Scott Conant

Scott Conant
Born	(1971-02-19) February 19, 1971 Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Education	Culinary Institute of America
Spouse(s)	Meltem Conant (m. 2007)
Children	2
Website	scottconant.com
Culinary career
Cooking style	Italian
Current restaurant(s) Mora (consultancy) Cellaio (consultancy)
Television show(s) 24 Hour Restaurant Battle Chopped Chopped Sweets Top Chef
Award(s) won James Beard Foundation's "Best New Restaurant" for L'Impero, 2003 Food & Wine Magazine's "Best New Chef", 2004

Scott Conant is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and cookbook author.

Early life

Conant was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He is the son of Anne (Varrone) Conant and Charles Conant. He is of Italian descent on his mother's side. He began cooking at a young age, taking cooking classes at the local community college at age 11. At 15, he enrolled in W.F. Kaynor Technical High School for culinary arts, and then attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

Professional career

While at the Culinary Institute of America, Conant interned at the famous New York City restaurant San Domenico, an experience that had a decisive impact on the young chef. After graduation, he spent a year in Munich, Germany, mastering the art of pastry at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof. He returned to the United States and San Domenico, working as a sous chef and helping the restaurant garner three stars from The New York Times.

In 1995, Cesare Casella selected him to be chef de cuisine at Il Toscanaccio, an Upper East Side Tuscan-style restaurant. A year later, Conant went on to revamp two institutions: Barolo in SoHo and Chianti on the Upper East Side. Conant then became executive chef at City Eatery, located on the Bowery in New York City.

Conant and his modern take on Italian cuisine got the attention of New Yorkers, earning him a loyal following and a glowing two-star review from The New York Times in 2000.

In September 2002, Conant opened L'Impero in Tudor City. Within weeks, the restaurant received a rave three-star review from The New York Times, which stated, "[Conant is] turning out dishes full of flavors that are joyous and highly refined. From the simplest preparations to the most complex he is almost always in control and in tune."

Gourmet declared that Conant “raises the roof on the Manhattan school of Italian cooking.”

A year later, Conant's signature pastas appeared on the cover of Food & Wine, and the magazine went on to name Conant one of America's “Best New Chefs” in 2004.

L'Impero received top honors from the James Beard Foundation in 2003, including “Best New Restaurant” in the U.S. and “Outstanding Restaurant Design.”

In October 2003, Conant was featured on the cover of Gourmet for its “Chefs Rock” issue, and in March 2004, Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl named L’Impero one of her favorite New York restaurants.

Following L’Impero, Conant went on to open Alto, a "sophisticated" Italian restaurant in midtown Manhattan that offered his interpretation of Northern Italian cuisine.

Conant's initial television appearances included segments of The Today Show and, in 2007, on Home Shopping Network with a line of cookware, "Scott Conant's Signature Creations."

Conant left L'Impero and Alto in 2007, and in 2008 opened a new restaurant, Scarpetta, located in Chelsea, Manhattan. In July 2008, Scarpetta received a positive three-star review from The New York Times and New York Magazine.

In November 2008, Scarpetta was named one of the “Best New Restaurants in America” by Esquire magazine.

Scarpetta was nominated in early 2009 for "Best New Restaurant in America" by the James Beard Foundation.

In November 2008, Conant opened a second restaurant in the Fontainebleau Miami Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, where it received four stars from the Miami Herald. In October 2010, Conant opened Scarpetta in Beverly Hills at the Montage. The Los Angeles Times voted Conant Best New Chef in Los Angeles.

In July 2010, the reality food-competition television show "24 Hour Restaurant Battle" premiered on the Food Network, starring Conant as the host and head judge. The television show pits two teams of two people against each other as they open up a restaurant from scratch in 24 hours. The show ran two seasons.

In December 2010, Conant opened a fourth location of Scarpetta and D.O.C.G. Enoteca, a casual wine bar, both at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. D.O.C.G. Enoteca closed on June 20, 2017.

Conant's current ventures include Mora Italian, a modern osteria in Phoenix, Arizona. Most recently, Conant opened Cellaio Steak at Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, New York.

Personal life

Conant has been married to his wife, Meltem Conant, since 2007. The couple has two daughters together, Ayla (b. 2010) and Karya (b. 2012).

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	After Hours with Daniel Boulud	Himself	Episode: "Blue Ribbon Sushi"
2007, 2009	Top Chef	Guest Judge	2 episodes
2009–present	Chopped	Self – Judge	220 episodes
2010	Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations	Himself	Episode: "Techniques Special"
2010–2011	24 Hour Restaurant Battle	Host	5 episodes
2010–2019	The Best Thing I Ever Ate	Himself	18 episodes
2011	Entourage	Himself	Episode: "The Big Bang"
	Food(ography)	Himself – Chef and owner of D.O.C.G	Episode: "Las Vegas"
2011–2012	Food Network Star	Himself / Judge	2 episodes
	The Best Thing I Ever Made	Himself	7 episodes
2012	Symon's Suppers	Himself	Episode: "Sunday Suppers"
	Ali 70 from Las Vegas	Himself	TV special
	Ten Dollar Dinners	Himself	Episode: "Scarpetta Swap Out"
	Sandra's Restaurant Remakes	Himself – Chef and owner of D.O.C.G.	Episode: "Rich and Dreamy Dishes"
	Iron Chef America	Himself - Team Chopped	Episode: "Thanksgiving Showdown: Thanksgiving Leftovers"
2012–2014	Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off	Himself / Judge	2 episodes
2014	Southern Fried Everything	Himself - Cookbook Author	Episode: "The Sounds of Sizzle"
	Rewrapped	Himself / Judge	Episode: "Lay's It All on the Line"
2014–2016	Chopped After Hours	Himself / Judge	11 episodes
2014–2020	Beat Bobby Flay	Himself / Mentor / Judge	38 episodes
2015	The Da Vinci List	Himself	Episode: "The Da Vinci List: Chefs"
	Rachael Ray's Kids Cook-Off	Himself / Judge	Episode: "Grand Finale Cook Off"
	Christmas at Bobby's	Himself	Christmas special
2015–2017	Chopped Junior	Himsef / Judge	9 episodes
2016	Burgers, Brew and 'Que	Himself	Episode: "Sweet and Savory"
	Emeril's Florida	Himself	Episode: "Resort Restaurants"
	All-Star Academy	Himself – Guest professor	Episode: "Snack Time"
	Brunch at Bobby's	Himself	Episode: "Updated Manhattan"
2016–2017	Cooks vs. Cons	Himself / Judge	4 episodes
2017–2019	Worst Cooks in America	Himself / Chef / Judge	2 episodes
2018	Guy's Ranch Kitchen	Himself	Episode: "Healthy Comfort"
2019	Best Baker in America	Host	Episode: "Extra Icing: Classic French Pastries Reinvented"
2020	All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate	Himself	3 episodes
	Chopped Sweets	Host	6 episodes
2021	Tournament of Champions	Judge	Episode: "The Bracket Begins"

Awards

• Three Stars from The New York Times for "L'Impero" and "Scarpetta New York"
• Four Stars from Miami Herald for "Scarpetta Miami"
• "Best New Restaurant of 2003" from the James Beard Foundation for "L'Impero"
• "Best New Chef" from Food & Wine Magazine in 2004
• Winner of Season 3 of "Chopped All-Stars"

Cookbooks

• Scott Conant's New Italian Cooking (2005), ISBN 0-7679-1682-4
• Bold Italian (2008), ISBN 978-0-7679-1683-7
• The Scarpetta Cookbook (2013), ISBN 978-1118508701

External links

• Official website
• Scott Conant at the Internet Movie Database
• Scott Conant on Instagram
• Scott Conant on Twitter