Partners
Rick Tramonto’s 30-year restaurant career has been a climb to the stars. "Tramonto is a blend of mad scientist and magician in the kitchen. He is innovative, creative and somewhat an illusionist," described Pat Bruno of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Thanks to his unbridled creativity, Tramonto has garnered international attention and a host of prestigious awards. In 1994, Food & Wine recognized Tramonto as one of the Top Ten Best New Chefs in the country, one of the highest culinary achievements that a new chef can attain and in 1995, he was recognized as one of America’s Rising Star Chefs by Robert Mondavi. Tramonto’s vision propelled the four-star Mobil, five-diamond AAA restaurant Tru to be named a Relais-Gourmand property by Relais & Chateaux in fall 2002. Four-star Tru (Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Magazine) was named the most popular Chicago restaurant by the Zagat Survey while Chicago Magazine awarded Tru Best Restaurant in their 2002 and 2004 Dining Awards. Tramonto’s history with The James Beard Foundation Awards is exemplary, being named Best Chef: Midwest Region in 2002. His commitment to a culture of highest possible standards of guest service in his restaurants has earned consecutive nominations for the Outstanding Service Award by the Foundation, securing the Award in 2007. Tru was the recipient of the 2003 IVY award by Restaurants & Institutions, inducted into Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2004 Fine Dining Hall of Fame and has been honored with the Wine Spectator Grand Award, one of the most highly coveted acknowledgements in the food and wine industry, every year since 2004.
Because of his star quality, Tramonto has been praised everywhere from newspapers including USA Today, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and People magazine to international lifestyle publications such as Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Wine Spectator and Conde Nast Traveler. He has a history of television work as well, appearing on "Oprah", "Today", "CBS This Morning" and "Iron Chef America" on Food Network. Most recently he was a judge on Bravo TV’s hit reality program "Top Chef" and "Simply Ming".
Tramonto is an accomplished cookbook author with six titles to his credit. His first book, "American Brasserie", hit the shelves in October 1997 and was named as a finalist for the Julia Child Cook Book Awards. His second book, "Butter Sugar Flour Eggs", was released in October 1999 and nominated for the 2000 James Beard Award for the Best Cookbook in the Baking and Desserts category. In October 2002, Random House published "Amuse-Bouche", which features the little bites Tramonto has become known for at Tru and in November 2004 he released "Tru: A Cookbook From the Legendary Chicago Restaurant". His most recent book on small plates Italian-style, "Fantastico!" was released in 2007 and his next book, "Osteria" is due to be released in fall 2008.
A Rochester, New York native, Tramonto was disinterested during his teen years in traditional academics, choosing instead to enroll in a vocational tech program where he learned the skills of cooking.
He then went to work full-time at Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers to help out his family, earning $200 for a six-day workweek. He left after two years becoming grill/sauté cook at The Scotch & Sirloin, which led to his first real culinary experience at the Strathallen Hotel. Under the tutelage of Chef Greg Broman, Tramonto learned the techniques of classic French cuisine in the hotel's first class kitchen. He met partner and pastry chef Gale Gand at Strathallen.
Young and ambitious, Tramonto moved to New York in 1985 where he worked at the legendary Tavern on the Green. From there he joined Chef Alfred Portale as line cook at Gotham Bar & Grill and was part of the brigade awarded three stars by The New York Times. He also worked under Chef Gerard Panguad at Aurora. Tramonto was brought to Chicago by Richard Melman in 1987 to work at his popular Lettuce Entertain You restaurants Scoozi! and Avanzare. He then went on to open and work at several other Lettuce Entertain You establishments.
After moving to Charlie Trotter's in 1989, he received a call from Bob Payton, who operated 14 American-style restaurants in London (My Kinda Town, Ltd.) and 17 other venues across Europe. Payton asked Tramonto to transform the kitchen and cuisine at his award-winning country-house hotel, Stapleford Park, in Leicestershire, outside London. He accepted the opportunity to live and work in England, France and Spain. His proudest moment was receiving the coveted Michelin Guide's Red "M" after only a year at Stapleford, a feat not accomplished by an American in five years.
Reopening The Criterion Brasserie in Picadilly Circus, London, the restaurant made famous in a Sherlock Holmes novel, with Bob Payton and Rocko Forte of the Trusthouse Forte Hotel Group, Tramonto was allowed to work with some of the world's greatest chefs including Chef Pierre Gagnaire, Chef Anton Mosimann, Chef Michel Guerard and Chef Raymond Blanc. He returned to Chicago in 1993 after this three-year experience abroad.
Tramonto’s passion for food, unique culinary style and his proven track record at home and abroad provided him a solid foundation to partner in a successful restaurant. When he opened Trio in 1993, the restaurant was an immediate triumph, earning Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel's first four-star rating in six years. He sold his partnership in 1995 after opening the popular Brasserie T, which was closed in 2001 to fully focus on Tru, which opened in 1999. In 2005 Tramonto opened Osteria di Tramonto, Tramonto’s Steak & Seafood and RT Sushi Bar & Lounge and now looks forward to opening his new projects in the Chicago region before expanding nationally.