CHEF DANTE: This is Cleveland Star Chef
Some chefs pair food with wine. Dante Boccuzzi pairs food with rock ‘n’ roll. Every career high for this Michelin star chef comes with a musical counterpart.
During a stint at New York City’s famed Aureole restaurant, he jammed out at Lollapalooza. At Silks in the Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco, he cooked for Bruce Springsteen. As executive chef at Nobu Milan, he met Eric Clapton.
Palmer hired Boccuzzi after he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and encouraged him to travel abroad for more experience. He did, working in top-notch kitchens in Italy, France, England, China and Taiwan.
Boccuzzi’s work has earned two James Beard Foundation Rising Star nominations. He credits celebrity chef Charlie Palmer as his main culinary mentor.