Scott Conant

{{Infobox chef

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Scott Conant

| honorific_suffix =

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1971|02|19}}

| birth_place = Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| death_cause =

| education = Culinary Institute of America

| spouse = {{marriage|Meltem Bozkurt Conant|2007}}

| children = 2

| style = Italian

| ratings =

| restaurants = {{plainlist|

Cellaio Steak
The Americano Scottsdale
The Americano Atlanta

}}

| prevrests = {{plainlist|

L'Impero, Manhattan (2002–2007)
Alto, Manhattan (2004–2007)
Fusco, Manhattan (2017–2018)
Scarpetta Restaurants (2008-2017)
Mora Italian (2017-2024)

}}

| television = {{plainlist|

}}

| awards = {{plainlist|

James Beard Foundation's "Best New Restaurant" and "Best Restaurant Design" for L'Impero, 2003
Food & Wine Magazine{{'}}s "Best New Chef," 2004

}}

| website = {{URL|scottconant.com}}

| module =

}}

Scott Conant (born February 19, 1971) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author. Since 2009, Conant has been a judge on the reality cooking television series Chopped. He has published four cookbooks.

Early life

Conant was born in Waterbury, Connecticut. He is the son of Charles and Anne ({{nee}} Varrone) 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).{{Cite web|url=https://observer.com/2008/08/tomato-king-scott-conant-resurrects-roman-regime/|title=Tomato King Scott Conant Resurrects Roman Regime|date=August 12, 2008|work=The New York Observer|access-date=May 24, 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/09/01/q-a-scott-conant/|title=Q&A: Scott Conant|first1=Frank|last1=Bruni|date=September 1, 2006|access-date=July 8, 2017|website=The New York Times}}

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.{{cite web|author=Bryan Miller|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/22/arts/restaurants-595688.html|title=Restaurants|work=The New York Times|date=July 22, 1988|access-date=May 23, 2014}} In 1995, Cesare Casella selected him to be chef de cuisine at Il Toscanaccio, an Upper East Side Tuscan-style restaurant. He later became executive chef at City Eatery, located on the Bowery in New York City.{{cite web|url=http://events.nytimes.com/mem/nycreview.html?res=9D06E1DC1F38F936A25752C1A9669C8B63 |title=City Eatery (NYC Restaurant) Review - New York City Restaurant Reviews - The New York Times |publisher=Events.nytimes.com |date=November 15, 2000 |access-date=May 23, 2014}}

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."{{cite web|url=http://events.nytimes.com/mem/nycreview.html?res=9C03E1D9163BF937A35751C1A9649C8B63&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/R/Restaurants |title=L'Impero (NYC Restaurant) Review - New York City Restaurant Reviews - The New York Times|publisher=Events.nytimes.com|date=December 4, 2002|access-date=May 23, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.yaleclubnyc.org/files/newsletter_oct2006_print.pdf|title=OCTOBER 2006: Robert P. Bremner '62 on Chairman of the Fed The Tap Room Takes Off!|publisher=www.yaleclubnyc.org|date=February 22, 2007|access-date=May 23, 2014}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.foodandwine.com/bestnewchefs/?year=2004&chef=7969AF75-76C4-40EC-A22D371425DBAF7F|title=Best New Chefs|publisher=Foodandwine.com|access-date=May 23, 2014}}

L'Impero received top honors from the James Beard Foundation in 2003, including “Best New Restaurant” in the U.S. and “Outstanding Restaurant Design.”{{cite web|url=http://jamesbeard.starchefs.com/events/2005/12/007.shtml|title=The James Beard Foundation Events: December 2005|publisher=Jamesbeard.starchefs.com|access-date=May 23, 2014}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://www.afullbelly.com/2004/02/ruth_reichls_25.html|title=Ruth Reichl's 25 favorite New York City restaurants|publisher=A Full Belly|date=February 23, 2004|access-date=May 23, 2014}} Following L'Impero, Conant went on to open Alto, a "sophisticated"{{cite web|last=Platt |first=Adam |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/food/reviews/restaurant/11950|title=Alto - New York Magazine Restaurant Review|date=June 2, 2005 |publisher=Nymag.com|access-date=May 23, 2014}} Italian restaurant in midtown Manhattan that offered his interpretation of Northern Italian cuisine.{{cite web|last=Freeman|first=Danyelle|url=http://www.restaurantgirl.com/q_a_with_scott_conant.html|title=Q & A with Scott Conant|publisher=restaurantgirl.com|date=June 13, 2007|access-date=May 24, 2014}}{{cite web|last=Ulster|first=Laurie|url=http://thechefsconnection.com/scott-conant|title=The Many Sides of Scott Conant|publisher=The Chefs Connection|date=April 24, 2014|access-date=May 24, 2014}}

Conant left L'Impero and Alto in 2007 and, in 2008, opened Scarpetta in Chelsea, Manhattan. In July 2008, the restaurant garnered a positive three-star review from The New York Times{{cite web|url=http://events.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/dining/reviews/30rest.html|title=On Top of Spaghetti|first=Frank|last=Bruni|author-link=Frank Bruni|date=July 30, 2008|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 8, 2017}} and New York Magazine.{{cite web|last=Platt|first=Adam|url=https://nymag.com/restaurants/reviews/48500|title=Scarpetta - New York Magazine Restaurant Review|publisher=Nymag.com|date=July 14, 2008|access-date=May 23, 2014}}

While no longer affiliated, Conant went on to build the Scarpetta brand to national acclaim with restaurants in New York City, Miami, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas and published The Scarpetta Cookbook, inspired by dishes from the restaurant.{{cn|date=November 2022}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://24hourrestaurantbattle.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719223029/http://www.24hourrestaurantbattle.com/|archive-date=July 19, 2011|url-status=dead|title=24 Hour Restaurant Battle|website=24hourrestaurantbattle.com}} The show ran two seasons.{{cite web | url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/dining/2021/12/14/americano-scottsdale-steakhouse-review/6253697001/ | title=The Arizona Republic|accessdate=November 7, 2022}}

In 2021, Conant released his fourth cookbook, Peace, Love, and Pasta: Simple and Elegant Recipes from a Chef's Home Kitchen.{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/irenelevine/2021/10/05/peace-love-and-pasta-home-cooking-with-chef-scott-conant/?sh=7386d269404d | title=Peace, Love, and Pasta: Home Cooking with Chef Scott Conant | website=Forbes|accessdate=November 7, 2022}}

Personal life

Conant has been married to his wife, Meltem (née Bozkurt) since 2007.{{Cite news |last=Shott |first=Chris |date=August 12, 2008 |title=Tomato King Scott Conant Resurrects Roman Regime |work=Observer |url=https://observer.com/2008/08/tomato-king-scott-conant-resurrects-roman-regime/2/}} The couple have two daughters.

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Television

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | 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

rowspan=2|2011

| Entourage

| Himself

| Episode: "The Big Bang"

Food(ography)

| Himself – Chef and owner of D.O.C.G

| Episode: "Las Vegas"

rowspan=2|2011–2012

| Food Network Star

| Himself / Judge

| 2 episodes

The Best Thing I Ever Made

| Himself

| 7 episodes

rowspan=5|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

rowspan=2|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–Present

| Beat Bobby Flay

| Himself / Mentor / Judge

| 38 episodes

rowspan=3|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

| Himself / Judge

| 9 episodes

rowspan=4|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"

rowspan=2|2020

| All-Star Best Thing I Ever Ate

| Himself

| 3 episodes

Chopped Sweets

| Host

| 6 episodes{{Citation|title=Chopped Sweets|url=https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/chopped-sweets|language=en|publisher=Food Network|access-date=May 12, 2020}}

2021-Present

| Tournament of Champions

| Judge

| Episode: "The Bracket Begins"

2025

|House of Knives

|Host / Judge

|8 episodes