Geoffrey Zakarian is a celebrated chef who has reinvented the approach to American cuisine. His recipes are as stylish as they are delicious, and his two New York City restaurants, Town and Country, have been praised by food critics and connoisseurs nationwide. 

Geoffrey was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and studied economics at the University of Massachusetts. Early in life, he discovered a passion for cooking but did not decide to become a chef until visiting Paris, where he apprenticed. Later, at New York’s Le Cirque, the legendary French chef Daniel Boulud became his mentor.

Over the past 20 years, Geoffrey has manned the stoves at some of the world’s best restaurants, including Arpège in Paris and the Dorchester in London. In New York City, he was the Chef de Cuisine at Le Cirque and Executive Chef of 44 at the Royalton and “21.” In 2001, he opened Town off Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan; and in 2005, he opened Country near Madison Square Park in Manhattan.

To Geoffrey, the food is inseparable from style and just as important as “the scene.”  The interiors of both Zakarian restaurants were designed by David Rockwell. Town features suede walls that are backlit to give the room a soft glow; Country’s signature is a luxurious balconied, silver-trimmed and ornamented dining room. 

His first cookbook, Geoffrey Zakarian’s Town/Country, will be published by Clarkson Potter in the spring of 2006. The book, a study of 65 ingredients Zakarian always uses, will provide recipes for each in a dressed-up “town” version as well as a rusticated “country” approach.