Thomas Patrick Colicchio is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and TV personality. He taught himself to cook using Jacques Pépin's manuals and began his kitchen career at 17. After cooking at prominent New York restaurants, Colicchio co-founded Gramercy Tavern with Danny Meyer in 1994, where his cooking received three stars from The New York Times and earned him The James Beard Foundation's 2000 Best Chef-New York Award.