Rocco DiSpirito

Rocco DiSpirito, chef and proprietor of Manhattan’s Union Pacific and Rocco’s restaurants, attended the Culinary Institute of America at age 16, then studied at the Jardin de Cygne in Paris for two years. In 1988 he went to work at the Adrienne, then later became chef de partie at Aujourd’hui in Boston, and eventually returned to New York, where he worked with David Bouley, Gilbert LeCoze, and Gray Kunz before joining Lespinasse’s opening team. In 1997, DiSpirito opened Union Pacific, where the “poetry and complexity” of his dishes earned three stars from the New York Times. He became a star this past summer when NBC aired the reality show The Restaurant, which is now in its second season, and he is the author of the cookbook Flavor, nominated for a 2004 James Beard Award. Rocco DiSpirito lives in New York City.