Don Pintabona

Position(s):

Chef

In 1990, Chef Don Pintabona was recruited by Robert DeNiro to be the Executive Chef for his famed restaurant, The Tribeca Grill, in downtown New York City. The restaurant earned rave reviews from both the media and public, and has become famous for its celebrity clientele. The restaurant received, among many others, the Ivy Award for Excellence, The DiRona Award and Wine Spectator’s Grand Award of Excellence.

Don's culinary talents have been highlighted in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, G.Q., Food & Wine and New York Magazine. He has appeared on more than 100 television shows in the past 15 years, including The Food Network, CNN, NBC’s Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS The Early Show and Good Morning Australia. He has also cooked for numerous celebrities and politicians, including Nelson Mandela, Sting, Madonna, Former President Bill and Hillary Clinton, Bruce Springsteen and Liza Minnelli, to name a few.

He graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America in 1982. After graduating he traveled to 30 countries on three different continents honing his culinary skills with his mentors including Chefs Charles Palmer and Daniel Boulud in New York, Michelin 3-star Chef Georges Blanc in Vonnas, France and Chef Kiyomi Nishitani in Osaka, Japan.

Don is a firm believer in giving back to the community. He actively participates in dozens of local, national and international charities, many of which benefit children. Newsweek featured him as one of New York's pivotal figures during the 9/11 relief efforts for his role in planning the "Operation Chefs with Spirit" campaign, which fed over 600,000 hot meals to the relief workers following the attacks on The World Trade Center.

Don is the author of two books, both published by Random House: The Tribeca Grill Cookbook (2000) and The Shared Table (2005).