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Is Tom Colicchio Opening a New Restaurant?
The Top Chef judge is eyeing a new space in Philadelphia.
He's got the eye—or, more appropriately, the taste buds—for culinary genius, and it looks like Tom Colicchio is going to be bringing his expertise to a new restaurant venture.
Top Chef's head judge made a name for himself as the co-founder and former executive chef of the famed Gramercy Tavern in New York; he's since gone on to open Craft and Colicchio & Sons, and his restaurant empire continues to grow. Tom just announced that he's planning on opening a steakhouse in the Provence Resort & Casino, which, pending approval, will take over a stretch of Philadelphia's Callowhill Street.
From the Philadelphia Business Journal:
Colicchio was in Philadelphia Wednesday as part of developer Bart Blatstein’s press conference announcing the flagship restaurants. Chef Andrew Carmellini, who may be best known for The Dutch, which has locations in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood and in Miami’s South Beach, will also have an Italian restaurant. He is author of two cookbooks. If approved, The Provence Resort & Casino would take over a parcel stretching along Callowhill Street, from Broad to 16th Street. The $700 million casino-and-retail complex would incorporate the former Philadelphia Inquirer building. Colicchio’s steakhouse will use locally sourced ingredients and hormone-free meats, he said. The restaurants run by Colicchio and Carmellini would be just two out of the eight planned.
Given Tom's track record for excellence, this a great thing for Top Chef and farm-to-table fans with his emphasis on local ingredients—and especially in a city that's as known for it's incredible food (cheese steak, anyone?) as Philadelphia.
“In the car over here, [Blatstein] talked about the need to ‘work hard, leave a legacy,'" he told the Philadelphia Business Journal. "This is not just a business deal. It’s about jobs, life in the city and a love affair with the city. Entertainment is important to [casino] projects. I’m humbled I was invited to the dance here...Philadelphia is a great food city. I would love to do Top Chef Philadelphia.’”
We're not big on gambling, but we'd place a hefty wager on Tom's new steakhouse being amazing. Would you eat at Tom's new restaurant? Should Top Chef: Philadelphia come to fruition? Let us know in the comments.
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