David Ruggerio

Oh yes, my friends, at one point in my life, I was a much-celebrated celebrity chef. I honed my culinary skills in France at several of the country's leading restaurants. Among them, the Hotel Negresco with Jacques Maximin; Moulin de Mougins with Roger Verge; Les Pres d'Eugenie with the mythic Michel Guerard, and l'Auberge du Pont de Collonges with the iconic Paul Bocuse. I was honored in 1995 by noted vintner Robert Mondavi as one of the best thirteen Rising Star Chef in America, in the first year of this national awards program. My experience also includes being the chef and partner of Pierre Cardin's New York Maxims. Yes, that's the same Pierre Cardin with cologne and everything else in the world! With Cardin, I was instrumental in the expansion of Maxim as a brand in restaurants and hotels. I also was the executive chef of the famed Le Caravelle ( I was only 25 at the time-go and figure) and executive chef and owner of Park Avenue's Le Chantilly. All three restaurants received numerous national accolades. I authored two acclaimed cookbooks, "Little Italy with David Ruggerio" and "David Ruggerio's Italian Kitchen." I hosted my own PBS cooking series; "Little Italy with David Ruggerio." and went on to host my own cooking series on TV Food Network entitled "Ruggerio To Go"(check out some of the episodes on my YouTube channel, they'll make you smile). I have a wonderfully scary upcoming horror novel entitled; "A Wistful Tale of Gods, Men, and Monsters, which was released on Halloween Eve of 2019. Could you pick a better day to release a horror novel? Boo! My next novel, "Say Goodbye and Goodnight," a romance based on a Italian-American Brooklyn fighter which takes place during 1977, the most tumultuous year in new York City's history. The release date is June 11, 2020. My memoir, "High Crimes and Haute Cuisine," has been optioned and the film is in production. The book should be released in the fall of 2020. Stay Tuned!