News & Events
Alumnus Michael Lomonaco Appointed Visiting Distinguished Professor
Michael Lomonaco
Brooklyn, NY -- Internationally renowned chef Michael Lomonaco has been named visiting distinguished professor of hospitality management at New York City College of Technology (City Tech), effective February 1, 2002.
As a member of the faculty, Lomonaco will be conducting master classes in the culinary arts and delivering guest lectures in various courses, including Food and Beverage Cost Control, Hospitality Marketing and the Senior Research Seminar. The former chef/director of Windows on the World will also make use of his experience as a TV celebrity chef/food show host to help City Tech explore developing a food and cooking program for CUNY-TV (Channel 75).
"Michael Lomonaco is among our most accomplished alumni and has a reputation as one of America's most popular and brightest culinary stars," said City Tech President Fred Beaufait in announcing the six-month appointment. "Since graduating from City Tech in 1984, Michael has maintained ties to the college, coming back time and again to share the depth and breadth of his expertise. We welcome the valuable contributions he will make to our students' education."
His City Tech students will gain insight into how to run a successful restaurant from a master as well as receive a bird's-eye look at the culinary world they will be entering. Before his four-year tenure at Windows on the World was abruptly cut short by the World Trade Center disaster, Lomonaco had been instrumental in transforming it into the highest grossing restaurant in the U.S. for three years in a row, and one that also received the highest culinary acclaim. He achieved similar results at the 21 Club restaurant, where he served as executive chef for more than seven years.
A common thread in those successes was a commitment to American regional cooking that creatively uses fresh and natural foods to produce dishes with rich, bold flavors. Le Cirque and Maxwell's Plum were other stops on Lomonaco's career path. He is currently in the midst of opening a new restaurant in New York City.
An accomplished public speaker, cooking teacher and co-author of The 21 Cookbook (Doubleday, 1995) and author of a forthcoming book on creative home cooking, Lomonaco has attracted a national TV following, first as host of "Michael's Place" on the Food Network and now as co-host of "Epicurious" on The Discovery Channel. This past summer, he spent time in a City Tech kitchen taping segments for "Sizzling Summer Chefs," another Discovery Channel show that he co-hosted.
The college's hospitality management program, which offers both associate's and bachelor's degrees, has a strong public service component, with students volunteering in soup kitchens and other charitable organizations citywide. In that arena, Lomonaco is role model as well. Immediately following September 11, he co-founded Windows of Hope Family Relief Fund and has been actively raising money for it. Over the years he has participated in culinary events that benefit such causes as Citymeals on Wheels and the March of Dimes. He also has been active as a fundraiser and board member for City Harvest, and has served on the New York City board of Share our Strength.
City Tech figured mightily in Lomonaco's decision to become a chef and follow his passion for cooking, food and wine. It was his chance encounter with alumnus Patrick Clark, the late renowned chef at Tavern on the Green, which prompted Brooklyn-born Lomonaco to enroll at the college and change his career focus from the stage to the kitchen. Until then, he had been an actor/singer with eight years of experience working in both theater and film.
"I was driving for a private livery service at the time and one night happened to pick up Patrick at the Odeon restaurant," Lomonaco recalled. "I was a serious home cook and recognized him as an important famous chef. He was on his way home to Brooklyn and it was a long ride. I asked him how he got his start. He told me his father was a chef and his godfather was also a chef and taught at City Tech, so he went to school there. Patrick's words opened my eyes because until then I had no idea how one pursued a career as a chef. I enrolled at City Tech three months later."
According to Lomonaco, City Tech offered then, as now, the most comprehensive culinary training and management degree program in New York City. "The other programs offer shorter, more intense culinary experiences while steering clear of the management side," he explained. "City Tech graduates have more diverse exposure, giving them more tools with which to market themselves in the hospitality industry."
"City Tech gave me my life--it offered me the chance to fully develop my love for food and wine and taught me how to turn my hobbies and interests into a life's work," he said. "I will be forever grateful for the way the college helped me succeed in a new field. This appointment will let me give something back to the college and its students."
Established in 1946, New York City College of Technology is the senior college of technology of The City University of New York and is located at 300 Jay Street at MetroTech Center in Downtown Brooklyn.
