two decades, no single chef has had more influence on the way New Yorkers dine out—or on the way other chefs cook and other restaurants look. “He invented America’s answer to nouvelle cuisine,” says Mario Batali. “When I first came to New York, his book Simple Cuisine was the holy grail for young chefs, and JoJo was the hottest ticket in town.”
Vongerichten claims to have invented 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...
in New York City in 1987, but the French chef and chocolatier Jacques Torres
Jacques Torres
Jacques Torres, known as “Mr. Chocolate,” is a master pastry chef. Torres is a prominent member of the FCI community, leading the Pastry Arts as well as holding pastry demonstrations.- Biography :...
has disputed that, arguing that such a dish already existed in France. According to Vongerichten, he pulled a chocolate sponge cake
Sponge cake
Sponge cake is a cake based on flour , sugar, and eggs, sometimes leavened with baking powder which has a firm, yet well aerated structure, similar to a sea sponge. A sponge cake may be produced by either the batter method, or the foam method. Typicially the batter method in the U.S. is known as a...
from the oven before it was done and found that the center was still runny, but was warm and had both a good taste and a good texture.
In June 2009, Vongerichten catered a dinner party at the home of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
. Guests included New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
and former President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
.
Family
He has been married twice, and currently is married to Marja Vongerichten nee Allen. With Marja, he has a young daughter named Chloe. He also has two adult children, Cedric and Louise, from his first marriage.Books
- Home Cooking with Jean-Georges (co-authored with Genevieve Ko) (November 2011), ISBN 978-0-307-71795-5
- Asian Flavorings of Jean-Georges (October 2007), ISBN 978-0-7679-1273-0
- Simple to Spectacular (co-authored with Mark BittmanMark BittmanMark Bittman is an American food journalist and author. He is columnist for The New York Times.-Education:Bittman is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School Class of 1967 and of Clark University.-Career:...
) (October 2000), ISBN 978-0-7679-0360-8 - Jean-Georges: Cooking At Home with a Four-Star Chef (co-authored with Mark Bittman) (September 1998), ISBN 978-0-7679-0155-0
- Simple Cuisine: The Easy, New Approach to Four-Star Cooking (1991), ISBN 978-0131950597