Widely regarded as a Chef’s Chef, Michael is one of America’s Most Recognizable Culinary Leaders. Having spent his career in some of New York’s most respected restaurants, he promotes a welcoming atmosphere of warm hospitality alongside his modern American cooking. Michael is known for dishes that feature pristine ingredients prepared with joy and gusto.
Michael Lomonaco is the Culinary Director of the highly respected and successful restaurant Porter House Bar and Grill, and Center Bar, a mixologist’s dream. He is an original star of Food Network, spent 8 years as a noted food and travel host on Discovery and Travel Channels, and has taught cooking classes throughout the US. In 2002 Michael was appointed Distinguished Visiting Professor at New York’s CUNY. Equally at home in front of a University lecture hall, on a frenetic TV studio set, or up close and personal in your virtual kitchen, Michael inspires us with a lively and warm personality, quips, and tips on cooking, wine, and music. Ask him where to find the best of anything, anywhere!
Throughout his long culinary career, Michael has always been involved and engaged in community service. He has served on the advisory boards of many food and hunger-related non-profits including Share Our Strength, City Harvest, and C-CAP. Following the tragic aftermath of 9/11, he co-founded Windows of Hope, a 501-C3 charity that raised millions of dollars for the benefit of families of the food service workers who perished at the World Trade Center. Service to others is a hallmark of his culinary ethos, the gift of hospitality through which Michael uses food to do more than feed those around him.
Within his leadership keynotes and interactive cooking classes, Chef Lomonaco provides a unique perspective on adapting, adjusting, creating, and delivering the gift of hospitality to customers and employees alike in any fast-paced environment, regardless of the circumstance or industry. His approach to hospitality, the gift we give others, is what all businesses need most in customer relations, staff, and team-building, and how we can best represent ourselves to the world around us.
Michael has faced challenges and adversity in life which have left him feeling alone and grief-stricken. His methods of coping during difficult times have allowed him to move forward with life and thrive under pressure. He is in the process of writing a memoir that details these challenges and shares his ideology and beliefs. Sharing truthful stories about his life experiences, resilience, and renewal has allowed him to help others through personal crises. As he recounts the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and the aftermath and rebuilding of his life and helping others rebuild their own lives we are shown a lifetime of insight into how to live a life of hope and acceptance.
"Michael Lomonaco tells a story that is captivating, heartbreaking, and even life changing. He adds color to what humanity really means in our daily lives and he challenges us to re-evaluate the relationships we have with our family, our peers and coworkers, our neighbors, and our customers. He is a natural presenter, highly engaging, and authentic to the core. There's hardly an event or audience that wouldn't benefit from hearing him speak."
"Michael Lomonaco tells a story that is captivating, heartbreaking, and even life changing. He adds color to what humanity really means in our daily lives and he challenges us to re-evaluate the relationships we have with our family, our peers and coworkers, our neighbors, and our customers. He is a natural presenter, highly engaging, and authentic to the core. There's hardly an event or audience that wouldn't benefit from hearing him speak."