Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of the most popular and richest Chef who was born on March 16, 1957 in France, France. He was inspired by the culinary work of fellow French chef Alain Chapel.
Jean-Georges currently resides in New York City and is married to a Korean American/African-American actress and model, Marja Vongerichten (née Marja Dominique Allen; born 1976). With Marja, he has a young daughter named Chloe. He also has two adult children, Cedric (who is the Executive chef of Perry Street) and Louise (who recently opened a restaurant called Chefs Club in NY), from his first marriage. His daughter Louise is married to Hamdi Ulukaya. Jean-Georges has three grandchildren. He spends weekends at a house in Waccabuc, New York
Vongerichten arrived in the United States in 1985 under the auspices of consulting chef Louis Outhier, opening the Le Marquis de Lafayette restaurant in Boston. A year later he arrived in New York to take over the executive Chef position at Lafayette in the Drake Swissôtel, generating critical acclaim with his innovative interpretation of classical French cuisine and earning four stars from The New York Times at the age of 29. There he met financiers Bob Giraldi and Phil Suarez, a loyal dining patron. Vongerichten, Giraldi and Suarez opened a bistro, JoJo, in 1991. JoJo was named Best New Restaurant of the Year, and earned three stars from The New York Times, in which Food critic Ruth Reichl claimed: “His food took my breath away”.
He married Marja Vongerichten.
He appeared with his wife on the PBS series Kimchi Chronicles.
Jean-Georges Vongerichten (Alsatian: [ˌʒãː_ˌʒɔrʒ_fɔn.ɡəˈrɪçtən] , French: [ʒãː_ʒɔrʒ_vɔn.ɡərɪʃtən] born 16 March 1957) is a French-American chef. Vongerichten commands restaurants in Las Vegas, London, Paris, Shanghai, and Tokyo, as well as New York’s Jean-Georges restaurant and Tangará Jean Georges in São Paulo’s luxurious Palácio Tangará, by Oetker Collection. He is also the head chef of Eden Rock, St Barths. Vongerichten is the author of five cookbooks, two with Mark Bittman.
