Chef Chat

Chef Rick Tramonto on his long journey to culinary fame and success

Chef Rick Tramonto is known for his work at Chicago’s Tru and Trio, and these days is balancing family time with his new Restaurant R’evolution in New Orleans.

Rick Tramonto knows all about adversity.

When he was just 16, his father went to prison and his family lost their house. A high school dropout, he got a job at Wendy's.

Someone took a chance on him, and he's never forgotten.

A dyslexic who didn't even read his first book until he was 28, Tramonto worked his way through kitchens to become a James Beard Award-winning chef. Today the 50-year-old is the author of eight books, currently working on his ninth.

Known for his work at Chicago's Tru and Trio, these days he's balancing time between family and his new Restaurant R'evolution in New Orleans' French Quarter.

Look for the Iron Chef participant and former Top Chef judge in Milwaukee next month, scouting possible restaurant locations prior to participating in the 10th annual Lombardi Food & Wine Experience, which raises money for the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic.

Tramonto will attend the kickoff gala and sign copies of his books Nov. 8 at the Pfister Hotel, then participate in the Celebrity Chef & Wine Dinner Nov. 9 at Milwaukee Athletic Club. An additional Lombardi wine event will be held Nov. 22. For tickets, go to

Q.Where are you based these days?

A.I still live in Chicago, in Vernon Hills. My boys go to school here. I have a place in New Orleans and go back and forth to the New Orleans restaurant, but Chicago is home. I love the Midwest. I've been here 35 years, from New York.

Q.Your first job was at Wendy's in Rochester, New York?

A.My dad had gone to prison when I was 16. I left high school, an only child from an Italian family. Mom worked two jobs, cleaning lady and lunchroom lady. Dad was arrested for embezzlement and went away for seven years. We lost our home. It was not about "Let's go be a chef." It was about I need a J-O-B now.

There was this new restaurant opening down the street, the first of its kind in Rochester. I just knocked on the back door, was pretty straight: 'I don't have a high school diploma, zero experience, I just want a chance.' Somebody gave me a chance to make something of my life.

Q.How did those experiences influence your approach?

A.It influences how you interact with others. Right now, I'm sitting here writing a keynote speech for the Culinary Institute of America's commencement. I start out by congratulating them and get to the point that they have to realize that they've achieved something I've never been able to achieve.

I never got my high school diploma, never went to culinary school. They're walking out of one of the most prestigious culinary schools, the Harvard of culinary educations.

This is me wanting them to give back. "It is really great you are going to go out and conquer the world with cuisine, but don't forget there are kids out there that want to cook and want to learn. They can't unless somebody reaches out to help them."

Q.What does it mean to give back?

A.It has always been a part of my world. I'll never forget when Dave Thomas gave me a chance. Dave was an orphan who was adopted. Pierre Gagnaire and Rich Melman from Lettuce Entertain You, these people just opened the back door and said as long as your work ethic is there and you're serious, come on in.

For me, the core of it is my church, Life Changers. I've been there for 15 years now. Through my own drug abuse and addictions, excess in my life, that's been a salvation to me.

A big piece of our church is Angel Tree. Kids who have parents incarcerated, you visit the parents (in jail) and the kids in the home. I didn't have anything like that.

Q.You've also talked about the challenges of being dyslexic. How did you come to write eight books?

A.It was a lot harder than it needed to be, more frustrating. ... I'm invited to speak in Norway (for the World Association of Chefs Societies). I want to be able to demonstrate how hard it was for me to learn to cook.

You'd have a chef say we're going to learn to make this tomorrow, so go home and read about it. I didn't even own an Escoffier or Larousse book. There were no computers. Imagine going to the library to look it up, but then imagine going to do it in a different language. So I'm doing this Iron Chef competition with chefs and we're going to have them cook recipes not in their language.

Q.What do you cook at home?

A.I don't do a lot of fancy food at home, because I have three boys who just consume an amazing amount of food.

Q.Do your sons cook?

A.I am very proud to say they all can cook. My son who just came back from four years of college was the cook at his dorm. He didn't have to pay for any groceries, because they bought them. He was cooking real food, and they were eating real food. I thought it was cool they invested in that.

My middle son loves burgers and sandwiches. My youngest son Gio, with (ex-wife and chef) Gale Gand goes back and forth between us and he really gets it. He has great knife skills and he's a senior in high school.

None of them want to go into culinary. They see how difficult it is.

Q.What do you want to be known for?

A.There is a point where the players who love the game will become great coaches. I feel like I'm moving into that arena. Love to still get behind the line, cook and create menus, design restaurants and kitchens, but there's balance.

I turned 50 this year. I've been in the business since I was 16. It has been a long journey, and I've paid a lot of dues. One of the proudest things is to see how many chefs I've turned out into the world. When I look at Graham Elliot, who worked with me at Tru, or Jared Van Camp. These chefs who have become huge, that's all the stuff I helped mentor and father. They're soaring. I love it.

Q.You're looking at Milwaukee for a possible restaurant?

A.I've been up there a lot and love it. It is very much like where I grew up, like Rochester. We had beer, the river, Dupont and Kodak and blue collar. Different names, but the feel was the same. Great food, great culture, great beer...Nowadays, the big thing is you have to partner with the right people.

Milwaukee really came from a meeting we had for the Vince Lombardi Foundation. One thing led to another, someone said come back up before your event and we'll look at some locations. 'Sure, I'd love to.' The cooking part is easy, getting the food right is a no-brainer, all the other stuff is hard for me.

Q.Your parents both passed away from cancer. Did that play into your decision to participate in the Lombardi dinner?

A.Yes, especially being an only child. It was heart-wrenching and vicious. My dad had back cancer and brain cancer. We brought him from Rochester to Vernon Hills. The best part, we set up a video camera at the table and just filmed dinner conversations and him telling stories about growing up and the Korean War. It was an extraordinary time. The Lombardi organization is amazing, so it was an easy yes.

© 2014, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.


E-mail Newsletter


Get the Newsletter!

Login or Register to manage all your newsletter preferences.


What's No. 5?

Our list starts with:

1. Potato salad
2. 7-layer salad
3. Macaroni/pasta salad
4. Egg salad

Read more and comment

What's no. 5 on your list of picnic salads with mayo?

Ham salad

Broccoli-cauliflower salad

Seafood salad

Chicken salad